In an age of AI, do typos signal authenticity?

Typos once signaled sloppy writing. But in an age of AI-generated writing, University of Michigan School of Information Nicole Ellison says small errors may indicate authenticity and effort. 

Ellison, an expert in online communication, says typos can sometimes signal that a real person is behind the words. 

“A typo maybe signals that you actually do care,” she says. “because you took the time to write it yourself.”

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Read “The Typo Vibe Shift” in The Atlantic. 

Learn more about Nicole Ellison’s research about online communication by visiting her UMSI faculty profile.