busracavus/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET's key takeaways
Using an AI to do your writing is plagiarism.
Services marketed as AI content detectors are a mixed bag.
Our tests show chatbots perform as well as or better than standalone tools.
How hard is it in 2025 -- just three years after generative AI captured the global spotlight -- to fight back against AI-generated plagiarism?
This is a completely updated version of my January 2023 article on AI content detectors. When I first tested these detectors, the best result was 66% correct from one of three available checkers. My next set of tests, in February 2025, used up to 10 checkers -- and three of them had perfect scores. In April, just a couple of months later, five detectors boasted perfect scores.
Also: The best AI chatbots: I tested ChatGPT, Copilot, and others to find the top tools now
But now, about half a year later, the quality has declined. Only three content detectors achieved a perfect score (including one new player). A couple of the content detectors that aced our tested declined in quality, at just about the same time that they also added restrictions on free use.
... continue reading