The Impact of Large Language Models in Academia: from Writing to Speaking

Mingmeng Geng, Caixi Chen, Yanru Wu, Yao Wan, Pan Zhou, Dongping Chen


Abstract
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly impacting human society, particularly in textual information. Based on more than 30,000 papers and 1,000 presentations from machine learning conferences, we examined and compared the words used in writing and speaking, representing the first large-scale study of how LLMs influence the two main modes of verbal communication and expression within the same group of people. Our empirical results show that LLM-style words such as significant have been used more frequently in abstracts and oral presentations. The implicit impact on human expression like writing and speaking is beginning to emerge and is likely to grow in the future. We take the first step in building an automated monitoring platform to record its longitudinal changes to call attention to the implicit influence and ripple effect of LLMs on human society.
Anthology ID:
2025.findings-acl.987
Volume:
Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2025
Month:
July
Year:
2025
Address:
Vienna, Austria
Editors:
Wanxiang Che, Joyce Nabende, Ekaterina Shutova, Mohammad Taher Pilehvar
Venue:
Findings
SIG:
Publisher:
Association for Computational Linguistics
Note:
Pages:
19303–19319
Language:
URL:
https://preview.aclanthology.org/display_plenaries/2025.findings-acl.987/
DOI:
Bibkey:
Cite (ACL):
Mingmeng Geng, Caixi Chen, Yanru Wu, Yao Wan, Pan Zhou, and Dongping Chen. 2025. The Impact of Large Language Models in Academia: from Writing to Speaking. In Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2025, pages 19303–19319, Vienna, Austria. Association for Computational Linguistics.
Cite (Informal):
The Impact of Large Language Models in Academia: from Writing to Speaking (Geng et al., Findings 2025)
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PDF:
https://preview.aclanthology.org/display_plenaries/2025.findings-acl.987.pdf