You can quickly discover if a piece of text has been written by AI using the tool known as ChatGPT Zero (usually known as GPTZero). All you need to do is copy and paste the text into ChatGPT Zero and get your result. Although the tool is easy to use, it can be a bit tricky to understand. This guide will take you through each step and show you the most common mistakes beginner’s make.
The Editor’s Dilemma
Mark, a high level editor for a tech magazine had received an article from a new promising freelancer named Sarah. Whilst the article was amazing there were some parts that seemed a little robotic. He decided to use ChatGPT Zero to double check. This returned a ‘Mixed’ result and highlighted certain paragraphs.
Mark was immediately going to reject the article but then reminded himself that the AI detectors are just tools. He decided to give Sarah a quick call. She explained that she had written the whole article but had used an AI to come up with a list of complex technical terms to use within those paragraphs. This had accidentally made her writing seem robotic. Mark was relieved and helped her rephrase those parts. He learnt a valuable lesson that the results from the AI detector must be interpreted by a human. Below we will go through how to correctly use this tool.
Step One: Open the Detector
Head to the GPTZero site and sign up for a free account using your email. This will allow you to scan a limited amount of texts. Once you have logged in you will be taken to the main page with the AI detector. There is nothing to download. It will work on your browser. You can use it on your computer or phone however it will be easier to use on your computer if you are scanning a long document.
Step Two: Copy and Paste
Copy the text you wish to scan and paste it into the box. If you have the option to upload your document then do so. The more text you have the better the result will be. A whole page of text will produce a much better result than a couple of sentences.
Step Three: Understand Your Results
Once you have scanned your text you will get a result. This will tell you if it was written by a human, mixed or AI. It will also highlight any sentences it believes were written by AI. Start by looking at the highlighted sentences. The percentage given is just an estimate. If you receive a mixed result this means some parts look like they were written by a human and some by an AI. You should look further into this.
Step Four: Mixed Result
Don’t assume a mixed result means it is mixed. Look at the highlighted parts. Are these your own words? Are the ideas your own? Can you talk about them without looking at the text? If you are a teacher you should talk to the student and look at previous drafts. If you are a student then use this as a warning to rephrase the highlighted parts.
Common Mistakes:
- The most common mistake people make is scanning a short piece of text. A couple of sentences won’t give you a fair result.
- Another mistake is scanning one sentence at a time. You shouldn’t trust the low scores.
- Finally many people will share a screenshot of the percentage.
FAQ
How much text do I need?
A whole page of text will produce a much better result than a couple of sentences.
Can I scan a PDF?
Usually you will be able to upload your document. However this can vary. Check the site to see what you can upload.