It is not only one factor — it is one other factor

Generally, issues should not only one factor — they’re additionally one other factor. This sentence building (“It’s not simply this — it’s that”) has grow to be so widespread in AI-generated writing that now, it’s not only a clue that an article could also be artificial — it’s nearly a assure.

That’s why I used to be not simply intrigued after I noticed a Barron’s report about how this sentence building has dramatically elevated in company communications — I used to be deeply amused. The report didn’t simply comment on the prevalence of this phrasing in company communications — it scanned the market intelligence agency AlphaSense’s database to search out how typically this phrasing was utilized in company information releases, earnings experiences, and authorities filings.

In line with Barron’s, this sentence building isn’t only a quirk of company communications — it’s an epidemic, greater than quadrupling from about 50 mentions in 2023, to over 200 makes use of in 2025.

It’s not 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 instrument; it will likely be a collaborator.” (Cisco)
• “The way forward for autonomy isn’t simply on the horizon; it’s already unfolding.” (Accenture)
• “DevOps groups are managing not simply deployments, but additionally safety compliance and cloud spending.” (Workday)
• “These techniques aren’t simply executing duties; they’re beginning to study, adapt, and collaborate.” (McKinsey)
• “When Invoice based Microsoft, he envisioned not only a software program firm, however a software program manufacturing facility, unconstrained by any single product or class.” (Satya Nadella in a Microsoft weblog put up.)
• “It’s not nearly constructing instruments for particular roles or duties. It’s about constructing instruments that empower everybody to create their very own instruments.” (The identical Microsoft weblog put up.)
• “Simply think about if all 8 billion folks may summon a researcher … not simply to get data however use their experience to get issues achieved that profit them.” (Nonetheless, that very same Microsoft weblog put up.)

It’s not simply coincidental that generative AI instruments use this phrase lots — it’s a mirrored image of our writing, which these instruments had been skilled on (with out our permission, would possibly I add, which isn’t simply insulting to writers — it’s a violation). And it’s not simply this sentence building — it’s additionally em-dashes that at the moment are thought of a inform for AI-generated textual content.

This isn’t only a humorous development — it’s symbolic of how reliant these firms have grow to be on AI (although we can’t say for sure if the above missives had been AI-assisted). So subsequent time you see a sentence like that, do not forget that it’s not only a catchy building — it is likely to be a symptom of one thing larger.

“The prevalence of AI content material is rising quickly and ‘it’s not simply X, it’s Y’ is a tic most popular by 2025-era frontier language fashions,” Max Spero, CEO of AI detection instrument Pangram, advised TechCrunch. “The bottom fee of prevalence for this sentence construction is excessive sufficient that its existence isn’t any smoking gun for AI use, nevertheless it’s clear that press releases and firm paperwork, writing pushed by necessities and never emotion, are seeing a good larger incidence of AI use.”

Up to date, 4/20/26, 6:00 PM EST, with quote from Pangram.