As AI content floods the internet, Pangram raises $9M to detect it

4:00 AM PDT · July 29, 2026

New York-based AI detection startup Pangram is on a mission to combat the AI slop infestation spreading across the internet, and it just raised $9 million on a bet that demand for tools that distinguish human-generated content from AI-generated text will only grow.

Pangram’s fundraise — led by Menlo Ventures, with participation from Haystack, ScOp, Script Capital, and Cadenza — comes as the startup also launches its next-generation AI text detection model, Pangram 4, and an AI image detection model, Pangram Image.

Pangram says the new text detection model is over 99% accurate at finding AI-assisted writing and mixed human-AI content, plus it can more easily detect AI humanizer programs. The AI image detector is only available via research preview for now; Pangram plans to release it more widely in the coming weeks.

Stanford AI and machine learning grads Max Spero and Bradley Emi launched Pangram about two years ago, after the launch of ChatGPT opened the floodgates for an internet full of bots, AI-generated SEO slop content, and what Spero calls “LLM-powered Russian disinformation campaigns and UAE-influenced campaigns on Twitter.”

Pangram’s AI detection system is essentially a large machine learning model that was trained on tens of millions of known human documents. The startup then created a “synthetic mirror” for each document, replicating the topic, length, and tone of voice, but written by a frontier LLM. The model learns stylistic differences rather than relying on copy-paste metadata or hidden watermarks.

For Pangram, AI detection isn’t just about whether text was written entirely by AI — it also distinguishes levels of AI assistance. Competitors include Winston AI, Originality.ai, Copyleaks, and GPTZero.

Users can access Pangram via a $20-per-month subscription on the web or a Chrome extension that labels posts in real time on X, LinkedIn, Substack, Reddit, and Medium. Substack recently integrated Pangram to show readers which authors use AI. Other API customers include Quora, schools and universities, publishers, agents, and recruiters.

Spero said roughly one in 10,000 human documents are incorrectly labeled as AI. TechCrunch’s limited testing found the text model impressive but not perfect, and the image detector could spot AI imagery including AI images appearing inside real-world photos.