Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that has recently caused much excitement. Industries have embraced it excitedly, while workers have worried about its impact.
At the same time, it has started to intertwine with the lives of everyday people in various ways, from the workplace to school. Most noticeably, AI has significantly impacted generative AI, ChatGPT.
Since its public release in November of 2022, ChatGPT has been embraced by millions of users as a resource for information and more.
According to Reuters, it had 100 million active users within two months of its release. That number has doubled in 2024, according to SemRush, a digital marketing tool. The need for AI detectors has grown exponentially with the increasing use of generative AI.
The Use of Generative AI Is Rising
Workers in the business world have been using ChatGPT to write emails and reports since it was first introduced. A McKinsey Global Survey discovered that 65% of respondents admitted to using AI, up from half that amount in 2023. McKinsey & Company is a global management consultant firm tracking the integration of AI into the business environment and its impact on various industries.
College students also use ChatGPT and other generative AI to research and write reports. A report from the Digital Education Council states that 86% of students use AI in their assignments.
According to the council’s 2024 Global AI Student Survey, most (69%) use ChatGPT for research, while 24% use it to create their first draft. Generative AI is also used to check grammar, summarize, and paraphrase documents.
Though some ChatGPT users in business and academia have been using it to hash out ideas or create a generalized outline, others have generated work they claim as their own.
Using AI Detectors to Verify Authenticity
AI detectors are valuable resources for discerning whether a human or AI wrote a report, paper, or application. Though generative AI has uses, the desire for authentic human voices has fueled the use of AI detectors.
A report by Reuters found only 23% of the respondents in the United States said they were not opposed to AI-produced news.
Using generative AI like ChatGPT to write papers in academia is considered unethical and cheating. Generative AI is trained on existing content, so it is also considered plagiarism. Students risk losing their degrees if they depend on programs like ChatGPT to produce their schoolwork. Concerns about students’ use of AI are a global phenomenon. China has been considering passing a law restricting students’ use of AI in their dissertations.
Additionally, depending on ChatGPT to produce schoolwork is counterproductive. Part of education’s importance is teaching critical thinking skills in preparation for the workplace. Learning to research, assemble information, and write a coherent paper are intellectual activities essential to developing skills for future careers. Many worry that students are hindering their development by depending on AI generators.
According to a survey by CV Genius, 80% of hiring managers discard AI-generated applications. Hiring managers consider applications created by AI to be a sign that the applicant is lazy. Instead, hiring departments prefer the authenticity of an application written by a human. Two-thirds of hiring managers find AI-written applications repetitive and generic. They can better glean what type of person seeks to be hired through the applicant’s genuine writing.
AI Detectors Are AI Used Wisely
AI detectors have become valuable assets in academic and professional settings for determining whether ChatGPT or other AI generators write something. Using AI detectors is as easy as pasting or uploading the text that needs to be scanned so the tool can perform its task. Within seconds, it will produce a report. The AI detectors can quickly assess whether or not AI has created text and calculate what percentage of the text is AI-generated. Some AI detectors, such as AIDetector.com, can rewrite text to sound more human.
As AI generators advance, so do AI detectors. Machine learning enables AI detectors to keep abreast of the latest advancements in ChatGPT and other chatbots like Claude and Grok. Though AI has some “tells” that a keen eye might be able to pick out, AI detectors can determine the authenticity of the writing voice as human or not in seconds.
AI detectors look for specific patterns since text generated by AI is more predictable in sentence structure and word usage. AI tends to sound more formal and repetitive, lacking the subtle nuances associated with human-created works.
AI detectors are trained on written works by humans and AI and can learn to differentiate between the two. For this reason, they are increasingly used by academics and professionals.
AI Detectors As a Useful Tool
Many teachers, professors, hiring managers, and other professionals regularly use AI detectors. To ensure that text passes the muster before submission, it can be run through an AI detector to flag any issues that should be addressed. AI detectors can also be a guide on how to fix the text someone is planning to submit, whether in an academic or workplace environment.
Some argue that the ethical way to use AI is as a starting point. It can be the first step in producing content that reflects the user’s intention by creating an outline, synopsis, or first draft. Then, the user can revise the text to suit their voice and delete any embellishments, which AI is sometimes prone to interject.
In applications, users can refine the text to reflect their personality by injecting personal information and eliminating any wording that would set off an AI detector. AIDetector.com can rewrite text to make it appear like an authentic human wrote it, but it should still be revised to add a personal touch.
As AI continues to change modern life, people will adapt and learn to use tools like AI detectors to increase their productivity and enhance their knowledge.
