Detection of AI Writing: A Practical Guide
In the not so distant past, it's use in content creation has grown significantly. AI-generated content is everywhere, from chatbots and automated emails to blog posts and essays. Even though AI tools can generate text that is as good as any human can write, there are times when you need to know: Was a piece of writing created by a human or machine? As an educator, recruiter, curious reader, or anyone else, knowing how to detect AI writing can be a useful skill.
Here is a practical guide for how to identify AI-generated text:
Consistency and Fluency Check
Although AI writing tools are capable of generating cohesive and logically structured content, they may sometimes come across as having a lack of depth and authenticity.
Find the too smooth, too shiny sentences that almost seem perfect. Human beings often commit small mistakes in their writing or use individual styles.
Be on the lookout for sameness of phrases or ideas, as A.I. is sometimes looping through same wordage without fresh insights.
Evaluate Content Depth
While A.I. tools are adept at summarizing information, they can be of limited help in producing deeply nuanced or original arguments.
Consider: Does the text provide unique insights or personal experiences?
Watch out for superficial or surface-level analysis, particularly for opinion or essay pieces.
Look for Unnatural Phrasing
AI models tend to produce text that reads in a more formal way, but sometimes fails to sound natural in conversational contexts.
Look for clumsy transitions or sudden shifts in subjects.
Zero in on strange word choices or sentence structures that might sound robotic, like a universe with too many synonyms just to avoid word repetition.
Look for Factual Errors or Overgeneralizations
AI models are based on large datasets and can give outdated or wrong answers, sometimes.
Fact-check claims and statistics to determine whether or not they’re correct and recent.
Avoid vague or sweeping statements that lack supporting materials.
Use AI Detection Tools
The irony is that AI can help identify AI written text. There are several tools available for this specific purpose:
Originality. AI and GPTZero are two such popular platforms that detect elements in text that may have been generated by AI.
Several content analysis tools also include some AI detection functionality, including Turnitin and Content at Scale, which are primarily designed for academic and professional use.
Analyze the Tone and Voice
AI-generated writing is often missing the emotional nuance or stream-of-consciousness flourishes that humans embed in their writing.
Is the tone a little too neutral or distant?
Is there something not funny, imaginative, or empathetic in the way a human writer would instinctively say?
Test for Prompt Dependency
Much of this uncontextualized AI-generated text reads like a direct answer to a specific question or prompt.
That might help you find loosely connected language that feels like it’s rigidly attached to a question you asked.
Assess Sentence Structure Variety
One notable difference is that content generated by AI might have uniformity in the length of sentences or the structure of the sentences used.
Is there a repetitive pattern in the formation of the sentences, or a failure to vary how the ideas are communicated?
Conclusion
In an age of ubiquitous artificial intelligence, being able to detect AI writing is an indispensable skill. Looking for consistency, depth, tone and factual accuracy in content, and relying on detection tools, you can better recognize whether any piece of text has been machine-generated. AI writing is an excellent tool to navigate in the digital world.
Whether you’re verifying whether something is quackery or just interested, use these tips to help you tell whether something was written by a human or an AI.