Here are five ways to tell if an article is written by AI so you can ensure the content you are consuming is legitimate! Obviously, this method is not 100% foolproof, but after months of researching ChatGPT and reading thousands of articles written by the program to figure out why the internet has suddenly been filled with animal misinformation, these are the five main tests I give an article to tell the difference.
1. Check the Author’s Credentials
One of the first things to do when trying to figure out if an article is written by AI is to look at the author. Authentic articles typically have an identifiable author whose credentials can be verified. Here’s what to look for:
- Author’s Name: Is this an actual person? Many blogs that are written by AI tend to use random author names and stock images. Go ahead a do a quick search and see what you can find!
- Qualifications: Does the author have expertise in the subject matter? If someone is writing about a specialized topic but lacks appropriate qualifications (*cough* a random social media manager *cough*), it could be a red flag.
- Click-through options: You should be able to click the author’s name to find more information or find a dedicated “about” section on the website. If the author is real, it won’t be hard to find other articles or credentials that establish their authority on the topic.
2. Examine the Sources
Real, well-researched articles will often reference credible sources, such as academic papers, reputable news outlets, or expert opinions. Articles written by AI tend to have:
- No sources or vague references: AI-generated articles often don’t include links to reliable sources. Instead, they may mention studies without providing direct links to those studies or reputable publications.
- Fake citations: In some cases, AI tools might fabricate studies or link to irrelevant pages to give an illusion of credibility.
When reading an article, always check the sources. If there are no citations, or the references seem too vague or unreliable, AI could be involved.
3. Look at the Posting Frequency
Websites that use AI for SEO-driven content tend to publish new articles at an unrealistic pace.
- Multiple articles per day: If a website is posting multiple blog articles daily, especially on varied topics, it’s likely that AI is being used to pump out content. A human writer with proper research and writing processes simply can’t maintain that level of productivity without compromising quality.
- Unrealistic timeframes: Even with efficient workflows, it’s hard to believe a human can write detailed, well-researched posts across multiple topics daily.
Also, this is why I say this method is not 100% foolproof and you cannot just rely on one facet to tell if something is written by AI. Because, if you just looked at posting frequency alone, and saw me posting about human-hamster hybrids, MSG, and fear development all in a span of a day, that probably looks fishy. In reality, I am just transcribing old tiktoks. lol.
4. Pay Attention to Language and Syntax
Once you start familiarizing yourself with AI-generated content, you’ll notice patterns in the language and tone that are common across AI writing tools like ChatGPT. Keep an eye out for:
- Overuse of certain words: AI has a habit of overusing certain words such as “delve into,” “enigmatic,” “mysterious,” “striking,” “enchanting,” “intriguing,” “captivating,” and “creatures.”
- Lack of author’s voice: One of the clearest indicators of human-written content is the author’s voice. Human authors bring a distinct personality to their writing, whether it’s through humor, sarcasm, or a unique perspective. Because posts written by AI have no author, there is no author voice.
I’ll have to go more into depth about words and phrases commonly used by AI later, because ChatGPT has caused me to have a visceral, angry reaction when I hear the word “intrigued” now.
5. Analyze the Comments Section
Anyway, take a look at the comments section if it’s available. If it looks like this, go ahead and click the back button.
Ok. That’s it for now, I am sure I will go on more rants about this later.