It’s Not Just One Thing — It’s Another Thing

Why It Matters

The spike signals that companies are increasingly leaning on AI‑generated language, raising concerns about authenticity, brand consistency and the ability to detect synthetic content in critical disclosures.

Key Takeaways

• Phrase usage rose from ~50 in 2023 to >200 in 2025.
• AlphaSense data shows surge across earnings releases, filings, news.
• Cisco, Accenture, Microsoft among firms using the construction.
• Trend hints growing reliance on generative AI for corporate messaging.

Pulse Analysis

The rapid adoption of the “not just X, it’s Y” construction reflects a broader shift in corporate storytelling. By mining AlphaSense’s repository of SEC filings, press releases and earnings calls, researchers identified a four‑fold increase in the phrase over two years. This pattern mirrors the training data of large language models, which absorb popular corporate jargon and reproduce it at scale. As AI tools become default assistants for PR teams, the linguistic fingerprints they leave behind become more uniform, making the phrase a convenient proxy for AI influence.

For executives, the proliferation of AI‑styled prose raises practical and reputational challenges. Stakeholders—investors, regulators and customers—expect transparent, human‑crafted communication, especially in financial disclosures where precision matters. The indistinguishability of AI‑generated text can erode trust if companies inadvertently dilute their unique voice or embed subtle biases. Detection platforms like Pangram are already flagging the construction as a high‑frequency signal, prompting firms to consider audit trails and disclosure policies that differentiate human insight from algorithmic output.

Looking ahead, the industry is likely to formalize guidelines around AI‑augmented writing. Companies may adopt style guides that limit overused templates, invest in hybrid workflows where editors verify AI drafts, and leverage provenance tools that tag content origins. As language models evolve, the next wave of tell‑tale markers could shift from phrasing to punctuation or citation styles. Proactively managing this linguistic evolution will help firms preserve credibility while still reaping the efficiency gains of generative AI.