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Empirical Evidence of Large Language Models’ Influence on Human Spoken Communication (Category AI)

#AI #Software #PopularScience #GenAI

Have you ever wondered how our speech works and where we get our vocabulary? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development asked the same question and decided to investigate how large language models influence spoken language. Their effect on writing has already attracted plenty of attention, but speech called for a separate study. Its methodology was as follows:

  • First stage: the researchers gave ChatGPT millions of pages of emails, essays, academic papers, and news articles and asked it to polish them. They then identified words ChatGPT used much more frequently than the original authors.
  • Second stage: the team analyzed more than 360,000 YouTube videos and 771,000 podcast episodes recorded before and after ChatGPT’s release, covering more than 740,000 hours of human speech.
  • Control group: to strengthen the analysis, they constructed synthetic control groups from synonyms ChatGPT used less often, such as “examine” and “explore” instead of “delve.”

The authors describe a cultural feedback loop between people and AI. Co-author Levin Brinkmann explains it through people’s tendency to imitate sources they regard as authoritative. AI can present information confidently and in a structured way, making it appear expert. People then adopt its vocabulary and conversational style: their speech becomes longer, more structured, and less emotional.

The effect is particularly noticeable in science, education, and business. Academic YouTube channels showed the largest influence, with use of GPT-associated words increasing by 25–50% a year. The study also describes a shift toward American English, raising concerns about the loss of cultural diversity.

There is an interesting paradox: when others know someone frequently uses AI, they may view that person’s eloquence negatively. They perceive the speaker as less engaged and empathetic, especially online.

I wonder what other less visible effects of AI we are already experiencing, and where they will lead.

#AI #Software #PopularScience #GenAI