"It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.

This paper adopts a Usage-Based Construction Grammar perspective to compare human- and AI-generated language, focusing on Verb-Argument Constructions (VACs) as a lens for analysis. Specifically, we examine solicited advice texts in two domains-Finance and Medicine-produced by humans and ChatGPT acro...

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Main Authors: J Elliott Casal, Christopher M Stewart, Alistair J Windsor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324611
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author J Elliott Casal
Christopher M Stewart
Alistair J Windsor
author_facet J Elliott Casal
Christopher M Stewart
Alistair J Windsor
author_sort J Elliott Casal
collection DOAJ
description This paper adopts a Usage-Based Construction Grammar perspective to compare human- and AI-generated language, focusing on Verb-Argument Constructions (VACs) as a lens for analysis. Specifically, we examine solicited advice texts in two domains-Finance and Medicine-produced by humans and ChatGPT across different GPT models (3.5, 4, and 4o) and interfaces (3.5 Web vs. 3.5 API). Our findings reveal broad consistency in the frequency and distribution of the most common VACs across human- and AI-generated texts, though ChatGPT exhibits a slightly higher reliance on the most frequent constructions. A closer examination of the verbs occupying these constructions uncovers significant differences in the meanings conveyed, with a notable growth away from human-like language production in macro level perspectives (e.g., length) and towards humanlike verb-VAC patterns with newer models. These results underscore the potential of VACs as a powerful tool for analyzing AI-generated language and tracking its evolution over time.
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publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
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spelling doaj-art-b4e3db4c8d1e45bda75186d5434601f32025-08-20T02:23:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032461110.1371/journal.pone.0324611"It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.J Elliott CasalChristopher M StewartAlistair J WindsorThis paper adopts a Usage-Based Construction Grammar perspective to compare human- and AI-generated language, focusing on Verb-Argument Constructions (VACs) as a lens for analysis. Specifically, we examine solicited advice texts in two domains-Finance and Medicine-produced by humans and ChatGPT across different GPT models (3.5, 4, and 4o) and interfaces (3.5 Web vs. 3.5 API). Our findings reveal broad consistency in the frequency and distribution of the most common VACs across human- and AI-generated texts, though ChatGPT exhibits a slightly higher reliance on the most frequent constructions. A closer examination of the verbs occupying these constructions uncovers significant differences in the meanings conveyed, with a notable growth away from human-like language production in macro level perspectives (e.g., length) and towards humanlike verb-VAC patterns with newer models. These results underscore the potential of VACs as a powerful tool for analyzing AI-generated language and tracking its evolution over time.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324611
spellingShingle J Elliott Casal
Christopher M Stewart
Alistair J Windsor
"It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.
PLoS ONE
title "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.
title_full "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.
title_fullStr "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.
title_full_unstemmed "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.
title_short "It is important to consult" a linguist: Verb-Argument Constructions in ChatGPT and human experts' medical and financial advice.
title_sort it is important to consult a linguist verb argument constructions in chatgpt and human experts medical and financial advice
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324611
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