Genre glitches and unexpected promotional phrases as a sign of AI writing
The article discusses the phenomenon of genre glitches in AI-assisted writing, where text unexpectedly shifts genres. This is illustrated through examples from the New York Times and legal documents, highlighting how promotional phrases can disrupt informational content. The author suggests that these glitches indicate the influence of language models on writing styles.
- ▪Genre glitches occur when AI-generated text suddenly switches genres, inserting inappropriate promotional phrases.
- ▪An example from the New York Times featured a bizarre description of tomato flavor in an article about rising prices.
- ▪Another instance involved a legal document that included travel marketing language in a section about a defendant's train journey.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
AI STORIES Genre glitches and unexpected promotional phrases as a sign of AI writing JillMay 13, 2026May 15, 2026Post a Comment Genre glitching in the New York Times A genre glitch is a characteristic of LLM-assisted writing where the text suddenly switches genre, typically inserting a short promotional phrase full of sensory details into an informational text. Genre glitches occur when a word in the generated text is heavily associated with a genre or context that is markedly different to the overall genre or subject of the text, thus activating rhetorically inappropriate paths in the language model. OK, I wrote that definition based on two examples I’ve seen, so maybe it will change. But I’m pretty sure I’m on to something here. Let me explain.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Jill Walker Rettberg.
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