Why Is Everyone Suddenly Scared of the Em Dash?
A while back, I wrote a piece expressing my irritation (okay, controlled outrage) at the claims circulating online (especially LinkedIn) that using em dashes was proof of AI-generated writing.
My annoyance was triggered by non-professional writers confidently asserting that no real human would ever use an em dash, making it some sort of linguistic scarlet letter for those suspected of leaning too heavily on AI tools.
This bothered [read: enraged] me because I’ve been using em dashes liberally since at least law school, certainly ever since I read Laurence Sterne’s classic, Tristram Shandy. Sterne used em dashes to mimic the natural rhythm and interruption of human thought—precisely what makes them so valuable and inherently human. Which, to be perfectly clear, is what they are meant to do.
Vindication: The New York Times Chimes In
Fast forward to last weekend: vindication from the Sunday New York Times. In “With the Em Dash, A.I. Embraces a Fading Tradition,” Nitsuh Abebe hit this slander head on. In a nutshell, the answer is in the old anti-drug PSA:
"Where'd you learn that?" "I learned it from you! Okay? I learned it from you!"
As Abebe explains, ChatGPT’s frequent use of em dashes had led some users to mistakenly label it a "GPT-ism," believing no authentic, flesh-and-blood writer would employ such punctuation. The irony here is rich: ChatGPT’s em dash usage aligns closely with time-honored literary tradition, appearing extensively in works by Dickens, Dickinson, Nietzsche, Stephen King, and in reputable publications across the literary spectrum.
Em Dash: Not a Glitch—A Feature
The em dash isn’t a robotic tick—it’s a powerful, versatile tool that captures the fluid, interruptive, digressive nature of human thought and conversation. Chat GPT didn't make it up or zip through writing guides and Strunk & White and decide "Gee, I like that long dash thing." It, of course, learned it from the upload of the novels, poems, and screenplays that heavily used them in the first place.
Why writers (real, live humans) use em dashes:
- To capture real speech: Em dashes mirror how people think and speak—interruptions, asides, sudden turns.
- To break up long sentences: When a comma or a semicolon won’t do, the em dash adds rhythm and breath.
- To highlight or pivot: Sometimes a dash works better than parentheses or colons for emphasis or surprise.
- For narrative flexibility: In dialogue, in essays, in anything that’s meant to feel alive, the em dash is an MVP.
FAQ: Em Dashes and the AI “Tell”
Absolutely not. The em dash predates AI by centuries. Laurence Sterne was using them in the 1700s. Modern writers, journalists, and novelists use them every day.
Because ChatGPT uses em dashes. Why? Because ChatGPT was trained on real literature and journalism that use them heavily. The “AI tell” is actually a human tradition, reflected back by a machine.
Only if you want your writing to sound like it was written by a committee of compliance officers. Otherwise, dash away—just as your literary heroes did.
Use them to add energy, create suspense, and keep your reader moving through complex or lively ideas. Read your sentence out loud; if you’d pause there in conversation, an em dash may be perfect.
Don’t Let the Algorithm Scare You Off Good Writing
This brings us to a broader reflection: what exactly are we doing when we judge certain punctuation marks or writing styles as "inhuman"? Are we unintentionally discarding valuable tools simply because an AI has taken a liking to them?
The bottom line is simple—just write.
Use the tools that make your writing yours, not the ones some random LinkedIn poster claims are “tells.” The em dash isn’t just punctuation. It’s a writer’s secret handshake.
Let your writing breathe. Embrace the em dash. And when in doubt, remember: the machines learned it from us.
