As AI-generated content proliferates online, discover the leading tools and technologies designed to: [+] Detect synthetic text, images, and audio.
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Since ChatGPT was launched just two years ago, the amount of synthetic (or fake) content online has increased exponentially.
First, not all “fake” content is inherently bad. Generative AI text, image, and audio tools have streamlined many repetitive tasks, from drafting everyday letters and notices to storyboarding and prototyping for more creative projects.
But problems arise when AI-generated content is intended to mislead, misinform, or spread fake news. Some go so far as to say it could destabilize the democratic process and spark a “crisis of truth.”
What can you do with it? Fortunately, many methods have been developed to distinguish between AI-generated content and genuine content. These include sociological approaches that emphasize the importance of education and critical thinking. These also include technical solutions, often leveraging the same generative and machine learning models used to create and repurpose “fake” content to detect it.
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We’ll focus on the latter here. First, we’ll explain how they work, and then we’ll take a look at some of the most popular tools and applications in this category.
Deepfakes, fake news, and disinformation
First, it is important to distinguish between “fake news” and “fake content.”
Both have seen significant increases in recent years. However, the term “fake news” includes stories, lies, or disinformation that are intentionally created for the purpose of deceiving. On the other hand, “deepfakes,” “fake content,” or “synthetic content” specifically refers to content that is not only designed to deceive, but is also generated by AI.
This deception may be simply for entertainment, as in the case of viral fakes on the internet like “deepfake Tom Cruise” or “Pope in a down jacket.”
At the same time, they are increasingly likely to aim to cause real harm, such as influencing elections, undermining public trust, or disseminating geopolitical propaganda.
Ahead of elections in many countries this year, WEF has identified AI misinformation as the biggest cybersecurity risk facing society. All of this suggests that it is important for all of us to identify the rise in deepfake content and develop methods and tactics to counter it.
What is AI Content Detector and how does it work?
Most simply, most AI content detectors work by analyzing content and trying to detect patterns that suggest it may have been generated by AI.
It often relies on AI itself to do this, leveraging neural networks trained to recognize typical characteristics.
For text, this could be specific phrases or the way information is structured, typical of large-scale language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini.
For images, this could mean looking out for obvious mistakes. For example, AI image generators are often observed to have difficulty adding the correct number of fingers to hand drawings, rendering text correctly, and handling lighting and shadows.
However, it is important to remember that even the best tools are not foolproof. For example, it’s easy to mix AI and human-generated content to create hybrid content, but it can confuse AI content detectors.
As a result, most of the tools discussed here cannot definitively determine whether content is AI or real. Instead, it’s more likely to assign probabilities or estimate how much of the text is likely to be generated by the AI.
(To demonstrate this, we fed the text of this article, written entirely by humans, into all the text-based AI detectors mentioned here. You can see the results below.)
The best AI content detector
AI or not?
This paid site detects the use of generated AI in both images and audio.
copy leak
AI text analysis is widely used in businesses and academia.
Was this article written by an AI? no
deepfake detector
Identify fake videos and audio with 92% accuracy.
deep wear
Deploy professional-quality deepfake detection resources on-premises for your enterprise.
GPT zero
One of the first widely available AI text detectors.
Was this article written by an AI? 4%
grammatically
The real-time grammar check plugin also provides AI content detection capabilities.
Was this article written by an AI? 50%
hive moderation
It’s designed to moderate video, audio, and text content in real-time, and also detects AI content.
Was this article written by an AI? 0%
Is it AI?
AI image detector powered by machine learning with free and paid options.
originality
This allows you to verify that the content you plan to publish is authentic and trustworthy by checking not only AI checks but also plagiarism and factuality.
Was this article written by an AI? 3%
plagiarism check
A powerful AI text detection suite with tools specifically designed for educational use.
Was this article written by an AI? 0%.
Quillbot
AI text checker that is free to use with no signup required.
Was this article written by an AI? 0%
winston
Winston is a comprehensive AI checking tool that can detect not only text but also fake images. We also offer certification programs that certify that content is created by humans.
Was this article written by an AI? 0%
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly sophisticated, the tools and technologies used to detect it must evolve in parallel. Today’s AI content detection capabilities provide valuable insights, but they’re not foolproof, as this mixed result when testing human-written articles shows. The key is to use these tools as part of a broader approach to content verification, combining technical solutions with critical thinking and digital literacy. As we navigate an increasingly complex information environment, these detection tools will be an essential component in our collective efforts to preserve digital truth and combat harmful misinformation.
