I see this complaint from Britons and Australians a lot but it seems to not reflect what is actually happening at least in English, which is homogonization, not replacement. Naturally Americanisms and American spellings will dominate what will be Standard English, but that isn't the only thing going on.
Also, I'm from Dallas, and I definitely do speak Standard American. Whatever tragedy this is happened to Southerners generations ago and can't be blamed on AI. I hear a pronounced Texan accent maybe once a month, and it sounds weird. The same is true in every major city in the South. We're fine. You will be when you talk like us too.
Technology is going to celebrate the homogenisation process. I think one thing I didn't express well enough is how I will also reduce the richness in a language or in a culture. You get less of the substance when you generate something with AI.
Have you been in Dallas long? Looking to move to Austin!
I grew up in front of a TV set. Much of our primetime viewing in the 1970s was American, and I distinctly remember my grandad saying that was why I said 'yeah' instead of yes! Another brilliant post Jing with lots to think about as generative AI flattens not only language but culture too.
Thank you, Graham :) I wrote this especially for professions like yours in mind, hoping to state something that might have been under your radar but you haven't revealed.
Another question for you, do you believe this trend (language and culture flattening) is preventable? if yes, what do you have in mind?
I do! But also probably due the Beatles’ … 🎶She loves you, Yeah, yeah, yeah!🎶 Linguicide via AI may be preventable via country and continental LLMs such as SeaLion in SE Asia - a brilliant initiative: https://sea-lion.ai There are also examples in India, Greece and Europe. But saving English? Not sure.
Thanks for pointing out another grave shortcoming of AI. If anything I consider your tone to a bit too even-handed. I think that AI is well on the way to driving a mediocre (or just slightly better) homogenized world, that fits with younger generations who have already flattened meaning and variety into a crude two dimensions. I call it the planiverse, based on a sci-fi novel. I think it is why the identity movement left me so bereft as people need labels to discern meaning and social approval. This trait of current AI is a further death song of real variety, variance, depth but we seem to go willingly to the slaughter
One slight correction but important given your theme: the internet did not come from California garages but from the military; microcomputers came from those garages
Mainly, I see the trend as inevitable, so I don't see the point in advocating for any potential solution to it... I could be wrong. One of the comments I received on Medium was from someone who suggested that smaller language models, especially those developed by the country where the language is spoken, are typically better or less biased.
But I guess, given that AI is becoming commoditized... in the end, the model will still be controlled by the big players.
"identity movement left me so bereft as people need labels to discern meaning and social approval"
LOL... I am familiar with your stance on this matter. I understand why people do this, I can see why these labels make sense to them; they can be a protection and closer to people who recognize the same values. And no matter what, we all have labels on us, the simplest ones—like where are you from, what job do you do?
My major point about new and constant labelling (which is much more in your face that what is your job) is the flattening of diversity and the scripting of two dimensional homogeneity. One example of what I mean: In my job at a record shop there is a 6 year old with genius level musical skills and above average verbal and mathematical skills. Most people younger than 40 instantly say he must be autistic. They look at me doubtfully - as if I am just not with it and probably not woke enough - when I say he isn’t. No one above 40 ever says that. Because the younger cannot conceive of this young boy without this label. There is an absence of understanding of the true diversity of nature, and acceptance of it. One example out if so many
I see this complaint from Britons and Australians a lot but it seems to not reflect what is actually happening at least in English, which is homogonization, not replacement. Naturally Americanisms and American spellings will dominate what will be Standard English, but that isn't the only thing going on.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/12/uk-british-terms-america-most-used
Also, I'm from Dallas, and I definitely do speak Standard American. Whatever tragedy this is happened to Southerners generations ago and can't be blamed on AI. I hear a pronounced Texan accent maybe once a month, and it sounds weird. The same is true in every major city in the South. We're fine. You will be when you talk like us too.
Technology is going to celebrate the homogenisation process. I think one thing I didn't express well enough is how I will also reduce the richness in a language or in a culture. You get less of the substance when you generate something with AI.
Have you been in Dallas long? Looking to move to Austin!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Bryan.
I grew up in front of a TV set. Much of our primetime viewing in the 1970s was American, and I distinctly remember my grandad saying that was why I said 'yeah' instead of yes! Another brilliant post Jing with lots to think about as generative AI flattens not only language but culture too.
LOL curious... do you still say yeah?
Thank you, Graham :) I wrote this especially for professions like yours in mind, hoping to state something that might have been under your radar but you haven't revealed.
Another question for you, do you believe this trend (language and culture flattening) is preventable? if yes, what do you have in mind?
I do! But also probably due the Beatles’ … 🎶She loves you, Yeah, yeah, yeah!🎶 Linguicide via AI may be preventable via country and continental LLMs such as SeaLion in SE Asia - a brilliant initiative: https://sea-lion.ai There are also examples in India, Greece and Europe. But saving English? Not sure.
Thanks for pointing out another grave shortcoming of AI. If anything I consider your tone to a bit too even-handed. I think that AI is well on the way to driving a mediocre (or just slightly better) homogenized world, that fits with younger generations who have already flattened meaning and variety into a crude two dimensions. I call it the planiverse, based on a sci-fi novel. I think it is why the identity movement left me so bereft as people need labels to discern meaning and social approval. This trait of current AI is a further death song of real variety, variance, depth but we seem to go willingly to the slaughter
One slight correction but important given your theme: the internet did not come from California garages but from the military; microcomputers came from those garages
Thanks for the correction!
Haha... personal style, I guess.
Mainly, I see the trend as inevitable, so I don't see the point in advocating for any potential solution to it... I could be wrong. One of the comments I received on Medium was from someone who suggested that smaller language models, especially those developed by the country where the language is spoken, are typically better or less biased.
But I guess, given that AI is becoming commoditized... in the end, the model will still be controlled by the big players.
"identity movement left me so bereft as people need labels to discern meaning and social approval"
LOL... I am familiar with your stance on this matter. I understand why people do this, I can see why these labels make sense to them; they can be a protection and closer to people who recognize the same values. And no matter what, we all have labels on us, the simplest ones—like where are you from, what job do you do?
My major point about new and constant labelling (which is much more in your face that what is your job) is the flattening of diversity and the scripting of two dimensional homogeneity. One example of what I mean: In my job at a record shop there is a 6 year old with genius level musical skills and above average verbal and mathematical skills. Most people younger than 40 instantly say he must be autistic. They look at me doubtfully - as if I am just not with it and probably not woke enough - when I say he isn’t. No one above 40 ever says that. Because the younger cannot conceive of this young boy without this label. There is an absence of understanding of the true diversity of nature, and acceptance of it. One example out if so many