AI Rewrites Corporate Speak with ChatGPT Phrasing

TL;DR

AI Phrasing Surge: Barron's finds "it's not X, it's Y" structure exploding in corporate documents since 2024, linked to chatbots like ChatGPT.[[1]](https://www.barrons.com/articles/ai-corporate-lingo-chatgpt-companies-63211618)
AlphaSense Peak: The phrasing peaked at 73 documents in Q4 2025, after rare use in prior decades.[[1]](https://www.barrons.com/articles/ai-corporate-lingo-chatgpt-companies-63211618)
Human-AI Blend: Companies like Citizens and Synopsys use AI for editing but insist key statements are human-led or reviewed.

The story at a glance

Barron's reports a sharp rise in the "it's not just X, it's Y" sentence structure across U.S. corporate communications like earnings calls and shareholder letters, calling it a telltale sign of AI tools such as ChatGPT. Companies including Progressive, Citizens Financial Group, Synopsys, Schwab, Royal Caribbean, and A.O. Smith used the phrasing, with data from AlphaSense showing a ramp-up from 2024 and a peak in late 2025. The article comes amid widespread AI adoption in business writing, as confirmed by firm responses and expert analysis. This reflects communicators testing generative AI for efficiency.

Key points

Expert Jeff Gaunt identifies "it's not X, it's Y" as one of the biggest hallmarks of AI-generated text in corporate materials.
AlphaSense scan of news releases, SEC filings, and transcripts showed handful of uses pre-2024, then intense growth, hitting 73 documents in Q4 2025.
Progressive's 2025 shareholder letter: "Our purpose is not just a statement; it’s a guiding principle that shapes everything we do."
Citizens Financial Group on private banking growth: "not just a win for the private bank—it’s a win for the entire enterprise."
Synopsys CEO on AI: "engineering AI’s future is not just a software challenge, it’s a physics challenge."
Companies mostly denied full AI generation; Schwab called its quote "100% human generated," while Citizens uses AI for copy-editing with human reviews.
ChatGPT test produced similar phrasing: "Writing is more than just assembling words—it reflects critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and lived experience."

Details and context

Barron's scanned AlphaSense's library after noticing the pattern in releases and calls. The structure appears in diverse sectors, from insurance (Progressive) to finance (Citizens, Schwab), tech (Synopsys), cruises (Royal Caribbean), and manufacturing (A.O. Smith).

Firms acknowledge AI integration: Citizens is embedding generative AI firmwide over years; Synopsys uses it for "clarity and brevity" under human lead; Progressive applies it to brainstorming and proofreading. Gaunt advises AI for drafting or stress-testing but warns against over-reliance, as public relations depends on trust and relationships.

Detection remains tricky; AI tools often misflag non-native English. Three-quarters of PR pros use AI for editing and writing, per Muck Rack survey, signaling broad shift even if phrasing predates tools.

Key quotes

"The sentence construction ‘it’s not X, it’s Y’ is one of the biggest tells in AI," Jeff Gaunt, founder of Gaunt Strategies.[[1]](https://www.barrons.com/articles/ai-corporate-lingo-chatgpt-companies-63211618)
"Good public relations is built on trust and it’s built on relationships, and the concern is when the industry leans too hard into tools that they can use as a shortcut or a crutch," Jeff Gaunt.[[1]](https://www.barrons.com/articles/ai-corporate-lingo-chatgpt-companies-63211618)

Why it matters

AI tools are subtly reshaping how companies speak to investors and the public, potentially standardizing language in ways that blur human and machine input. Investors and readers may question authenticity in shareholder letters or calls, while communicators gain efficiency but risk over-dependence on patterns like "not X, it's Y." Watch if regulators scrutinize AI-disclosure in filings or if usage evolves with better detection tools.