AI detection: spot AI-written content fast
Some tools promise perfect AI detection — they don’t exist. Still, you can spot AI-written text reliably if you know what to look for and use a mix of tools and human checks. Below are simple, practical steps you can use right away when reviewing articles, social posts, or marketing copy.
Quick checklist: signs of AI-written text
Read the text out loud. AI often produces smooth, evenly paced sentences that lack small human mistakes. If everything sounds too polished or strangely uniform, flag it. Look for these concrete signs: overly consistent sentence length, repeated phrases in the same piece, few personal anecdotes or sensory details, and a tendency to avoid saying “I don’t know.”
Check factual claims. AI can invent facts and sources. Pick one strong claim or statistic and verify it with a quick web search. If the source is vague or the quote doesn’t exist, that’s a red flag. Also test for subtle errors: wrong dates, slightly off numbers, or invented expert names.
Scan for weird details. AI sometimes uses generic or slightly wrong cultural references, odd metaphors, or mismatched examples. Those tiny mismatches often reveal machine generation.
Tools and practical steps
Use multiple detectors, not just one. Different detectors focus on different signals (style, entropy, watermarking). Run the text through two or three reputable tools and compare results. If all tools lean the same way, trust that signal more than any single score.
Measure perplexity and burstiness. Low perplexity and very even burstiness often mean machine text. Some editors and tools surface these metrics—learn the basics and check them when you can.
Do a reverse search for sentences. Paste a unique sentence in quotes into a search engine. If you find identical or near-identical matches across many places, the text may be copied or mass-generated.
Look at metadata and creation patterns. File timestamps, sudden bulk uploads, or many posts from the same author with very similar style can signal automation. For social posts, rapid-fire posting at exact intervals is suspicious.
Ask the author for sources or a short explanation. Humans can usually expand on their points with specific background or experience. If the author can’t explain a claim or refuses to provide sources, treat the content cautiously.
Final tip: combine tech and judgment. Tools catch patterns; humans catch meaning and intent. Use detectors to triage content, then use manual checks for anything important—especially marketing copy, news, or anything that affects reputation. If you’re a content creator, be transparent about AI use and edit outputs to add specific experiences and clear sources. That makes your content safer and more credible.
- 12/Aug/2025
- by Amelia Benson
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ChatGPT
propaganda analysis
AI detection
misinformation
artificial intelligence
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