How does the AI Detector work? – EN

The AI Detector works by analyzing your text and comparing it against patterns known to be associated with AI-generated content. These include predictable word choices and a lack of variation in sentence structure and length.

Our free AI Detector can detect GPT-2, GPT-3, and GPT-3.5 with average accuracy. The Premium AI Detector offers high accuracy and can detect all known language models, including:

OpenAI's ChatGPT (all versions)
Google Gemini
Claude
Bard
Bing Chat

These features give a good indication (though not a 100% guarantee) that text was created by AI. To learn more, read our article about how AI detectors work.

This is different from the Scribbr Plagiarism Checker, which works by comparing text to a database of existing sources and looking for similarities.

What does the AI Detector report include?

The AI Detector will allow you to scan your document (up to 25k words) for potential content generated by AI and generate an AI Detection score. Within the report, we will classify your detected text into the following categories:

AI-generated: this represents the % of your text that is very likely to be written by an AI tool, like ChatGPT or Gemini.
AI-generated & AI-refined: this represents the % of your text that is very likely to be generated by AI, then refined or altered using AI tools (such as the QuillBot paraphraser).
Human-written & AI-refined: this represents the % of your text that is very likely to be written by humans, then refined or altered using AI tools (such as the QuillBot paraphraser).
Human-written: this represents the % of your text that is very likely to be written by humans without the help of AI or paraphrasing tools.

After Premium AI detector implementation, free and premium detectors will use the same technology. However, the the premium will take your entire text (up to 25k words) and check ai content. So no action from user is needed. It will be used for documents with English, Spanish, German and French texts. Dutch will still use GoWinston.

What is the maximum file size for the AI Detector?

The AI Detector can scan a document of up to 25,000 words. If your document is bigger than that, only the first 25,000 words will be scanned. The AI Content Detector score will also be calculated based on those 25,000 words.

Is the AI Detector the same as the AI Detector my university uses?

Scribbr’s AI Detector is based on the same principles as all other AI Detectors. AI detectors measure specific characteristics of the text, most notably perplexity and burstiness. With this, they can identify whether a text is potentially AI-generated.

The AI Detector is a distinct tool, so whilst the result will be similar, it might not be the exact same as other AI Detectors.

Which languages does the AI Detector support?

Currently, Scribbr’s AI Detector supports English, German and French. We offer a separate AI Detector in Dutch (please see this one here).

What's the difference between an AI Detector and a Plagiarism Check?

Both the AI Detector as well as the Plagiarism Check are used to ensure the originality and integrity of your document in their own unique way:

AI Detector: Identifies text generated by AI models to ensure originality and human writing.
Plagiarism Check: Detects similarities between your text and existing sources to ensure proper citation and originality.

Does the Plagiarism Check also detect AI-written text?

The Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker can sometimes detect a portion of AI-generated text fragments. However, it doesn't catch all of them. The Plagiarism Check focuses on identifying similarities with existing published works, while the AI Detector specifically checks for AI-generated content.

This is why Scribbr offers a built-in AI Detector when you buy our Premium Plagiarism Checker. This tool is specifically designed to identify AI-generated text and is therefore much more reliable for this purpose.

I cannot see the AI Detector in my Similarity Report. What do I do now?

You should see the AI Detector in the blue banner on top of your Similarity Report. If you are unable to see the AI Detector, please reach out to our Support team.

What can I do If my report shows text as (partly) generated by AI?

If your AI Detector score indicates that parts of your text are likely generated by AI, consider the following steps:

Verify with your institution: Ensure that your school or university approves the use of AI writing tools. Each institution has different policies regarding AI-generated content. Review these policies or reach out to your supervisor or institution if they remain unclear.
Acknowledge AI Tools: If you used AI tools to assist in writing your paper, remember to acknowledge them appropriately. Proper citation is crucial in academic writing. For more information on how to cite ChatGPT and other AI tools, check out our citing guidelines.
Rewrite the text: If you are not allowed to use AI we strongly suggest rewriting the text when getting back a higher score. After you wrote the text in your own words you will be sure that no AI has been used!

We've compiled an overview of guidelines from major universities in the United States, the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. Please note that these guidelines are indicative and based on publicly available information. Always verify the details with your own institution as the primary source.

I wrote my paper with the help of AI. Will my AI detector score be lower after I use the Proofreading & Editing service?

Today, many students consult AI-tools to help them write their papers. There are many helpful ways in which tools such as ChatGPT can support you in your studies. You can find information about this here.

Please note that our service can not guarantee you a lower score with an AI detector. If you want to learn more about how AI detectors work in general and how reliable they are, then I can highly recommend you this article.

If you are curious about AI writing tools in general, feel free to find all kinds of information about that here!

We do want to emphasize that passing off AI-generated text as your own work is generally considered plagiarism (or at least academic dishonesty). While we acknowledge and agree that AI tools can be helpful tools to assist you with your writing, we strongly recommend against using AI tools as a substitute for your own writing. If our editors suspect that you have used an AI tool to write (a big part of) your document, we may decide not to edit your document.

Why does the AI Detector indicate that my text is written by AI even though I wrote it myself?

AI detectors - like Scribbr’s AI Detector - are tools designed to identify the probability that your text is generated by artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. They do this by measuring specific characteristics of the text (perplexity and burstiness). When text - even though it was written by you - contains characteristics that are similar to text written by AI, your document might have a higher probability of being written by AI even though you wrote it yourself. Examples of these characteristics are...

Text that reads monotonously, with little variation in sentence structure or length
Text with predictable, generic word choices and few surprises

While our AI Detector is generally effective in providing accurate percentages (refer to our research on the best AI Detectors here!), these numbers might sometimes deviate due to various factors. For more information on how AI detectors function, you can find our article here.

How long after submitting the document can I still view my AI Detector report?

Once you upload your document, you can view the AI Detector report for 30 days. After this period, you can still access a different version of the AI Detector by copying and pasting your text into the AI Detector pop-up within the Plagiarism Check. Please note that this alternative version allows you to copy and paste-up to 1,200 words at a time.