How AI-driven homogenization reduces the scope for optimal distinctiveness. Credit: Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2026). DOI: 10.1177/10422587261472523
Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT make it easier for business owners to produce polished pitches, business plans and other communications, but according to new research from The University of Manchester and Canada's University of Alberta, their widespread use could ultimately make it harder for businesses to effectively communicate with their audiences.
This challenges the idea that AI will simply "level the playing field" by helping business owners who lack strong writing and storytelling skills. Instead, the researchers argue that as more business owners use the same tools to create their external communications, business storytelling becomes increasingly similar.
The study argues that widespread use of generative AI may narrow the space available for businesses to differentiate themselves. If audiences are repeatedly exposed to similar AI-assisted communications, those linguistic patterns could become the expected norm—making genuinely distinctive communication harder to achieve.
The researchers describe a paradox—while AI can make storytelling easier for an individual business owner, its widespread adoption could make effective storytelling more difficult for business owners collectively.
