Add the Opinions AI Leaves Out

Ask an AI tool whether a four-day work week is a good idea and you'll get a balanced answer. Benefits, challenges, "it depends on the organization". That's useful for research. It's a poor model for writing, because readers don't come to you for a balanced summary of everything. They come for your judgment.

Why AI hedges

Assistant models are trained to be helpful and inoffensive to as many people as possible. Taking a side risks being wrong or annoying someone, so the training pushes toward balance: while X has advantages, it's important to consider Y.

That's a sensible default for a general-purpose assistant. It's also why AI drafts feel like they're written by nobody in particular. An opinion is a fingerprint.

Where opinions belong

You don't need to be loud. You need to make a call where the reader expects one. Look for these spots in your draft:

After a list of options. Which one would you pick? Say so.
After a "pros and cons" section. Which side wins, for this reader, in this situation?
Where the draft says "it depends". Depends on what? Give the rule of thumb you'd actually use.
At the end. Instead of a summary, end on your recommendation or the one thing you'd want them to remember.

An example

Balanced, AI-style Both email and project management tools have their advantages. Email is familiar and flexible, while project tools offer better organization. The right choice depends on your team's needs and preferences.

With an opinion If your team is under ten people, stay on email. Project tools are great once you have handoffs between groups, but for a small team they mostly create a second inbox nobody checks.

Notice that the opinion comes with a reason and a limit ("under ten people"). That's what makes it trustworthy rather than just bold.

Kinds of opinion that work

Type	Example
A recommendation	Start with the cheaper plan. You can upgrade in a click.
A ranking	Of the three, the second option is the only one I'd use again.
A disagreement	Most guides say to post daily. I think twice a week is plenty.
An admission	I got this wrong for years.
A rule of thumb	If it takes more than two meetings to decide, it's the wrong question.

Stay honest

An opinion should be one you actually hold. Don't invent strong takes to sound human. Readers can tell, and it can backfire badly at work or school. If you really don't have a view, say what you'd want to know before deciding. That's an honest position too, and much more specific than "it depends".

If you find it hard to pull your opinions out, the interviewer method helps. Ask the model to challenge you: "Ask me what I'd recommend and push back on my answer."

Try this

Find every "it depends", "both have advantages" or balanced summary in a draft. Replace at least two with a clear call and a one-line reason. Then pull your style notes together in lesson 4.4.