Ever catch yourself saying something that sounds a little too… ChatGPT-ish? Like you mean to say “let’s make this easier” but out comes “let’s optimize this process.” Yeah, you’re not alone.
According to Florida State University researchers, ChatGPT isn’t just helping us write emails—it’s sneaking into how we actually talk. They analyzed more than 22 million words from podcasts (science and tech ones, where people actually riff unscripted), and found a noticeable jump in words ChatGPT tends to use: “surpass,” “intricate,” “strategically.” Meanwhile, their plain-spoken cousins like “explore” or “look into” didn’t budge.
We’ve Been Here Before
This isn’t the first time tech lingo has crashed the dinner table. Think about it:
- We say things “went viral” even when we’re talking about a bake sale flyer.
- “DM me” jumped from Twitter/Instagram into office chatter.
- “LOL” escaped the chatroom years ago and now shows up in actual spoken conversation.
- Cringe” and “iconic” left meme culture and became everyday adjectives.
Now AI is just the latest culprit—teaching us to sound a little more like polished bots than regular humans.
Before & After: Human Talk vs. ChatGPT Talk
Here’s how it’s sneaking in:
- Old-school: “Let’s make this easier.” ChatGPT-ified: “Let’s optimize this process.”
- Old-school: “We should double-check.” ChatGPT-ified: “We should verify with precision.”
- Old-school: “This is complicated.” ChatGPT-ified: “This is quite intricate.”
- Old-school: “We nailed it.” ChatGPT-ified: “We successfully surpassed expectations.”
Sound familiar? If your next staff meeting starts to sound like a TED Talk written by an algorithm, now you know why.
The Friendly Takeaway
Language has always borrowed from the newest cool thing. The internet gave us “trending” and “going viral.” Social media gave us “DMs” and “likes.” Now AI is giving us “optimize” and “strategically align.”
If your conversations are sounding a little too optimized lately, don’t worry—you’re not turning into a robot. You’re just part of the latest wave in how technology quietly rewrites the way we talk.
And honestly? It’s kind of fascinating to watch ourselves evolve in real time.