AI Writing Detection Reference

Expert-level knowledge base for detecting AI-generated text, compiled from academic research, commercial detection tools, and empirical analysis.

Quick Reference: High-Confidence Signals

These indicators strongly suggest AI authorship when found together:

Vocabulary Red Flags

High-signal words (50-700x more common in AI text):

• "delve", "tapestry", "nuanced", "multifaceted", "underscore"
• "intricate interplay", "played a crucial role", "complex and multifaceted"
• "paramount", "pivotal", "meticulous", "holistic", "robust"
• "stands/serves as", "marking a pivotal moment", "underscores its importance"

Overused phrases:

• "It's important to note that..."
• "In today's fast-paced world..."
• "At its core..."
• "Without further ado..."
• "Let me explain..."

See reference/vocabulary-patterns.md for complete lists.

Structural Red Flags

• Uniform sentence lengths: 12-18 words consistently (low burstiness)
• Tricolon structures: "research, collaboration, and problem-solving"
• Em dash overuse: AI uses em dashes in a formulaic way to mimic "punched up" sales writing, especially in parallelisms ("it's not X, it's Y"); swapping punctuation doesn't fix the underlying emphasis pattern
• Perfect paragraph uniformity: All paragraphs same approximate length
• Template conclusions: "In summary...", "In conclusion..."
• Negative parallelisms: "It's not about X; it's about Y"
• Elegant variation: Cycling through synonyms to avoid repetition
• False ranges: "From X to Y" with incoherent endpoints

See reference/structural-patterns.md for details.