Reclaiming Clarity: Strategies to Combat AI-Washed Communication at Work

The increasing prevalence of AI-generated content in workplace communications, often dubbed "AI-washing," presents a significant challenge to clarity, engagement, and genuine human connection. This phenomenon is characterized by verbose, overly formal, and ultimately low-signal messages that obscure personal thought and increase cognitive load for readers. The underlying causes are varied, ranging from employee exhaustion and a desire for time savings to fear of expressing personal opinions, or even simple laziness. When leadership models this behavior, addressing it directly can be difficult, necessitating indirect, norm-shaping approaches.

Cultivating Clarity and Brevity

One of the most impactful strategies is to re-establish and reinforce a culture of brevity and directness. Over-polished, abstraction-heavy communication, whether AI-generated or not, hinders effective decision-making. Practical steps include:

• Implementing Brevity Norms: Introduce clear guidelines such as a maximum of five lines per message, with the crucial ask or decision explicitly stated in the first line. This encourages concise thinking and forces authors to distill their message to its essence. For longer communications, a mandatory "TL;DR" (Too Long; Didn't Read) summary of three lines or less can ensure key information is always accessible.
• Shifting Evaluation Criteria: In meetings or asynchronous discussions, proactively ask questions that demand clarity and personal ownership. Phrases like "What's your recommendation?" "If you had to bet your reputation, which option?" or "What decision are we making?" compel individuals to move beyond generic summaries to provide actionable insights. Similarly, a blunt but effective reply of "tldr?" to overly padded messages can quickly train colleagues to self-edit.
• Promoting "Decision Writing Guidelines": Frame these not as anti-AI rules, but as standards for "decision hygiene." These guidelines can specify a limit of five bullet points, a single clear recommendation per message, and the explicit statement of assumptions. This shifts the focus from how something was written to how usable it is.

Shaping Culture and Norms Around AI Use

Since direct mandates may not be feasible, especially when leadership also engages in AI-washing, subtle cultural nudges are vital to reshape expectations:

• Encouraging AI Transparency: Introduce a soft norm around AI transparency. This means acknowledging AI use as a drafting tool but emphasizing that the final output must reflect the author's voice and judgment. A suggested norm could be: "AI is fine for drafting; final output should reflect your judgment and personal take." This reframes AI as an assistant, not a replacement for thought.
• Celebrating Human Craftsmanship: Actively compliment and highlight instances of well-written, clear, and concise human communication. Recognizing and praising effort in crafting thoughtful messages reinforces the desired behavior and demonstrates that human input is valued.
• Sharing Credible References: Frame the push for clarity by citing examples from organizations known for their strong writing cultures, such as Amazon's narrative memos, Stripe's clear internal communication, or concepts from books like "High Output Management" or "The Pyramid Principle." This lends credibility and positions the initiative as an alignment with industry best practices.
• Normalizing Anti-AI Language and Memes: Playfully using terms like "AI slop," "clanker," or sharing AI-fail memes can normalize a collective skepticism towards unedited AI output. This can be combined with sharing articles that debunk AI productivity myths or discuss AI-user burnout, subtly educating the team on the downsides.

Setting Personal Boundaries

Individuals can also set personal boundaries to manage the influx of AI-washed content:

• Direct Questioning: Politely ask colleagues, "Is this your writing?" or state your preference: "I'd prefer if you didn't make me read AI-generated text." This establishes your boundaries without outright controlling others' behavior.
• Refusal to Engage: Make it known that you will not acknowledge or read AI-generated walls of text. By making verbosity socially expensive, you encourage others to adapt to your preferred mode of communication.

Ultimately, tackling AI-washing requires a strategic approach that doesn't fight AI directly but instead champions clarity, brevity, and personal ownership. By carefully shaping incentives, establishing clear norms, and modeling desired behaviors, workplaces can gradually reclaim the signal from the noise and foster more effective, human-centric communication.