How To Quickly And Easily Check AI Content

AI has changed the way we create content, and whether you love it or hate it, AI-driven tools are here to stay. But as AI-generated content grows, so does the need for quality checks. 

Checking the quality and authenticity of content has always been important, but with the introduction and influx of AI generation, it is now more crucial than ever. Poorly written content can damage your business’ reputation, mislead your audience, and impact your search engine ratings. However, quality checks can help maintain high standards. 

AI-generated content is relatively new to us all, and even though I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to SEO, it can still be challenging to keep up with this emerging industry and all its complexities.

In the past 12 months, the rise of AI has had a huge impact on how the online world operates. Here at Aperitif Agency, we’ve had to adapt quickly so we can provide the right services. We have always used human writers (check out our very own human copywriter, Sarah Julian who leads our team) as we believe in the power of storytelling, and we believe that content to be read by humans should be written by humans.

Now, I want to share some of that knowledge with you. Here are some of the things I’ve found on how to check if the content is AI-generated and what you can do to ensure your content upholds the highest standards. 

How to check if content is AI-generated?

AI-generated content is content created by artificial intelligence algorithms. These algorithms analyse large amounts of data to produce coherent and contextually relevant content. 

Several methods, including AI content detection tools and manual techniques, can verify whether the content is AI-generated.

AI content detection tools 

AI content detection tools use sophisticated algorithms to identify patterns and characteristics typical of AI-generated text. These tools compare the content against a database of known AI-generated samples and flag any similarities. 

They’re not always accurate, though, and some software works better than others. But AI models also continue to evolve. For example, ChatGPT recently launched their 4th edition. 

AI checking tools are failing to keep up. Despite their limitations, they can still give you an idea of whether the content may have been generated by AI, so you can take steps to ensure originality. 

Here’s an example of how they work. 

Step 1: Choose an AI content detection tool

Start by choosing a reputable AI content detection tool that is specifically designed to identify AI-generated content. The tool should offer a user-friendly interface and detailed reports.

In this example, I’ll use Copyleaks.com. Ill also use a real example of content I’ve written for my website as it’s the easiest way to test how well an AI checker works by testing it against something that you personally know was 100% human written text.

Step 2: Upload or paste your content

Now that I’ve chosen my tool, I need to upload the document or paste the text into the provided field. I need to paste as much content as possible for a comprehensive analysis and to detect all potential AI-generated text. 

If you have a 500-word article, paste the whole thing. Some ai detection tools have limits on characters, though, so keep that in mind.

Step 3: Analyse the results

After uploading the content, I start the analysis. On this platform, I hit the Check button. The tool then processes the text and generates a report highlighting any sections that appear to be AI-generated.

Next, it will show you if the text is human or AI-generated. The text I just input is “human text”. 

To show you an example of AI-generated content, I’m going to use ChatGPT to create a paragraph about why Aperitif is the best choice for SEO content.

I then put that content into Copyleaks, and as you can see below, this content came up as AI-generated content.

Related: 8 Effortless Ways To Brainstorm Content Ideas

What are the best AI content detection tools?

There’s one reason for creating great content: I want people to read it. I also want them to enjoy it. While generative AI can be a great ally, there are real risks with creating fully AI-generated content.

To start with, bad AI content can mess with the user experience. This means people will disengage when reading it. If they disengage from your content, they disengage from your business.

Second, Google’s Helpful Content Update really drives home the need for high-quality content, and misusing AI can get your site demoted or deranked by search engines. That’s no fun for anyone. 

We wanted to find out if some of the world’s biggest sites were using AI generated copy. The challenge has been finding the best content detection tools. So, I did a little test and here’s what I found.

Methodology used

There was only one way I could find the best AI content detection tools: test them!

First, I wrote content straight off the top of my head (knowing with 100% certainty it was original content). Then, I used an AI tool to create similar content. 

Finally, I tried both content types on various tools to see which ones were the most accurate. In the end, I came up with this list.

Note: The images are screenshots from the 100% human-written content.

1. Copyleaks

Copyleaks is an AI and plagiarism detection tool that provides a thorough analysis of sentence structure and effectively identifies undetectable AI content, making it perfect for maintaining content integrity.

I chose Copyleaks for its high accuracy and comprehensive feature set, which includes free scanning and versatile applications. 

During my testing, I found it identified AI-generated content better than other tools, which gave it an edge over competitors, and it’s also one of the more effective plagiarism checkers.

But I found that it’s not foolproof; sometimes it flagged human-written content as being AI-generated.

2. Originality.ai

Originality.ai is designed specifically to detect content written by an AI. It provides insights into the training data used by language models to generate text.

My tests showed it to be an accurate AI checker that differentiated between human-written and AI-generated content in many instances, providing reliable insights. The 1% AI score is likely to be based on more generic content.

3. GPTZero

GPTZero is an effective AI content detector that uses advanced algorithms to analyse sentence structures and identify inconsistencies typical of AI-written content. 

GPTZero demonstrated high accuracy in detecting AI-generated content.

4. ZeroGPT

ZeroGPT offers a simple and efficient way to detect AI-generated content. Its straightforward interface makes it easy to upload a batch file for analysis. 

I chose ZeroGPT because of its reputation, but I found the accuracy to be slightly less accurate, stating that the human-generated content was 8.41% AI. However, because it highlights the exact sentences that could be written by AI, it provided useful insights into my style of writing. It was also a hassle-free experience detecting AI content.

5. Scribbr

Scribbr’s AI Detector detects AI-generated content and also helps with plagiarism detection. 

I found that while its accuracy was moderate, its detailed similarity reports and subscription-based services make it a strong contender, particularly for academic use. 

The biggest problem I found with this one was that while it says 18% AI content, it doesn’t highlight the content that it suspects is AI. 

I also found that this gave the highest probability (18%) that the content was written by AI even though the content was original.

Here is a tabled summary of what I found:

Related: What Is SEO Consulting, And How Can It Help Your Business?

Manual AI-checking techniques

Manual techniques can be just as effective for identifying AI-generated content. These methods rely on human intuition and experience to spot inconsistencies that AI detection tools might miss.

• Readability and flow: Check for choppy sentences, unnatural phrasing, or repetitive word choice. 
• Factual accuracy: Fact-check information, especially in technical or scientific content. 
• Originality and plagiarism: AI content might unintentionally plagiarise due to its reliance on previously published information. 

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Are there any risks to using AI-generated content?

Although AI content is certainly easier and cheaper than professional content, there are risks you need to be aware of.

• Misinformation and bias: It can produce content with outdated information or inherent biases from its model training data.
• Lack of originality: Over-reliance on generative AI can lead to repetitive or unoriginal content.
• Inauthentic voice: AI content lacks the genuine tone of human content, making it less relatable to readers.
• SEO implications: Google’s recent algorithm changes emphasise the importance of high-quality, people-first content. If you overuse AI content, then search engines like Google may demote your site’s traffic.

In the last couple of years, Google has reiterated its stance on why brands should create quality content that’s unique and fresh — and that means content that does not regurgiate and say the same thing that’s already on the web.

Summing up

While AI checkers can be helpful, they’re not 100% reliable. Through some of the experiments that I conducted above using my own text, its pretty easy to see that some AI checkers work better than others.

As AI models continue to evolve, its going to become so much harder for AI checkers to work well as AI models will advance faster than AI checking software (I.e. a “lagging effect”).

Need help with writing content? Then, get in touch with Aperitif Agency today to learn more about how our team can assist you with your content that stands the test of time while also smashing your SEO goals.