Key Pro Tips on How to Detect AI Writing

The technological boom in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sphere has created many useful tools. Chat GPT and similar AI-powered platforms have revolutionized all domains of human life, offering a wide range of features. Many professionals and students have used these tools to write texts that were supposed to be human-written. But wait; as we explore how to spot AI writing, it’s important to understand the fundamentals of how AI works in our digital world.

Recently, the world of writing underwent significant changes when AI tools (such as ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI) rapidly flooded the Internet. People realized that AI had evolved to the point of producing human-like texts in a matter of seconds, showcasing its remarkable features. This factor caused disruptions in many fields, as it became impossible to tell if a person or a computer was the author of a given work. The rise of Chat GPT is causing active discussions and prompting controversial questions in educational and professional settings about its impact on text quality. For example, many schools and universities severely punish AI content in essays. It is essential to not only value your own human writing, but also to know how to tell if something was written by AI.

Do not panic! We are here to help you. Right here and right now, we will tell you how to check if something was written by AI. Moreover, you will find three practical tips to check for AI-generated text and familiarize yourself with some online tools that can help you detect AI writing. Do you want to become an expert in how to detect AI writing? Let’s start!

Why Is the Ability to Check If Something Was Written by AI Important?

The rise of AI technologies has brought many benefits to humanity. This technology has helped to accelerate data searching and analysis in various domains. AI allows us to automate tasks, improve research, and increase efficiency. However, it has caused a significant challenge — the invasion of soulless, AI-generated content in the informational field. The ability to check if text is AI-generated has never been more critical than it is now for two reasons:

• AI-content in media. We live in a highly digitalized world and have the opportunity to access a lot of information through our smartphones. We read political news, exciting stories, and professional tips to stay updated and learn new things. However, news stories, product reviews, and even some instances of academic literature are being composed by AI systems like ChatGPT. Without the ability to detect AI writing, the audience unknowingly consumes computer-written content. This unawareness may result in misinformation, manipulation, and the discretization of the value of genuinely human-created content.
• AI content and academic integrity. Unfortunately, AI content tools have turned into a great threat to the educational system. Students have massively started to use ChatGPT conversations and other platforms to create papers. Nowadays, even academic institutions and publishers face the challenge of maintaining the integrity of their publications. The ability to check if a paper was written by AI is essential for upholding academic standards and ensuring that scholarly work is attributed to its rightful authors.

Three tips on how to check for AI writing

1. Assess the Language Complexity. Despite the unprecedented rise of AI models, their generated content still has limitations. ChatGPT outputs cannot accurately replicate human language. People usually do not precisely follow rare rules and formats, while some text allows for informal constructions. Carefully examining AI tools’ outputs is one of the most effective ways you’ll know how to detect AI-generated content. Look for the overuse of complex or simple language and words, as well as other unnatural-looking constructions. AI models still fail to recognize the diverse nature of human expressions, thereby revealing themselves.
2. Verify the Data and Facts. Some AI models still lack accuracy, since they are based on limited data from a particular time period. However, ChatGPT and similar language models do not have the capacity to understand their errors. They may seamlessly integrate outdated or even inaccurate information into their outputs. These errors may include incorrect dates, names, and titles in the context of real events. To check if something was written by AI, verify the accuracy of the facts and information presented in the text. Errors and inconsistencies in real data may indicate the presence of AI-generated content in the text.
3. Evaluate the Consistency. Returning to the topic of human-written text, one of the features is the inconsistency of human expressions. One rarely writes a good text with a flawless formal or informal tone, mixing the styles instead. Moreover, people may not be aware of all the specific rules and standards of academic writing and may make minor errors. ChatGPT outputs and other AI language models usually precisely follow a consistent style and tone in the text. Carefully assess this factor to find an answer to the question: “Is this written by AI?

Online Tools that Can Help You Detect AI Writing

Since ChatGPT became a villain in this story, the rise of a hero was only a matter of time. AI content detectors represent the other side of the coin. These tools are available online to help you identify AI content by analyzing its patterns and other features. The first version of such detectors had low accuracy, and their output was questionable. However, contemporary tools can detect AI writing, guaranteeing clear results. Here are some examples of free AI content detectors that you can use for the good of your AI research:

• AI detector by customwritings.com. This tool works with DOC, TXT, and PDF formats, and can even check your PowerPoint presentation. You have 10000 available checks for free with an AI detector that respects your data privacy and security.
• originality.ai is a comprehensive tool that allows you to receive full reports about your text, including about the presence (or absence) of AI content and plagiarism. Originality.ai is a perfect choice to check if something was written by AI, but the service is not free. However, you can use some sort of free trial by installing their browser extension for Chrome.
• gptzero.me provides ample opportunities without any required payments. For example, it allows you to insert up to 5000 characters for free and receive its analysis. While it can be a valuable tool for short papers and essays, its results may sometimes be vague if the text contains a mix of human and AI text.
• gowinston.ai is another tool that unites AI detectors, plagiarism checkers, and readability analyzers. The free version of the service only allows you to check if the text is AI-generated. You can start your free seven-day trial to discover if this tool is suitable for your goals.

Why Can None of the Tools Detect Text Written by ChatGPT with 100% Accuracy?

AI detectors may seem like a fatal blow to ChatGPT and other language models based on AI. Still, none of the AI detectors claim 100% certainty or guarantee the accuracy of their results. The continuous improvement of AI technologies allows for more qualitative outputs.

Nevertheless, the biggest problem with all AI detectors is the absence of common ground when they check if something was written by AI. You might be wondering, how does AI detection work for essays? Each developer creates their unique training dataset and criteria for AI-generated content. These statistical analyses based on identified patterns cannot provide absolute certainty.

The situation becomes even more complex when the author includes parts created by AI in human-written text and vice versa. An AI content checker will be torn between its criteria, giving very approximate results. Some people may also intentionally create content that aims to confuse AI text detectors so that they return inconclusive results

Nowadays, it’s becoming evident that though our anti-AI heroes promise to save us from evil AI content, their ability to clearly answer “Did an AI write this?” is questionable. The more sophisticated AI content generators become, the more accurate AI content detectors should become. But the tendency is not bilateral.

Why Humans Are Still the Best AI Detectors

The inferiority of AI content detectors brings us back to the important message: There is no better detector than a human. AI tools, including checkers, only try to imitate the human brain in an attempt to recreate our logical processes and ways of thinking. Hence, we are, by definition, better than all replicas of ourselves.

Using the first two tips from our discussion, you can find out how to check if something is written by AI just by reading a text. This learning can be used in various life domains, from personal to professional.

A Few Final Thoughts on Detecting AI

In the end, let’s quickly run through the key aspects that arise when people want to know how to tell if something was written by a chatbot.

Why would you check if something is written by AI?

Identifying AI-generated content is a valuable skill in the modern personal, professional, and academic domains. It will help you to evaluate information quality, improve your learning outcomes, and feel safe from disinformation. The further development of AI technologies will only highlight how important it is to check if something was written by an AI.

How to tell if an essay was written by AI language model

Refer to our three tips on how to check if AI wrote an essay. Pay close attention to the consistency and complexity of the text. Surprisingly, you need to search for stylistic contradictions and minor errors if you hope that the text is not one of ChatGPT outputs. Furthermore, you need to assess the accuracy of the data presented, as AI language models tend to modify facts in favor of content.

Was this written by AI checker? You are the most accurate detector

Remember, you are able to become the most effective AI content detector. Modern software does not guarantee 100% accurate results, while you can leverage your human skills to check for AI-generated text. Read, explore, and train your discernment if you want to become a real expert in how to tell if AI wrote an essay.

As time goes on, AI content detection methods will keep improving. Staying up to date on AI writing and detection techniques is important if you want to check for AI writing effectively. Remember: Knowing how to check if a paper was written by AI is a valuable skill today. The three tips we’ve given you, AI detectors, and trusting your own judgment can help you spot AI-generated content and make informed choices about what you read and believe.

About authors

James Snyder A Top-10 writer at CustomWritings.com

James is one of the most prominent authors on our team with more than 7 years of experience. He specializes in writing essays and coursework. James loves to work from home with a cup of hot chocolate and his cat Archibald.

Kate Roth A Top-10 writer at CustomWritings.com

Kate likes to read long stories and write essays. She’s experienced in both academic writing and marketing activities, so she can tell everything about a writer’s job in a few simple words. You can use our website to request the help of our experts anytime.