AI writing tools are well on their way to becoming mainstream. ChatGPT only launched in November 2022, while GPT-4 was released in March 2023. As such, there is a great deal of interest in these AI tools’ ability to create fully-fledged writing pieces.
But such innovation doesn’t come without ethical concerns. In the education space, many are concerned students may be tempted to use these tools as a shortcut in finishing their assignments, theses, and other written works.
In an effort to promote academic integrity and keep written content original, users are turning to AI writing detectors. These tools use advanced technology to scan written material for any signs of AI-generated content.
However, no AI writing detector is perfect. Some are better at detecting AI-generated content than others, but accuracy varies across the board. Let’s look at the factors to consider when choosing the best AI writing detector and see what makes one stand out from the rest.
Each user has unique needs when it comes to an AI writing detector, but there are a few key features that can benefit anyone. When looking for a tool, check for the following:
This is the most important factor in choosing an AI writing detector. No AI writing detector today can boast a 100% accuracy rate, as the technology is still progressing.
The accuracy rates of different tools vary greatly. Most apps produce a probability score, so you can see how likely it is that the content was generated by an AI. However, some have tendencies to return false positives or false negatives. A good tool will at least have a high accuracy rate, meaning it can successfully detect most signs of AI-generated content.
You can check accuracy rates by using one text sample and comparing the results from different AI writing detectors.
Since there are many different language models available, such as GPT-3 and ChatGPT, it’s important to know what models your AI writing detector can scan. Some tools are only trained on content from one specific model.
The best ones are those compatible with all or at least the latest models available, namely ChatGPT, GPT-3, and GPT-4.
Many AI content detection tools set a minimum text length requirement, meaning they won’t be able to scan content that is too short. This is understandable, as detection algorithms are not yet advanced enough to accurately detect AI-generated content in shorter texts.
However, considering AI writing tools can be used to create varying lengths of content, you would want a tool with the least text length limit possible. For example, a minimum limit of 200 words would be preferable to a minimum of 500 words since it means the app could analyze more types of written content.
A helpful feature for AI writing detectors is the ability to highlight phrases or sentences that have the highest probability of being AI-generated. This way, you can quickly narrow down which portions of your text to revise.
Then again, you have to first check the accuracy rate of the tool. Even if your app can highlight suspicious phrases, this doesn’t guarantee that it is correct.
This is a nice-to-have capability for an AI writing detector. Simply paste a URL or domain into the tool, and it will scan all pages associated with that domain for any signs of AI-generated content. This makes it easier to detect if someone has used an AI writing tool across their entire website.
Most AI writing detectors offer a free version, but the paid versions often have more features or higher accuracy rates. Pricing can be per token, per month, or even a one-time fee. Before settling on a tool, compare pricing across different options and decide which one fits your budget best.
Other features to look for in an AI writing detector include the ability to detect plagiarism, check grammar and spelling, and provide feedback on sentence structure. These additional features can help you ensure that your content is original and error-free.
We’ve been testing the average accuracy scores of different AI writing detectors for the past few months. In these tests, we used seven text samples generated by Jasper AI, a widely used AI writing tool. Then, we took the average score based on the results of those samples. Here is a summary of the scores:
For transparency, we did not include other particular tools we reviewed in this summary because they have different parameters for AI detection. This list only covers AI writing detectors that use probability scores.
As you can see, Originality.ai has the highest average detection score, beating out 16 other AI writing detection tools. This means it has fewer chances of mistaking AI-generated content for original content and can be used as a reliable resource for detecting AI writing.
However, it is still a good practice to use multiple AI writing detectors to check for authenticity. Furthermore, these tools should not be the only forms of assessment. Teachers, instructors, and other stakeholders should explore other methods for verifying the originality and authenticity of written works.
Keeping in mind the factors to consider when choosing the best AI writing detector, here are the features that Originality.ai’s tool offers.
AI writing detectors are becoming increasingly important tools in the fight against academic fraud. Different tools can have varying accuracy scores and features. So it is important to choose one with a higher probability score of detecting AI-generated content and other capabilities that help assess a text’s authenticity.
Originality.ai has been tested and proven as the most reliable AI writing detector, but multiple detectors should be used for the best results.
