AI or Author? How to Tell If a Text Was Written by a Machine

TL;DR — AI-written content is now good enough to fool most people—but not you, if you know what to look for. Learn 5 signs that a text may be machine-generated.

The Rise of AI-Written Content

Chatbots, content generators, AI writers… They’re everywhere. From LinkedIn posts to fake product reviews and even entire news articles, AI-generated text is becoming indistinguishable from human writing.

While many tools like ChatGPT or Jasper are used ethically, others are used to spread misinformation, fake reviews, or plagiarized content—often without disclosure.

So how can you tell the difference?

🤖 5 Signs a Text Was Written by AI

1. Too Polished, Yet Too Vague
   AI often writes with perfect grammar but lacks deep insight, nuance, or specific examples.
2. Repetitive Phrasing
   If the same point is made multiple times using slightly different wording, that’s a common AI pattern.
3. Lack of Emotion or Voice
   Most AI tools struggle to mimic genuine human tone, passion, or lived experience—especially in personal or opinion-based pieces.
4. Unusual Transitions or Logic Gaps
   AI-generated content might skip context or assume knowledge the reader doesn’t have.
5. Missing Sources
   A long article that feels well-written but offers no quotes, links, or references? That’s a red flag.

Why It Matters

If you can’t tell what’s real, you can’t trust what you’re reading.

Tools to Detect AI-Written Content

🛠️ While detection tools aren’t foolproof, you can try:

• GPTZero
• AI Text Classifier by OpenAI
• Originality.ai

And of course, keep learning with VerifAI’s resources.

Final Word

AI writing isn’t going away—and it’s not all bad. But in a world where synthetic text can sound human, media literacy is your best defense.

With VerifAI, you don’t just ask “Was this written by AI?”—you learn how to answer it confidently.

👉 Want to learn how to spot fake videos and AI-generated images?
🎯 Take the Deepfake Detection Quiz