My latest “Kim, there’s people that are dying” level issue is with the recent uptick in em dash slander.

For those unfamiliar, an em dash (—) is a punctuation that breaks up or interjects a sentence. It is also now an “obvious sign” of AI usage.

As a former copywriter and editor who is also a whimsical writer and present-day yapper, I take a lot of offense to this. Also, it took me a long time to remember the difference between the em and en dash shortcuts on my computer — what am I supposed to do with that information now?

Also, I do usually include a space before and after my em dashes (except when I don’t) because I’ve been programmed to recognize AP Style. Except when it comes to the Oxford comma, obviously. I reserve the right to do whatever the fuck I want from a grammatical standpoint. Thank you.

When I first started seeing em dash commentary online, my instinct was to stop using them altogether…I didn’t want people to think I was using AI to write things.

Then I wondered why I would be so upset about someone thinking I’m using AI. Here’s what I came up with:

1. AI feels kinda grimy. Is it really worth destroying the earth even more so that I can stop using my brain for one single second? Am I stealing someone’s art? Is it furthering the capitalist agenda? Will it destroy humanity?

2. AI feels kinda lazy. Y’all know I hate that word, but it comes up in my inner dialogue sometimes. Getting AI to write an email response for me feels like the “easy” way out.

3. AI feels kinda inauthentic. If it’s not actually coming from my brain but I’m presenting it as such, it feels wrong and insincere.

As a systems + operations professional, I get asked about AI a lot. Majority of my clients are skeptical of it, or want to at least be more intentional about how they use it in their businesses.

I often find myself thinking, Does using AI make me a bad person?

It may sound like a cop-out but I think whether or not you use AI, and how you use it, is entirely up to you. We will all have different comfortability levels and use cases for it.

Personally, as someone who works in tech spaces, and with neurodivergent people, I see the benefits of using AI. But I am also super skeptical/hesitant of it in a lot of cases.

Here’s how I am using AI in my business right now:

• My AI notetaker helps me stay present in meetings. Auditory processing is really hard for my brain and I used to have a lot of shame about my note-taking abilities and recall.

• Using Claude to outline something or synthesize data has saved me so much time staring at a blank page so that I can continue to make progress on things I care about.

• AI also helps me realize when I’m working on something that feels misaligned. If there are types of tasks I’m trying to get AI to do often, it tells me that I really don’t enjoy them. That’s been a huge insight as I rework my service offerings and client scope.
  
  (Like if I catch myself putting a newsletter into Claude to rewrite or write entirely, it tells me that I don’t actually care about what I’m saying — I’m just trying to check a box. So maybe that topic isn’t worth covering.)

If or how you decide to use AI in your life and business is entirely your decision and is based on your internal set of values and priorities. I’m not here to tell you if your decision is right or wrong. But I do think it’s important to make intentional choices and boundaries.

Here are some reflection prompts to help you get clearer on your stance:

• What words come to mind when I think about AI?

• Are those words my own or are they someone else’s? Where did my thoughts about AI come from?

• Where do I draw the line when it comes to using AI? What do I consider an “ethical” or acceptable use of it for myself? What do I consider an “unethical” or inappropriate use of it for myself?

• Are there ways I could be more transparent about my use of AI? (For example, adding a note to your calendar scheduler that you use an AI notetaker.)

• Are there ways I could be more transparent about what I don’t use AI for? (For example, writing an entire Substack post about using em dashes lol.)

• Is there anything about AI that I’m curious about/would like to learn more about so that I can make a more informed decision about what I use it for? Where can I look to find that information? What sources do I trust?

This may have just been a long-winded way of telling you those em dashes are all me. But this is the internal dialogue I have with myself on most days when it comes to using AI and I figured I’m not the only one.

Peace, love, and — you guessed it — em dashes,

Andrea