Substack launches AI detection tool to fight 'Claudefishing' and restore trust in newsletters
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Substack's new tool tells you who's been writing their newsletters with AI
Substack has launched a new feature that can show you which of your favorite newsletters are being written using AI. This week, the newsletter and writing platform announced an integration with the AI writing detection software Pangram that will allow users to scan posts, comments, and replies on
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I Test-Drove Substack's New AI Detection Tool, and It Mostly Worked - CNET
Ever since being admittedly fascinated by the Cambridge coffee webcam from the 1990s, I've written about VPNs, the NFL, smartphones, living wages, over/unders and everything in between. Read full bio More and more, we want to know: Is it human, or is it AI? Is that image real? That song? That
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Substack adds an AI detector to help spot blogs written by no one
Substack will now help users determine whether what they're reading may have been written by AI. A new tool coming to the platform can scan posts, notes, replies, and comments to provide an estimate of how much text could be AI-generated, according to a blog post published on Tuesday. The tool is
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Substack is adding an AI detection feature - Engadget
Substack is adding an AI detection feature The company has partnered with Pangram for the new tools. Substack has launched a new AI detection tool in partnership with Pangram. This will allow readers to scan Substack content for an assessment of how much of the material was written by AI. The
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Substack adds AI detection to fight 'Claudefishing'
The newsletter platform has partnered with the AI detector Pangram so readers can scan posts, notes, and comments for how much a human actually wrote. Its bet: in a feed full of slop, proof of a person behind the words is worth something. Substack has a name for the moment you realise a post you
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Substack bets readers want to pay for content written by humans with new AI detection tool
Driving the news: The media platform is partnering with Pangram, an AI-detection tool, to allow users to estimate how much text on the platform -- including posts and comments -- was made with AI. How it works: Users on the iOS app or on a browser will be able to scan text in notes, replies,
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Substack adds tool that detects AI-generated content
Credit: Thomas Fuller / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images Substack is introducing a new tool to help readers figure out whether content was written by a human or generated by AI. Announced in a blog post on Tuesday, the self-publishing platform's new feature is powered by AI detection
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Substack now lets you check if a post was written by AI
A new Pangram-powered scanner lets you check posts, notes, and replies for signs of AI writing. Substack is giving readers a way to check whether the post they're reading was written by a human or by a chatbot. The company has partnered with AI-detection firm Pangram to introduce new tools that
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Substack introduces new AI transparency features
Substack has launched a new AI detection tool developed in partnership with Pangram. This tool allows readers to assess how much content was written by AI, applicable to text longer than 100 words. The feature became available today on the web and iOS platforms, with Android support expected in the
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Substack has partnered with Pangram to introduce an AI detection tool that lets readers scan posts, notes, and comments to see how much content was written by humans versus AI. The move aims to combat 'Claudefishing'—when readers unknowingly consume AI-generated content—while helping writers who disclose AI usage maintain credibility. Available now on web and iOS, the tool marks a bold bet that human authorship will become a valuable differentiator in an internet increasingly flooded with AI slop.
Substack Introduces AI Detection Tool to Combat Rising AI-Generated Content
Substack has launched a new AI detection tool powered by Pangram that allows readers to scan posts, notes, replies, and comments to determine how much content was written by humans versus AI
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. The feature works on text longer than 100 words published on or after the launch date, and is currently available on web and the iOS app, with Android support coming soon2
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. Readers can access the scan for AI text option through the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of any post, receiving an estimate that breaks down the percentage of AI, AI-assisted, and human-written text2
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Source: Engadget
Combating Claudefishing and Restoring Transparency in Authorship
Substack CEO Chris Best coined the term "Claudefishing" to describe the phenomenon where readers unknowingly invest their attention in content with no human thought behind it
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. "When readers have to wonder if what they're reading is real, it undermines trust in authorship and threatens the livelihood of writers—including those who use AI tools thoughtfully to produce work they believe in," Best wrote in the announcement2
. The timing reflects growing concerns about AI slop flooding digital platforms, with Pangram estimating that roughly 40% of text on some social media platforms is AI-generated, including a stunning two-thirds of content on LinkedIn2
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Source: CNET
How Writers Can Disclose AI Usage Through New Features
Substack clarified that the tool is not meant to prohibit or penalize AI-assisted writing
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. Instead, the platform introduced an AI Author's note feature that allows creators to properly disclose their use of AI through a "How I make this" statement, where they can explain their writing process1
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. Publishers can also run Pangram AI detection on their own drafts before publication, and report and remove scans on their work they believe are mistakes1
. This dual approach aims to encourage content labeling while giving writers control over how they present their creative process.Related Stories
Testing Reveals Strong Accuracy But Potential for False Positives
Early testing by CNET showed the Pangram AI detection system worked accurately in most scenarios, correctly identifying fully human-written content, fully AI-generated posts, and mixed content with roughly accurate percentages
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. However, when a couple of AI-generated sentences were added to otherwise human content, the scan flagged it as 100% human-generated, revealing potential limitations2
. Best acknowledged the tool is "not perfect," but cited independent research showing Pangram's software was 97.5% accurate in detecting fully generated AI text, with the University of Maryland finding 99.3% accuracy in identifying "humanized AI-generated text"—content where humans have rewritten or paraphrased AI output2
. The risk of false positives remains a significant concern for writers who don't use AI but might be incorrectly labeled.Ethical Implications and the Future of Human Versus AI Content
Substack's move represents a calculated bet that proof of human authorship will become a scarce and valuable commodity as AI-generated content proliferates
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. "This is good use of AI," Chris Best said, explaining that while software should handle everything else, "you do want the person to do the hard part" of having an idea worth reading1
. However, critics warn that AI detection is not settled science, with developer Perry Metzger arguing that any detector allows writers to fine-tune AI to evade it5
. A Gartner survey found that 68% of people wonder if the content they see is real, and half of consumers prefer brands that aren't using AI in their marketing2
. As Business Insider's Peter Kafka noted, if AI wins, "made by humans" could become a very good business model5
. The trust in content that Substack aims to rebuild through transparency may determine whether independent writers can maintain their economic viability in an AI-saturated landscape.References
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