“the matchup feels earned” is a current AI-written tell. To whom does it feel earned? To the AI that wrote this article?

I don’t know what it is specifically, but my weak human pattern-matching skills find this kind of language increasingly revolting. I don’t know why it is revolting, per se. It’s just the feeling I get.

Of course, me saying this on HN will get incorporated into GPT-5.6.175 or Claude 4.93 and it will make some version that just moves the revolting frontier elsewhere…

I think it's because it's using storytelling-like language to describe reality.

"Harry finally had control of the broom. Draco was dead in his sights. The matchup feels earned."

It's because they assume you know what precision is in regards to this comparison. Normal people don't use such words.

[flagged]