Some people are talking like ChatGPT and scientists explain why

ChatGPT

If you have noticed your friends suddenly dropping words like “meticulous” or “swift” in regular chats, you are not imagining it. A new study says humans are starting to talk like ChatGPT. Yes, it is not just AI learning from us anymore, we are learning from it too.

The study comes from researchers at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. They went through a mountain of data, checking over 360,000 YouTube videos and more than 770,000 podcast episodes. They compared conversations before and after ChatGPT became popular, and the results are pretty eye-opening.

According to the study, people are now using certain “AI-style” words much more often. Words like “delve,” “comprehend,” “boast,” “swift,” and “meticulous” have all popped up more in everyday chats. These are words that frequently appear in AI-generated text.

The researchers think this shows something bigger happening. Machines were trained using human language in the first place. But now, after spending time talking to AI, people are starting to pick up those machine-style words. It is like a language circle — we teach AI, then AI teaches us right back.

This is the first time a study has shown that AI is changing the way people speak, not just write. Earlier research focused on writing style, but this study suggests we are even copying how AI talks out loud.

One of the researchers, Levin Brinkmann, explained it in simple terms. He said people naturally copy the language of those they think are smart or helpful. Since AI is seen as a quick source of answers, people are unknowingly picking up its style of speaking.

So the next time you hear someone casually drop “I will delve into it,” you will know who they have been hanging out with — their favourite AI chatbot.