# Human-LLM Coevolution: Evidence from Academic Writing

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.09606 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09606/

## Key facts

- Cited by 15 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 20 of its 29 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 13 Feb 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 20 of 20)

- [Can AI-Generated Text be Reliably Detected?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11156/) (2023)
- [Spotting LLMs With Binoculars: Zero-Shot Detection of Machine-Generated Text](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.12070/) (2024)
- [Monitoring AI-Modified Content at Scale: A Case Study on the Impact of ChatGPT on AI Conference Peer Reviews](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.07183/) (2024)
- [The Science of Detecting LLM-Generated Texts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07205/) (2023)
- [Mapping the Increasing Use of LLMs in Scientific Papers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.01268/) (2024)
- [Testing of Detection Tools for AI-Generated Text](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.15666/) (2023)
- [LLM-as-a-Coauthor: Can Mixed Human-Written and Machine-Generated Text Be Detected?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.05952/) (2024)
- [LLMs as Research Tools: A Large Scale Survey of Researchers' Usage and Perceptions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.05025/) (2024)
- [People who frequently use ChatGPT for writing tasks are accurate and robust detectors of AI-generated text](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.15654/) (2025)
- [Towards Possibilities & Impossibilities of AI-generated Text Detection: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.15264/) (2023)
- [Stumbling Blocks: Stress Testing the Robustness of Machine-Generated Text Detectors Under Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.11638/) (2024)
- [ChatGPT "contamination": estimating the prevalence of LLMs in the scholarly literature](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.16887/) (2024)
- [The Impact of Large Language Models in Academia: from Writing to Speaking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.13686/) (2024)
- [Exploring the Limitations of Detecting Machine-Generated Text](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.11073/) (2024)
- [Towards the relationship between AIGC in manuscript writing and author profiles: evidence from preprints in LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.15799/) (2024)
- [GenAI Content Detection Task 1: English and Multilingual Machine-Generated Text Detection: AI vs. Human](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.11012/) (2025)
- [WithdrarXiv: A Large-Scale Dataset for Retraction Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.03775/) (2024)
- [Playing with words: Comparing the vocabulary and lexical diversity of ChatGPT and humans](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.07462/) (2023)
- [GenAI Content Detection Task 2: AI vs. Human -- Academic Essay Authenticity Challenge](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.18274/) (2024)
- [NLLG Quarterly arXiv Report 09/24: What are the most influential current AI Papers?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.12121/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [Wikipedia in the Era of LLMs: Evolution and Risks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.02879/) (2025)
- [Robust and Fine-Grained Detection of AI Generated Texts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.11952/) (2025)
- [On the Detectability of LLM-Generated Text: What Exactly Is LLM-Generated Text?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.20810/) (2025)
- [Markovian Generation Chains in Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.11228/) (2026)
- [PeerCheck: Enhancing LLM-Generated Academic Reviews Towards Human-Level Quality](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.20897/) (2026)
- ["If You're Very Clever, No One Knows You've Used It": The Social Dynamics of Developing Generative AI Literacy in the Workplace](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.01386/) (2026)
- [Most biomedical publications show signs of LLM-assisted writing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.10715/) (2026)
- [Generative AI and the future of scientometrics: current topics and future questions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.00783/) (2025)
- [Beyond Via: Analysis and Estimation of the Impact of Large Language Models in Academic Papers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.25638/) (2026)
- [The Shrinking Lifespan of LLMs in Science](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.07530/) (2026)
- [Writing in Symbiosis: Mapping Human Creative Agency in the AI Era](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.13697/) (2025)
- [Temporal Flattening in LLM-Generated Text: Comparing Human and LLM Writing Trajectories](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.12097/) (2026)
- [Linguistic Monoculture in LLM-Assisted Language Use](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.27134/) (2026)
- [ArtAnno: Annotating Implicit Semantics in Artworks through LLM Agent-Driven Bidirectional Human-AI Augmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.05026/) (2026)
- [An LLM-Associated Register Shift in Korean Journal Abstracts: A Morphology-Aware Excess-Vocabulary Study, 2018-2026](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.07447/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

With a statistical analysis of arXiv paper abstracts, we report a marked drop in the frequency of several words previously identified as overused by ChatGPT, such as "delve", starting soon after they were pointed out in early 2024. The frequency of certain other words favored by ChatGPT, such as "significant", has instead kept increasing. These phenomena suggest that some authors of academic papers have adapted their use of large language models (LLMs), for example, by selecting outputs or applying modifications to the LLM-generated content. Such coevolution and cooperation of humans and LLMs thus introduce additional challenges to the detection of machine-generated text in real-world scenarios. Estimating the impact of LLMs on academic writing by examining word frequency remains feasible, and more attention should be paid to words that were already frequently employed, including those that have decreased in frequency due to LLMs' disfavor.