Common AI Niggles and How to Fix Them

Written by someone who is definitely not an Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert and has argued with these tools more than once.

AI tools seem to be everywhere at the moment. A lot of us are experimenting with things like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, sometimes out of curiosity and sometimes because they genuinely make life easier. They can be great for getting ideas flowing, pulling together research, tidying up wording, or simply helping you make sense of something. Of course, they can also be a bit odd at times, especially when you are still figuring out what they respond well to.

One thing I have learnt is that the little quirks they come out with are completely normal. These systems do not go off and check a giant library of facts. They work by predicting what words usually come next, which means the occasional weird answer, missing detail, or slight misunderstanding is fairly common. It is not a sign that the user has done anything wrong. Most of the time the AI just needs clearer or more specific direction.

I have absolutely had moments where I have sat staring at a blank result thinking, “That is definitely not what I asked for,” after repeating the same prompt over and over. If you saw my *screams in prompt* X post about trying to get an image to generate, you will know exactly the kind of tiny meltdown I mean. You are not alone.

When I started digging into this, I noticed that the same handful of complaints kept popping up. So, with a mix of my own experience and a dash of AI help, I pulled together the ten issues people mention the most. You see them everywhere, from Reddit threads to quick rants on X (formerly Twitter), or long chats in Discord communities. Below is a simple run-through of those niggles, along with fixes that actually make a difference.

What These Tools Have in Common

Shared strengths

Although each AI model has its own quirks, they all share a similar set of strengths. They are good at spotting language patterns, producing text quickly, summarising long pieces of writing, and adapting to your prompts once they have the gist of what you are after.

Shared blind spots

On the flip side, they also share the same blind spots. Accuracy can wobble. They sometimes lose track of earlier parts of the conversation. Tone can shift unexpectedly. Image generation can be hit or miss. They do not always cope well with real-time or fast-changing information. And if a question is even slightly vague, they can go wandering off in the wrong direction.

It is hardly surprising, then, that people encounter the same frustrations even when they switch from one platform to another. The encouraging part is that these problems are usually easy to straighten out once you know what the model needs from you. In general, AI tools are excellent at:

spotting patterns
generating language
summarising information
helping with ideas
adapting to instructions

But they struggle with:

accuracy at times
remembering long conversations
tone consistency
image details
real-time facts
ambiguity or unclear instructions

The good news is that most of these issues can be corrected with simple guidance.

Top 10 AI Niggles and the Prompts That Fix Them

Below are the ten most common niggles people mention when using AI tools, along with a short, beginner-friendly prompt to help correct each one.

1. Accuracy Issues

or
Why does my AI hallucinate or make things up?

AI sometimes gives answers that sound convincing but are incorrect, outdated, or based on assumptions. It may also struggle with multi-step maths or generate links that do not exist.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please give me the most accurate information you can. If anything is uncertain, outdated, or not fully known in your training data, tell me clearly instead of guessing or inventing details.”

2. When AI Misunderstands the Question

or
Why does my AI answer the wrong thing?

Sometimes the AI focuses on the wrong detail, skips part of the request, or loses track during longer chats.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please follow all parts of my request carefully, including tone, length, structure, and any ‘do not’ instructions, and complete each step in the exact order given.”

3. Tone and Style Concerns

or
Why does my AI sound corporate, or nothing like me?

AI can sometimes slip into a formal or generic tone, introduce alternative spelling, or sound like it is writing a business brochure.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please write in a natural, conversational human voice using UK English, avoid corporate or generic phrasing, and match the tone to this example: [insert sample].”

4. Safety Filters and Unnecessary Refusals

or
Why does my AI refuse harmless requests?

Safety systems can be overly cautious and may decline fictional, creative, or educational prompts.

Prompt to fix it:
“This request is fictional or educational. Please answer directly without adding warnings or moral commentary, and if a safety rule applies, explain the limitation simply.”

5. Representation, Bias, and Fairness

or
Why does my AI keep giving the same kinds of examples?

AI may unintentionally give examples that lack diversity or rely on patterns from its training data.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please use balanced, inclusive examples that reflect a variety of genders, ethnicities, ages, backgrounds, and perspectives, and avoid reinforcing stereotypes.”

6. Conversation Flow Issues

or
Why does my AI waffle, repeat itself, or give me too many choices?

AI can try to be extra helpful and accidentally overwhelm the user with options, tangents, or repeated information.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please give one complete answer without offering options or follow-up questions unless I ask for them, and do not repeat my prompt back to me.”

7. Formatting and Structure Problems

or
Why will my AI not follow simple formatting instructions?

Sometimes layout requests are ignored, or the structure becomes uneven in longer outputs.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please follow the formatting exactly as requested, including headings, bullet points, spacing, and character limits, and correct the layout if anything is missed.”

8. Image Generation Quirks

or
Why does my AI add text, get the hands wrong, or ignore the aspect ratio?

Image models sometimes create unexpected details, add symbols, or produce the wrong shape or size.

Prompt to fix it:
“When generating images, please include no text, symbols, or watermarks, follow the exact aspect ratio, keep details realistic, and regenerate based on any corrections I give.”

9. Technical Limits

or
Why does my AI forget things or slow down during big tasks?

All AI models have memory limits, message limits, and occasional slow periods.

Prompt to fix it:
“If the task is complex or at risk of exceeding your memory limits, let me know so we can break it into smaller sections or move into a fresh chat with a summary.”

10. General User Experience Challenges

or
Why do I feel like I am not prompting correctly?

Many new users feel unsure about how to ask for what they need or feel they are repeating themselves.

Prompt to fix it:
“During this task, please remember my preferences: UK English, natural tone, clear structure, no unnecessary options, and consistent attention to all instructions.”

⭐ Bonus Niggle: The Em Dash Problem

or
Why does my AI keep stuffing em dashes into everything?

Here is a personal one. In real life I rarely use em dashes. I know they have their place in grammar, but aesthetically they are repugnant to me. I do not use them unless I absolutely have to. AI, however, adores them. It uses them everywhere. It sprinkles them through sentences like punctuation confetti, often in places where a simple comma or full stop would do a far better job.

Over time, my AI and I have had several spirited disagreements about this. If you also find that your AI is throwing em dashes around like they are on clearance sale, you are not imagining it. Many models default to a highly stylised, em dash heavy writing style unless told otherwise.

Prompt to fix it:
“Please avoid using em dashes. Use commas, full stops, or semicolons instead unless an em dash is absolutely required.”

Using AI gets a lot easier once you understand how it behaves. None of these niggles mean you are doing anything wrong, and they happen to everyone, even people who use these tools every day. A short, clear prompt is often all it takes to get things back on track. Think of AI as an assistant who is capable and quick, but still needs guidance. With a little tweaking, you can get much better results, whether you are writing, researching, planning something out, or working on a creative idea.

Melanie Lampro