Every so often, issues don’t seem to be only one factor — they’re additionally some other factor. This sentence building (“It’s no longer simply this — it’s that”) has turn into so commonplace in AI-generated writing that now, it’s not only a clue that an article could also be artificial — it’s nearly a ensure.
That’s why, I used to be no longer simply intrigued after I noticed a Barron’s document about how this sentence building has dramatically larger in company communications — I used to be deeply amused. The document didn’t simply observation at the occurrence of this phraseology in company communications — it scanned the marketplace intelligence company AlphaSense’s database to search out how incessantly this phraseology used to be utilized in company information releases, income experiences, and executive filings.
In keeping with Barron’s, this sentence building isn’t only a quirk of company communications — it’s a virulent disease, greater than quadrupling from about 50 mentions in 2023, to over 200 makes use of in 2025.
It’s no longer simply the information that tells us this — I additionally discovered some examples from the previous 12 months:
- “In 2025, AI gained’t simply be a device; it’s going to be a collaborator.” (Cisco)
- “The way forward for autonomy isn’t simply at the horizon; it’s already unfolding.” (Accenture)
- “DevOps groups are managing no longer simply deployments, but additionally safety compliance and cloud spending.” (Workday)
- “Those programs aren’t simply executing duties; they’re beginning to be informed, adapt, and collaborate.” (McKinsey)
- “When Invoice based Microsoft, he envisioned no longer only a device corporate, however a device manufacturing unit, unconstrained via any unmarried product or class.” (Satya Nadella in a Microsoft weblog publish)
- “It’s no longer on the subject of development equipment for particular roles or duties. It’s about development equipment that empower everybody to create their very own equipment.” (The similar Microsoft weblog publish.)
- “Simply consider if all 8 billion other folks may summon a researcher … no longer simply to get knowledge however use their experience to get issues carried out that receive advantages them.” (Nonetheless, that very same Microsoft weblog publish.)
It’s no longer simply coincidental that generative AI equipment use this word so much — it’s a mirrored image of our writing, which those equipment had been skilled on (with out our permission, may I upload, which isn’t simply insulting to writers — it’s a contravention). And it’s no longer simply this sentence building — it’s additionally em-dashes that are actually regarded as a inform for AI-generated textual content.
This isn’t only a humorous development — it’s symbolic of ways reliant those firms have turn into on AI (despite the fact that we can not say for sure if the above missives had been AI-assisted). So subsequent time you notice a sentence like that, needless to say it’s no longer only a catchy building — it may well be a symptom of one thing higher.
