If Someone Uses These 10 Phrases, They Probably Copy & Pasted Straight From ChatGPT
GaudiLab | ShutterstockOverusing AI and substituting human voices with technologically generated ones feels inauthentic. However, most AI responses are also incredibly inconsistent, unreliable, and inaccurate.
Of course, using AI can sometimes help to enhance the human touch and make certain people's lives more efficient. But when it becomes something that's overly centered on convenience and ease, rather than intentionality, it can become a barrier to authenticity and genuine connection. Rather than using phrases that are probably copy and pasted from ChatGPT, be intentional.
If someone uses these 10 phrases, they probably copy and pasted straight from ChatGPT
1. 'Research suggests that'
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ChatGPT often pulls information from all across the internet and different websites, not always recognizing when a source isn't reputable or accurate. When they do provide an output with sources, they usually weave between multiple paragraphs of words and claims.
As a 2024 study suggests, this format and how they pull information often makes their research and sources unnatural and impossible to track down. So, the next time you choose to use the phrase "research suggests that" after copying and pasting from ChatGPT, take a second to do your own.
2. 'It's important to note'
If someone has to include "it's important to note" in their writing, chances are they're not using clear enough language or making their point accurately. Let words and writing speak for themselves. That's how human emotion, thinking processes, and authenticity come through when it's clear someone has worked through the details and invested time into making something accessible.
Compared to ChatGPT, it often creates small claims and themes amid unnecessary, jumbled paragraphs of random words. Our power comes from making connections and noticing things technology misses, not using empty phrases like this.
3. 'In the modern landscape'
When's the last time you naturally heard someone say "in our modern landscape" or "in the digital realm"? Chances are, never. Unless, of course, you got an email or note from someone who overuses ChatGPT to help them write their sentences. Not only does it feel a little bit too professional for casual conversations and flowery for something that needs to be clear, but it feels inauthentic.
Of course, sometimes it's perfectly natural and fine to use a phrase like this, when it's coming from a human voice. But from AI systems and ChatGPT, it feels less cohesive.
4. 'It's not only X, but also X'
ChatGPT is known for using sequences and unnecessary words in sentences, following a "it's not only X, but also X" structure in answers and outputs. You may also notice strings of three words at the end of a sentence, like "because of X, Y, and Z," that are a clear indication that someone copied and pasted right from ChatGPT.
While this structure can be influential and help to maintain reader clarity when it's used intentionally, most of the time, it's riddled with flowery language from ChatGPT trying to hit a word count or seem more sophisticated than someone actually needs to be.
5. 'Let's delve into it'
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While language processing models and AI systems are too new to have tons of research unpacking their structure, one study from Florida State University found that words like "delve" or "illuminate" are commonly overused. Traditionally, these words are most commonly found, and sometimes overused, in scientific studies and research. So, it's not surprising that regurgitations of that science, no matter how misleading they may be, tend to similarly overuse those words.
So, while it's clear people do naturally use these words and rely on them in professional contexts, placing them in sentences or paragraphs that are overly casual or confusing can have a poor effect on the reader's experience. So, be intentional about where you choose to copy and paste, and if you can, don't do it at all.
6. 'This underscores the significance of'
If you're making a point, there's no need to remind people that you're making one with a phrase like this. Your simple language and clarity should be enough for readers to understand your claim. Yet, ChatGPT phrases often overcomplicate word structure and lean on phrases like one to make sense of a jumbled mess of unnecessary words.
Even if the claim they're making for the "significance" they're pointing out is completely wrong, most people sadly choose to copy and paste from ChatGPT regardless, without any critical thinking or further research.
7. 'With that being said'
As a study from the University of Rochester explains, our brains are naturally driven toward clarity and things that make sense. In some ways, our natural language patterns and language shift toward things that seem more understandable and simple.
While the most intelligent people intentionally shape their words and phrasing to make conversations more accessible and inclusive in these ways, someone prone to copy and pasting directly from ChatGPT gets caught in the weeds. With a phrase like "with that being said," they make it harder for people to follow their main point and muddy the waters with unnecessary language.
8. 'A key takeaway is'
ChatGPT can't help but provide big claims and summaries, largely because that's the motive of most people regularly using AI. They want to be clear, but oftentimes, the information they actually share behind this bold claim is inaccurate and misguided.
Especially if you don't understand what you're writing about or saying, the use of phrases like this can come across as insincere and confusing. Focus on the main themes of what you're trying to say, and stop trying to fill space with phrases that seem rigid and sterile.
9. 'From a broader perspective'
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According to experts from Grammarly, "from a broader perspective" is one of the most common ChatGPT responses and phrases people use. Of course, it's a term that people have used naturally for decades, but when it's thrown into something in a vague or unnecessary way, it can often feel more sterile and nondescript than it should be.
Many of these phrases come back to unnecessary language. Most people crave simplicity and words that are easy to understand, whether they're working or reading a news article online. When they're constantly being met with ChatGPT's overcomplicated lingo and slang, they're turned off and immediately annoyed.
10. 'When seeking clarity'
According to researcher Hiromu Yakura, words like "delve" and "clarity" aren't just signs someone copied and pasted from ChatGPT on a written document. They're also becoming more popular words in our spoken language, often because of AI influences in every aspect of our lives.
So, if you find yourself using words that you've seen over and over again in ChatGPT responses, much like we do when reading physical books, chances are your language is literally evolving alongside AI usage. You're being influenced by the words and phrases ChatGPT finds most compelling and relevant, even if it pushes out more authentic, genuine alternatives.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
