ChatGPT vs Deterministic Text Editing: When AI Rewrites Go Wrong

ChatGPT is powerful for drafting, but dangerous for editing approved copy. Here's when AI rewrites help—and when they create liability risks.

The Problem: AI Rewrites Everything

When you ask ChatGPT to "make this shorter" or "remove filler words," it doesn't just delete words—it rewrites your entire message.

Real Example:

Original (approved marketing copy):

"Our platform helps legal teams review contracts 3x faster while maintaining compliance with industry regulations."

ChatGPT Output:

"Our platform enables law firms to accelerate contract review threefold while ensuring regulatory compliance."

What Changed:

• "helps" → "enables" (stronger, but different tone)
• "legal teams" → "law firms" (narrower audience)
• "3x faster" → "threefold" (more formal, less clear)
• "maintaining compliance with industry regulations" → "ensuring regulatory compliance" (different legal meaning)

Problem: This copy went through legal review, brand approval, and A/B testing. ChatGPT's version bypasses all of that.

When AI Rewrites Are Dangerous

1. Legal & Compliance Documents

Example: Terms of Service

Original:

"Users may submit content to the platform. We reserve the right to remove content that violates our guidelines."

ChatGPT:

"Users can upload content. We'll delete content that breaks our rules."

Legal Issues:

• "may submit" → "can upload" (changes permission scope)
• "reserve the right" → "we'll" (changes from discretionary to mandatory)
• "violates our guidelines" → "breaks our rules" (different legal standard)

Cost: Rewriting ToS without legal review can create unintended obligations or weaken protections.

2. Medical & Healthcare Copy

Example: Patient Instructions

Original:

"Take medication with food to reduce stomach irritation."

ChatGPT:

"Take medication after eating to avoid stomach issues."

Medical Issues:

• "with food" ≠ "after eating" (timing matters for absorption)
• "reduce irritation" ≠ "avoid issues" (different severity)

Risk: Incorrect medical instructions can cause patient harm and malpractice liability.

3. Financial & Regulatory Filings

Example: SEC Disclosure

Original:

"The Company may experience material adverse effects if market conditions deteriorate."

ChatGPT:

"The Company will face significant problems if the market worsens."

Regulatory Issues:

• "may experience" → "will face" (changes from possibility to certainty)
• "material adverse effects" → "significant problems" (not SEC-approved language)
• "market conditions deteriorate" → "market worsens" (less precise)

Risk: SEC requires specific language. AI rewrites can trigger compliance violations.

4. Brand-Approved Messaging

Example: Product Launch

Original (approved by 5 stakeholders):

"Introducing our new AI-powered analytics platform — designed for enterprise teams who need real-time insights."

ChatGPT:

"Meet our new AI analytics tool — built for businesses that want instant insights."

Brand Issues:

• "Introducing" → "Meet" (different brand voice)
• "platform" → "tool" (changes product positioning)
• "enterprise teams" → "businesses" (broader, less targeted)
• "need" → "want" (changes urgency)

Cost: Re-approval from product, marketing, legal, and executive teams takes days.

Real-World AI Failures

Case Study 1: The $47K Contract Error

Company: Fintech startup

Document: Terms of Service

AI Used: ChatGPT-4

Original Clause:

"Company may charge fees for premium features."

AI Rewrite:

"Company will charge fees for premium features."

Impact:

• "may charge" → "will charge" created a mandatory obligation
• Customer complained they were charged without warning
• Legal review cost $47K to fix and notify all users

Case Study 2: The Fake Legal Citation

Company: Mid-size law firm

Document: Court brief

AI Used: ChatGPT-3.5

Prompt: "Cite cases supporting this argument"

AI Output: Cited Varghese v. China Southern Airlines (2019)

Problem: This case doesn't exist. ChatGPT hallucinated it.

Impact:

• Opposing counsel caught the fake citation
• Judge sanctioned the firm under Rule 11
• Firm paid $5K fine + reputational damage

Reference: Similar to Mata v. Avianca (S.D.N.Y. 2023), where lawyers were sanctioned for citing AI-generated fake cases.

Case Study 3: The Medical Instruction Error

Company: Telehealth platform

Document: Post-visit instructions

AI Used: GPT-4

Original:

"Take antibiotic with food or milk to reduce nausea."

AI Rewrite:

"Take antibiotic after meals to prevent nausea."

Problem:

• Some antibiotics must be taken *with* food (during meal)
• "After meals" can mean 30+ minutes later (wrong timing)
• Patient took medication incorrectly, experienced side effects

Impact: Patient complaint, medical review, updated protocols.

When ChatGPT Is Useful

AI isn't always bad. Here's when it's appropriate:

✓ Good Use Cases:

1. First Drafts

• Brainstorming ideas
• Generating outlines
• Creating initial drafts (that will be heavily edited)

2. Informal Content

• Internal memos (non-legal)
• Personal emails
• Social media posts (non-brand)

3. Research & Summarization

• Summarizing long documents (verify facts)
• Explaining complex topics
• Generating ideas

4. Creative Writing

• Blog post ideas
• Marketing headlines (test multiple versions)
• Brainstorming taglines

✗ Bad Use Cases:

1. Editing Approved Copy

• Legal documents
• Contracts
• Regulatory filings
• Brand-approved messaging

2. Final Versions

• Court filings
• Patient instructions
• Financial disclosures
• Terms of Service

3. Anything With Legal Consequences

• Settlement agreements
• Compliance documents
• Warranty language
• Liability disclaimers

The Deterministic Alternative

Instead of AI rewrites, use deterministic compression:

How It Works:

• Predefined rules - Remove specific filler words (no AI guessing)
• No rewrites - Only delete, never replace or rephrase
• Transparent - See exactly what was removed
• Consistent - Same input always produces same output

Example:

Original:

"We are very excited to actually announce that we're basically launching our new product next week."

Deterministic Compression:

"We are excited to announce that we're launching our new product next week."

What Was Removed:

• "very" (filler intensifier)
• "actually" (verbal tic)
• "basically" (verbal tic)

What Stayed:

• All substantive words
• Original sentence structure
• Exact wording

Comparison Table

| Feature | ChatGPT | Deterministic (Textrim) |

|---------|---------|------------------------|

| Rewrites sentences | ✗ Yes | ✓ No |

| Changes meaning | ✗ Often | ✓ Never |

| Hallucinations | ✗ Yes | ✓ No |

| Transparent changes | ✗ No | ✓ Yes (see removals) |

| Consistent output | ✗ No (random) | ✓ Yes (deterministic) |

| Preserves tone | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |

| Safe for legal docs | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |

| Client-side processing | ✗ No | ✓ Yes (private) |

| Audit trail | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |

| Speed | ✗ Slow (API call) | ✓ Instant |

| Cost | ✗ $20/mo | ✓ $2 one-time |

How to Choose

Use ChatGPT When:

• ✓ You're drafting from scratch
• ✓ You'll heavily edit the output
• ✓ Content is informal (no legal risk)
• ✓ You need creative ideas
• ✓ You're brainstorming

Use Deterministic Compression When:

• ✓ Editing approved copy
• ✓ Working with legal documents
• ✓ Need to preserve exact wording
• ✓ Require audit trail
• ✓ Want consistent output
• ✓ Privacy is critical (client-side processing)

Real-World Workflow

Scenario: Product Launch Announcement

Step 1: Draft with ChatGPT

"Write a product launch announcement for our new analytics platform targeting enterprise teams."

Step 2: Stakeholder Review

Legal, marketing, and product teams review and approve.

Step 3: Compress with Textrim

Remove filler words to fit email subject line (50 chars) or Twitter (280 chars).

Step 4: Final Review

Verify no meaning changed, only filler removed.

Result: Fast drafting + safe compression = best of both worlds.

Why Deterministic Compression Is Safer

1. No Semantic Drift

AI changes meaning unpredictably. Deterministic tools only remove filler.

2. Audit Trail

You can see exactly what was removed. With AI, you'd need to manually diff the before/after.

3. No Hallucinations

AI invents facts. Deterministic tools only delete existing words.

4. Consistent Output

Same input = same output. AI produces different results each time.

5. Privacy

Client-side processing means your text never leaves your browser. AI sends data to servers.

How Textrim Works

Textrim uses deterministic compression:

What Gets Removed:

• Filler words: "just", "really", "very", "actually", "basically"
• Wordy phrases: "in order to" → "to", "due to the fact that" → "because"
• Redundant pairs: "each and every" → "each"

What Stays:

• All substantive words
• Original sentence structure
• Exact wording and tone
• Legal terms of art
• Technical terminology

Transparency:

• See strikethrough preview of removals
• Verify changes before copying
• No black box AI

Conclusion

ChatGPT is powerful for drafting, but dangerous for editing approved copy. Use AI to create first drafts, then use deterministic compression to tighten final versions.

Rule of Thumb:

• Draft = AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.)
• Edit = Deterministic compression (Textrim)

This workflow gives you speed without sacrificing safety.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use ChatGPT if I review every change?

A: Yes, but that defeats the purpose. Reviewing AI output line-by-line takes longer than manual editing. Plus, you still have the privacy issue (sending data to AI servers).

Q: What about AI tools that claim to "only remove filler words"?

A: Most still use AI under the hood, which means: (1) non-deterministic output, (2) potential hallucinations, (3) data sent to servers. Verify they're truly rule-based, not AI-based.

Q: Is Textrim better than ChatGPT?

A: Different use cases. ChatGPT is better for drafting. Textrim is better for editing approved copy. Use both in your workflow.

Q: What if I need to shorten text by more than 10-20%?

A: Deterministic compression typically reduces text by 10-20% (filler removal). If you need more, you'll need to manually cut sentences or use AI (with careful review).