Hmm, you might be right about that paragraph. I am very sensitive to LLM smells, but I missed this one, probably because the rest of the essay seems handwritten.

Of course, one can never be sure. Many writers are picking up on this style, too, so it could have organic origins.

I feel like this is one of the most damaging parts of the slop problem. Occasionally the slopisms fit into real writing. Sometimes people do just write like this, and we are losing a sense of reality because we keep being tripped up by this nagging little voice

It's the "it's not X. It's Y" pattern isn't it?

Although the verb "stayed with me" seems a little sloppy to me too.