Definition

Machine-learning systems that classify text or images as human-authored, AI-generated, or mixed/AI-assisted — without relying solely on watermarks or metadata.

Key Points

  • Hard cases: short text, AI-assisted editing, ai-humanizer tools, mixed human-AI passages
  • Accuracy claims are historically brittle across models — treat vendor benchmarks cautiously
  • Used by platforms, journalists, academia, and consumers fighting ai-slop

Detector accuracy claims (e.g. >99%) are vendor/internal; false positives and humanizer evasion remain contested industry-wide.

Sources