Cover We are saying ChatGPT’s preferred words 51% more than 3 years ago, according to Max Planck Institute for Human Development
We are saying ChatGPT’s preferred words 51% more than 3 years ago, according to Max Planck Institute for Human Development
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Stop mid-sentence and listen to yourself talk. Notice how you ‘delve’ into topics or describe things as ‘meticulous’? Congratulations—you’ve been ChatGPT-ified
Research from the Max Planck Institute has revealed a startling linguistic shift: since ChatGPT debuted 18 months ago, humans have increased their usage of AI-favoured vocabulary by 51 per cent. Words like “adept”, “realm” and “navigate”, which are commonly used by ChatGPT, are suddenly everywhere, from boardroom presentations to dating app messages. We’re not just using artificial intelligence—it turns out AI is shaping how we speak.
This isn’t accidental. Every time we interact with AI-generated content, while AI absorbs our patterns, we, as humans, absorb its patterns too. AI-speak sounds confident and professional, and we reach for its linguistic safety net.
Also read: Can ChatGPT understand who we are?
But here’s the problem: uniformity kills personality. As we streamline our speech through ChatGPT filters, we iron out regional dialects, personal quirkiness and grammatical stumbles that make our speech uniquely our own.
Consider the difference between “I enjoy navigating through multicultural spaces” and “I love travelling”. One sounds impressive and professional, but the other sounds like an actual person, someone relatable.
There’s no denying that AI is here to stay. And AI is shaping our culture, including our communication style. But it’s up to us on how we strike a balance between what is beautifully, chaotically human and the confident “perfectly sophisticated” voice that AI brings on board.
Suchetana Mukhopadhyay is the Digital Content Manager for Tatler Hong Kong. In this role, she leads all digital editorial and branded content on Tatler Hong Kong’s website, from brainstorming story ideas with the writers to editing and publishing the articles, and from managing the overall content flow to driving search engine optimisation. She also leads the beauty content at Tatler Hong Kong and across the region, and is always looking to champion diversity through her articles. She was previously with Cedar Hong Kong and Gafencu, and freelanced for the South China Morning Post, Campaign Asia-Pacific, CNN and more. Contact her here.
