Let’s not pretend otherwise. Procurement teams know.
• They’ve read enough submissions.
• They’ve seen the patterns.
• They recognise the tone.
Polished. Structured. Confident. But slightly hollow.
AI isn’t invisible anymore. And if you’re using it casually, buyers can tell in seconds.
The Telltale Signs of Lazy AI Use
Buyers don’t need software to detect AI.
They spot it through:
• Repetitive phrasing
• Safe corporate buzzwords
• Overly balanced sentence structures
• Vague claims
• Lack of measurable proof
• Generic methodology descriptions
It’s not that AI content is “bad.” It’s that it often feels frictionless.
And frictionless writing without depth feels artificial.
When ten proposals sound structurally identical, it becomes obvious.
The Bigger Risk: Exposure, Not Detection
Here’s what most agencies miss:
• The risk isn’t that buyers dislike AI.
• The risk is that AI exposes weak thinking.
If your strategy isn’t clear, AI fills the gap with average language.
If your methodology isn’t structured, AI smooths it over.
If your case studies lack measurable outcomes, AI defaults to adjectives.
And that’s where procurement panels lose confidence.
They don’t reject you because you used AI.
They score you lower because you lacked specificity.
Procurement Has Evolved
Buyers today are:
• More scoring-aware
• More benchmarking-driven
• More risk-sensitive
• Increasingly AI-literate
They compare responses side by side.
They recognise repeated structures.
They notice when answers feel templated.
When your proposal sounds like everyone else’s, you disappear into the middle.
And in RFP scoring, the middle rarely wins.
AI Isn’t the Problem — Misuse Is
AI is not a competitive disadvantage. Misusing it is.
When used properly, AI can:
• Map responses to evaluation criteria
• Identify scoring gaps
• Tighten clarity
• Reduce word count
• Improve structure
But it must be directed.
AI should handle structure.
You must inject substance.
What Smart Agencies Do Differently
The agencies who aren’t getting “caught out” use AI strategically.
They:
• Define their strategic angle before prompting
• Feed AI measurable case studies
• Provide structured delivery frameworks
• Control tone deliberately
• Review outputs critically
• Refine for specificity
AI becomes an accelerator. Not the author.
Visibility Still Comes First
Before writing begins, smart agencies ensure they’re seeing opportunities early.
Late discovery leads to rushed drafting.
Rushed drafting leads to generic AI reliance.
That’s exactly why Creative RFPs exists.
For $45 per month (cancel anytime), you receive:
• Curated creative-sector RFPs
• Tailored alerts
• Geographic filtering
• Reduced admin time
• Predictable pipeline visibility
More preparation time equals sharper responses.
How to Use AI Without Sounding Generic
1. Replace Adjectives With Evidence
Instead of:
“We are innovative.”
Write:
“Our phased delivery model reduced stakeholder revision cycles by 31% in comparable public sector campaigns.”
Specific language feels human.
2. Inject Real Insight
AI can structure answers.
But only you know:
• Why certain projects nearly failed
• What risks were hardest to manage
• What lessons shaped your methodology
Real experience creates texture.
Texture breaks the AI pattern.
3. Prompt Strategically
Don’t ask:
“Write a response to this question.”
Ask:
“Structure a response aligned to the following scoring criteria, emphasising measurable outcomes and defined risk mitigation processes.”
Direction dramatically improves output quality.
Why We Built the Creative AI Bid Writing Course
Surface-level AI use is everywhere.
Strategic AI integration is not.
The Creative AI Bid Writing Course teaches:
• How to align AI outputs to scoring frameworks
• How to avoid generic tone
• How to preserve brand voice
• How to inject measurable storytelling
• How to build repeatable workflows
• How to combine creativity with compliance
Pre-launch price: $145
Live price from April 2026: $595
Buyers can spot lazy AI use instantly.
But they can’t spot AI used intelligently — because it simply feels structured, confident, and evidence-led.
The Real Competitive Shift
AI has raised the baseline. Everyone can now produce competent writing.
Which means competence isn’t impressive anymore.
Differentiation comes from:
• Specificity
• Evidence
• Structural clarity
• Strategic insight
• Measurable outcomes
If your proposal reads like it could belong to any agency, AI has neutralised your voice.
If it reads precise, confident, and evidence-led, AI has strengthened your process.
The Question
Right now, is AI sharpening your edge?
Or making you blend in?
Buyers are reading quickly.
And they can spot the difference.
Your Next Move
If you want to use AI intelligently — not obviously:
• Subscribe to Creative RFPs for $45 per month to strengthen your opportunity pipeline.
• Secure your place on the Creative AI Bid Writing Course for $145 before it increases to $595 in April 2026.
AI isn’t the issue.
Average thinking is.
And procurement panels can spot that in seconds.