The growing use of artificial intelligence is creating new challenges for writers, with some now changing how they write to avoid being wrongly labelled as AI-generated. According to a recent report, AI detection tools are influencing writing habits as authors fear false accusations of plagiarism and concerns about the originality of their work.
Writers are changing their styles to avoid AI detection
A report examining several. research findin.gs and writers’ experiences highlights how AI detection software is affecting creative writing. One example is author Mia Ballard, whose publisher, Hachette Book Group, reportedly cancelled plans to publish her book Shy Girl after AI detection tool Pangram gave it a 78.3% AI-written score.
Ballard denied using AI to write the book and reportedly said her editor had used AI to refine the manuscript without informing her.
She later self-published a novella titled Poly, which she wrote while staying at a mental health facility following the controversy surrounding Shy Girl. The book also attracted racist comments online.
Despite her claims of writing it herself, Pangram identified the first chapter of Poly as 100% AI-generated. The software also gave her 2024 book Sugar an AI-written score of 83%.
In another novel, American Teen Princess, Ballard reportedly “dialed back a bit with the poetic writing” to make the text sound more human. Pangram subsequently assigned it a 37% score, indicating a mix of human and AI writing.
AI detection is changing everyday writing habits
The influence of AI detection tools extends beyond individual authors. Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that the use of the word “delve” increased in human writing after ChatGPT was released.
Writers are also avoiding em dashes because they are commonly associated with AI-generated text. These expressions and patterns are often described as “AI tells” or signature AI language.
Nigerian author Jerry Falade has reportedly advised writers to avoid such patterns. He also lost a multi-million-dollar book deal after facing allegations of using AI to write his work.
As a result, some writers are avoiding AI completely while also trying not to sound like AI-generated content. Others use AI tools but later edit and humanise the text.
AI detection controversies extend to journalism
Authors are not the only ones facing these challenges. Several publications have reportedly dismissed journalists accused of using AI to write articles. In another instance, an editor at a technology publication added a disclaimer to an article after readers questioned whether it was AI-generated.
While AI-assisted creative writing continues to face criticism, concerns remain over the reliability of detection software. It is still unclear how these tools can be improved to reduce false positives and prevent human-written work from being incorrectly identified as AI-generated.
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