10 Phrases Most Overused by AI

More than ever before, artificial intelligence and their large language models sound increasingly “real” or human-like. But people claim that you can still tell when text was AI-generated, or that things can “sound like ChatGPT.” So, is it true that you can tell when something is written by AI?

As the leading AI checker on the front lines keeping up with AI detection, we can say: Yes, we can tell when something is written by AI. 

And starting today, we’re releasing a new detection tool for the era where AI can sound increasingly human to address another concern: humans sounding increasingly like AI.

Introducing: AI Vocabulary by GPTZero

GPTZero’s AI Vocabulary scan (as featured in Forbes) adds to our best-in-class AI checker, plagiarism detector, and writing feedback tools. With GPTZero, you can now scan any text for the most commonly used AI words and phrases to avoid sounding like an AI chatbot. AI models like ChatGPT tend to overuse certain terms and phrases. Our detector constantly updates to find clear unusual patterns, comparing millions of documents from multiple AI models against real human writing. 

This feature lets you see how often AI overuses these terms compared to humans, from 2x to 100x+ more. The feature constantly updates as AI models shift their vocabulary and evolve, so you always get the most up-to-date info on what AI sounds like.

Note: unlike our AI detector, just because a word or phrase is marked as frequently used by AI doesn't necessarily mean your text was actually generated by AI. It just means it sounds like an AI would say something very similar.

Below is our top ten list of the current words that are used way more often by AI than by humans, so that you can spot and avoid an AI voice.

10 common AI phrases to avoid

1) "Play a significant role in shaping"

This phrase and variations on it, including “crucial role in shaping,” “crucial role in determining,” and all sorts of other “crucial” phrases appear significantly more often in AI-classified texts compared to similar human ones. 182x more often, in fact.

2) "Showcasing"

Showcasing, in addition to sounding a bit like bland corporate speak, is used by AI 20x more often than humans. Our team prefers just “showing” or “demonstrating.”

3) "Remarked"

This word appears a remarkable 18x more in the AI texts we analyzed. Maybe next time, just go with a simple “said.”

4) "Aligns"

Another case of potential corporate speak influencing AI outputs, “aligns” showed up 16x more frequently in AI writing compared to normal human writing.

5) "Aims to explore"

We could have said “this post aims to explore the most popular AI vocabulary words.” We didn’t, especially because “aims to” (“aims to enhance”, etc.) show up at least 50x more with AI.

6) "Today’s fast-paced world"

In today’s fast-paced world, phrases like these… are very cliché. And they make you sound 107x more like AI.

7) "Notable works include"

Appearing more than 120x times in AI vs. human writing, “notable figures” and “notable works” currently sound very AI compared to potential alternatives like “best known for.”

8) "Surpassing"

“Surpassing” appears 12x more frequently with AI; we did not see the same trend for similar words like “exceeding,” “outpacing,” or “eclipsing.”

9) "Tragically"

We’re not quite sure why AI is 11x more likely to say things “tragically,” but we hope it’s not for any sinister reasons.

10) "Impacting"

Specifically in this conjugation, “impacting” and “making an impact” crop up at least 11x more often in AI, unlike similar terms such as “affecting” or “influencing.”

You can view our full Top 50 AI Words and Phrases list or try it out on your own text with a free account.

Why does AI overuse certain words?

If you’re wondering why AI overuses certain words, we have some theories. In machine learning, the process of training AI through reinforcement often means an AI model will “overfit” itself to its data, either from web-scraped or third-party labelers. Some believe that, because ChatGPT used freelance writers in countries like Nigeria and Kenya to refine its natural language, small quirks or vocabulary choices in these trainers’ regional English can get amplified and distorted into a broader “AI” voice, coupled with recursive reinforcement from trillions of web inputs.

So why is it “bad” to sound like AI? It depends – if your goal is to communicate clearly, sometimes ChatGPT can give you a straightforward answer (when it’s not hallucinating the information). But if you believe there’s value in having unique, interesting writing and an original voice, then it’s best to avoid overused phrases and clichés, especially from artificial sources. 

Combined with our plagiarism checker and advanced AI scan that detects ChatGPT and other AI models with 99% accuracy, we’re here to preserve your human originality and creativity.

Want to do the same? Sign up for GPTZero and start detecting AI for free.