Substack has launched a new feature that lets you view your favorite newsletters created using AI.
This week, the newsletter and writing platform announced an integration with AI write detection software Pangram. This will allow users to scan posts, comments, and replies on the Substack app and estimate how much of the content is written by humans and how much by AI.
In the short term, this move may not be good for Substack’s business. This is because many newsletters on the platform that are not entirely written by humans can be published. That could erode trust in the platform’s independent news and blogging ecosystem, and even damage its reputation as a host of high-quality content.
But in the long run, AI detection capabilities could help protect Substack from “AI slop,” leading more users to trust that what they’re reading was written by humans, or at least better understand when it isn’t.
Substack joins several platforms that are leaning toward labeling AI content itself, especially now that AI is playing a bigger role in the creation process. AI-generated photos and videos are labeled on social media sites, and recently music streaming services have started labeling and, in some cases, penalizing AI-generated music.
“This is a great use of AI,” said Substack CEO Chris Best.
“When I was pitching Substack to writers, one of the ways I was doing it was, we do all the heavy lifting,” he explained in an online chat with Pangram founder Max Spero. “You have to have something: an idea worth reading, an idea worth paying attention to, an idea worth sharing. That one thing is very difficult and very valuable.(S)he software should do everything else, but you want people to do the hard parts.”
This feature is available for posts, notes, replies, or comments that are longer than 100 characters in the Substack app. Substack also allows writers to optionally include an AI author’s note, which allows creators to properly disclose their use of AI, the company told TechCrunch.
The company clarified that the tool is not intended to ban or penalize AI-assisted writing, but rather to encourage writers to add a “How I Create This” statement explaining their process.
Publishers can also pangram their drafts before publication and report and remove scans of their work that they believe are errors.
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