I chose perplexity.ai because I like the deep web searches and generally detailed and well-explained responses, all without having to craft delicate prompts.
So here’s what I asked:
I’m concerned about using em dashes in my work. Some see this as a clear use of AI-generated content. However, the em dash works better than other punctuation in certain places. I was never taught about em dashes at school, so how long have they been used in modern literature? They do feel modern or even recent, in the last few years. Is that the case, or just a perception because of AI-generated content?
And here is the response:
The em dash (—) has a much longer history in English writing than many realize—it is not a recent phenomenon or an invention of AI-generated content. While it may feel modern or particularly prevalent in current digital writing, its use spans centuries:
- Historical Roots: The em dash can trace its origins back to ancient Greece, where a dash-like mark was used to indicate pauses in sentences. It was adopted in Latin and early European manuscripts, later becoming a fixture in early printing and typography in the 15th century, named for being as wide as the letter “m” in a given typeface.
- Rise in Literature: The em dash gained popularity in English literature in the 18th and 19th centuries, used by notable authors such as Emily Dickinson, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf for dramatic effect, sudden shifts in thought, or setting off parenthetical statements. Emily Dickinson, in particular, is known for her heavy and creative use of the em dash.
- Typewriter Era and Decline: With the advent of the typewriter in the late 19th century—which lacked a specific key for the em dash—the usage dipped. Writers substituted a double hyphen (“–”) in its place. This workaround continued into the early computer age until word processors automated the conversion.
- Resurgence and Modern Use: The em dash experienced a revival from the 1960s onward as fiction writers and journalists rediscovered its flexibility. It is now widely used in creative writing, journalism, and digital content, prized for its ability to emphasize, create pauses, or inject suspense. Its use is more common in American than British English, where a spaced en dash is sometimes preferred.
- Teaching and Perception: Many people report not being taught about the em dash in school—it did fall out of fashion in certain periods and regions, especially during the typewriter era, and is still sometimes seen as informal or even lazy by prescriptive grammarians. This may explain why it often feels “modern” or “recent” to those who only encountered it in digital writing or via AI-generated content.
- Not an AI Tell: While some automated writing systems do use em dashes, their prevalence is not an indication of AI authorship alone. The em dash predates computers by hundreds of years and is a tool many accomplished human writers use for stylistic effect.
In summary, the em dash is a versatile and centuries-old punctuation mark that has gone through phases of both favor and disfavor. Its current “modern” perception is likely due to its digital resurgence rather than any connection to recent technology or AI-generated text. Using em dashes thoughtfully—without overdoing them—will not mark your work as inauthentic, but rather as stylistically aware and informed by a long literary tradition.
Make of that what you will.
I’m not going to be put off by the em dash. I’m not going to avoid it. I’m going to use it.
Not everything AI is a disaster for creative work. I’m now edumacated. I’ve learnt about the em dash. I’m also learning more about writing—structure, sentences, pacing, formatting, etc. More than I ever learnt from training courses.
By doing. By writing in my own clumsy way, and then asking AI: ‘What am I doing well, and what do I need to improve on.’ And to be honest, the constant feedback is invaluable.
So, if you feel AI is not for you, that’s fine. For me, AI is currently my best friend—a person tutor, sounding board, editor, critic and a useful tool.
If you’re hesitant about AI in creative work, I encourage you to explore it with an open mind—you might find it as valuable a partner as I have.