As AI-generated phishing emails become indistinguishable from authentic correspondence, standard security advice (like "look for poor spelling and grammar") is no longer sufficient. To protect your digital identity, you must learn the subtle, modern cues of AI writing.
1. Overly Polite and Formal Tone
AI models are trained to be professional, polite, and helpful. As a result, AI-written emails often sound abnormally formal, using perfect syntax and greetings that real colleagues rarely use in quick business communications. If a quick message from your boss reads like a formal press release, be suspicious.
2. Lack of Real-World Specificity
While LLMs can write beautifully, they lack actual context of your daily offline interactions. An AI phish might say: "Please review the documents from our recent meeting," without referencing the specific topic, time, or location of that meeting. Any email that demands urgent action but uses generic, non-specific details should trigger a second-channel verification.