This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: 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. The paper is published in the journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. "Generative AI can support entrepreneurs in many aspects of storytelling, but it cannot substitute for the cultural understanding required to navigate an increasingly complex evaluative environment," said lead author Dr.
Karl Taeuscher from The University of Manchester's Alliance Manchester Business School. "Business owners will still need to understand their audiences, recognize cultural expectations and know how to position their businesses in ways that are both credible and distinctive. "The point is not that business owners should avoid these tools, but that using them well—and knowing when to depart from what they suggest—requires relevant skills and expertise." The researchers caution that the study presents a plausible scenario rather than a prediction, as both AI technology and social norms surrounding its use are changing rapidly.
The analysis of AI-augmented crowdfunding descriptions is intended to illustrate the research's central argument rather than to test it. Karl Taeuscher et al, Leveling the Playing Field? Generative AI and Entrepreneurial Storytelling, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (2026).
DOI: 10.1177/10422587261472523">10.1177/10422587261472523 MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile → PhD nano-engineering from Delft University.
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