The script has flipped — humans are starting to parrot AI lingo. A University of Florida study found that the AI lexicon has infiltrated our own, a far cry from the Turing test, the benchmark for machine sophistication based on its ability to imitate humans. According to Forbes, overuse of words like the now infamous “delve” by LLMs is causing once-uncommon words to surface in everyday conversation.

Word on the street: Overreliance on ChatGPT since its 2022 launch has fundamentally changed how we communicate — we are unconsciously adopting AI quirks in both our writing and speech. In addition to “delve,” the study reports a hike in the use of words like “intricate” and “underscore,” while their simpler synonyms fall out of favor. Unlike traditional word trends that emerged from real-world events, today it’s technology that drives linguistic evolution.

Keeping it real by gatekeeping it. The surest way to sound human today is by deliberately avoiding AI-favored terminology and writing styles — but we at EnterpriseAM still cling to our em-dashes. Thanks to LLMs, a growing list of words and phrases have become taboo for anyone seeking authenticity in academic writing, research presentations, or marketing copy.

The lines are blurring. The distinction between human and machine communication has been increasingly crucial in our digital age. This linguistic mimicry creates genuine risks — in online interactions, there’s a significant chance your conversation partner — or favorite online content creator — is an AI bot masquerading as human. The unsettling reality is that detection has become nearly impossible, leaving us humans at the mercy of bot creators’ transparency.

Where does this leave the future of human communication? The big question is whether future generations will find new ways to sound authentically human — this is the first time in human history that humans aren’t steering the development of language. We might be witnessing an unprecedented homogenization of language that flattens the rich diversity and creativity of the human voice. Bummer.

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