How to Tell if Something Was Written by ChatGPT
The short answer: You can often tell if something was written by ChatGPT by looking for patterns like overly polished grammar, repetitive sentence structures, lack of personal experience, balanced yet generic tone, and accurate but slightly “surface-level” information. Tools like AI content detectors, manual linguistic analysis, and metadata checks can also help confirm AI authorship.
Below, we’ll explore every method in detail so you can reliably detect AI‑generated content.
Key Signs Something Was Written by ChatGPT
If you suspect a text is AI-generated, here are the most common indicators:
- Similar openings – often starting with phrases like ‘In today’s digital era,’ or ‘In Today’s Fast-Paced World…,’ and so on. This seems to be ChatGPT’s favorite way to start a blog — whenever I see this opening, there’s about an 80% chance it was AI-generated. Generally, humans wouldn’t start an article this way.
- Similar subheadings – AI-generated articles tend to follow basic patterns, often using sequential questions in subheadings such as “Why…,” “How to…,” or “Benefits of…”
- The Over-Polite, Over-Explained Tone - AI text often feels overly formal, like a polite servant speaking to you. Such as “It is important to note that…” “Moreover, it is crucial to recognize…”
- Always perfect grammar and spelling – Very few or no mistakes, even in long text.
- Repeating phrases – Uses the same sentence style or link words again and again (e.g., “In conclusion,” “Overall,” “Additionally”).
- Lack of real cases – Gives broad cases instead of detailed, real-life stories. When giving examples, AI rarely provides specific times, places, people, or numbers.
- Same reading level all through – Does not change tone, word difficulty, or style much.
- Correct but not deep – Facts are right, but missing rich detail or personal experience.
I’ve read a large number of AI-generated blogs, and now I can usually recognize them at a glance.
How to Detect ChatGPT Content Using AI Detection Tools
AI detection tools are designed to flag text likely produced by ChatGPT or similar models. Popular options include:
- Global GPT AI Detector – spots AI-generated text, audio, images, and video to ensure authenticity and prevent misinformation.
- Originality.AI – Designed for content publishers to scan for AI writing and plagiarism.
- ZeroGPT – Widely used for educational purposes to assess student submissions.
- Copyleaks AI Detector – Offers both a free and API‑integrated version for large-scale use.
Pro Tip: AI detectors work best on longer passages (150+ words) and are more reliable when combined with human review.
Manual Techniques for Spotting ChatGPT Writing
Even without special tools, you can recognize AI text by:
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- Checking for “AI signatures” – Overuse of linking words like moreover, furthermore, in addition.
- Looking for missing context – AI often fails to reference hyper-specific local or niche details.
- Testing adaptability – Asking the writer to elaborate in real time; AI won’t have stored personal memories or direct past experiences.
- Spotting formatting patterns – Lists, numbered points, and symmetrical paragraph lengths are common with AI.
Check Metadata to See if ChatGPT Was Used
Digital forensics can help determine if ChatGPT authored a text:
- File metadata – In some cases, documents exported directly from ChatGPT may retain creation traces.
- Platform logs – If writing was done in a shared workspace (Google Docs, CMS), version history can reveal paste events from external sources.
Differences Between Human and ChatGPT Writing
| Feature | Human Writing | ChatGPT Writing |
| Grammar & Spelling | Small mistakes | Almost flawless |
| Creativity | Highly variable | Consistently “safe” |
| Tone | May fluctuate | Stable and balanced |
| Depth & Specificity | Personal stories | Generalized details |
| Style Consistency | Can be uneven | Uniform throughout |
Limitations of Detecting ChatGPT Content
It’s important to note:
- AI models are improving rapidly — detection accuracy is never 100%.
- Skilled users can edit AI output to mimic natural human style.
- Some detection tools yield false positives (flagging genuine human writing as AI) or false negatives.
Best Practices if You Need to Confirm ChatGPT Authorship
If you must verify whether text came from ChatGPT:
- Run it through at least two AI detectors.
- Look for stylistic patterns alongside factual structure.
- Ask the author for a draft history or writing samples.
- Consider hybrid detection methods — tools + human analysis.