More Than a Tech Story
Security expert Bruce Schneier and historian Ada Palmer recently published an essay in The Guardian with an unsettling argument. They say the way we use AI is starting to change how humans speak to each other — and not in a good way.
The argument goes like this. AI language models are trained mostly on written text — books, articles, social media posts, movie scripts. They have almost no access to the unscripted, messy, face-to-face conversations that make up the vast majority of human communication. As we spend more time interacting with AI, and reading AI-generated text, we start absorbing its patterns. We become a bit more like the machines we talk to.
For Irish business owners, this is worth paying attention to. If you have customer-facing staff using AI tools, or if you use AI chatbots to communicate with customers, the language your business uses could be shifting in ways you have not noticed.
The Evidence Behind the Claim
This is not just speculation. A study from the University of Coruña found that machine-generated language has a narrower range of sentence length — typically 12 to 20 words — and a narrower vocabulary than human speech. AI text reads as smooth and polished, but it loses the meanders, interruptions, and leaps of logic that communicate emotion and authenticity.
There is also evidence that the way we talk to AI affects how we talk to humans. A 2022 study found that children in households that used voice assistants like Siri and Alexa became more curt in their speech with actual people, often barking commands in the same way they spoke to the device. As adults start prompting AI with direct instructions, we may fall into the same habits.
AI chatbots are also designed to be agreeable. When you tell a chatbot something, it tends to affirm your view, restate it in confident language, and avoid disagreement. Over time, this “sycophancy” can reinforce bias and make us less open to other perspectives. As the authors put it, the hyperconfident tone of AI writing could even heighten imposter syndrome — making our natural human doubt feel like a failing.
What This Means for Your Business
If you use AI to write customer emails, social media posts, or marketing materials, the language that represents your business may be getting flatter, more predictable, and less human. That might not matter in some contexts, but in Ireland, where personal connection and trust are at the heart of business relationships, it could be a real risk.
Think about it this way. A customer sends a detailed query. Your AI drafts a reply — polite, correct, but with the warmth of a form letter. The customer senses it. They feel less valued. Over enough interactions, they might take their business elsewhere.
There is also a practical business risk here that goes beyond individual interactions. If your competitors are using AI-generated content that sounds generic and robotic, and your business maintains a warmer, more personal tone, that becomes a real advantage. In a market like Ireland, where many customers prefer dealing with someone they know, the personal touch matters more than ever.
One approach is to think of AI as a writing partner rather than a replacement. Use it to generate first drafts, check grammar, and organise ideas. But always read what comes out before it goes to a customer. Read it aloud. Does it sound like you? If not, change it.
Trust and the Human Touch
AI tools are getting better at mimicking human conversation, but they are still a long way from understanding context, humour, or the kind of local knowledge that matters in Irish business. A chatbot might know the rules of GDPR, but it will not know how to reassure a nervous customer who has been overcharged.
That is the gap that still needs a human. And that is the gap that, if you protect it, becomes your competitive advantage.
The Bottom Line
This is not an argument against using AI. It is an argument for being thoughtful about how you use it. If AI handles first drafts, have a human read and adjust the tone before sending. If you use chatbots, make sure customers know they are talking to AI, and give them an easy way to reach a human.
AI’s impact on language is subtle, but real. For Irish small businesses, the lesson is simple: don’t let AI speak for you without checking what it sounds like. The businesses that preserve their human voice will be the ones customers trust most.