Why are people starting to sound like ChatGPT? | Adam Aleksic
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 11.9K Ratings
🗓️ 18 December 2025
⏱️ 27 minutes
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Summary
Algorithms and AI don't just show us reality — they warp it in ways that benefit platforms built to exploit people for profit, says etymologist Adam Aleksic. From ChatGPT influencing our word choices to Spotify turning a data cluster into a new musical genre, he reveals how new technology subconsciously shapes our language, trends and sense of identity. "These aren't neutral tools," he says, encouraging us to constantly ask ourselves: How am I being influenced?
(After the talk, Aleksic sits down with Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily podcast, to discuss how he became interested in language and its evolution — from writing on leaves, clay and stone to AI models like ChatGPT.)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. |
| 0:12.7 | I'm your host, Elise Hume. |
| 0:14.5 | Is AI changing the very way we talk? |
| 0:18.6 | Atomologist and content creator Adamaleic sounds the alarm on how AI tools are |
| 0:24.1 | influencing our behavior, down to our very word choices. |
| 0:29.2 | He encourages us to remember that these emerging tools are not neutral and how they are |
| 0:34.1 | possibly rewiring the very underlying patterns of our thoughts and why. |
| 0:39.3 | Afterward, I sat down with Adam to go beyond his talk and learn more about what sounding human even means anymore. |
| 0:46.3 | The tools will need to build as we continue down this rapidly changing path and more. |
| 0:51.5 | Stick around after his talk for our conversation. |
| 0:57.0 | How sure are you that you can tell what's real online? |
| 1:06.0 | You might think it's easy to spot and obviously AI generated image and you're probably aware that algorithms are biased in some way. |
| 1:13.6 | But all the evidence is suggesting that we're pretty bad at understanding that on a subconscious level. |
| 1:18.6 | Take, for example, the growing perception gap in America. |
| 1:21.6 | We keep over and overestimating how extreme other people's political beliefs are, |
| 1:25.6 | and this is only getting worse with social media, |
| 1:27.7 | because algorithms show us the most extreme picture of reality. As an etymologist and content creator, |
| 1:33.6 | I always see controversial messages go more viral because they generate more engagement than a neutral |
| 1:38.3 | perspective. But that means we all end up seeing this more extreme version of reality, |
| 1:43.1 | and we're clearly starting |
| 1:44.5 | to confuse that with actual reality. The same thing is currently happening with AI chatbots, |
| 1:49.9 | because you probably assume that ChatGPT is speaking English to you, except it's not speaking English, |
... |
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