WorkAugust 29, 2026via Financial Times Technology
Did AI write this? It’s getting harder to tell
Why it matters
AI detection tools are becoming unreliable arbiters of authenticity, creating workplace and societal friction (false accusations, stigma, misidentification). This affects how organizations evaluate work, hiring, academic integrity, and credibility — a real friction point as AI writing becomes ubiquitous.
Key signals
- AI detection software produces high false-positive rates
- Stigma of being accused of AI writing is damaging professional credibility
- Societal mistrust in written word growing
- No consensus on what constitutes 'AI-written' text
- Detection tools used in hiring, academic, and professional contexts with uncertain accuracy
- AI detection software producing false positives at scale
- Stigma and reputational risk from being falsely accused of AI use
- Growing institutional skepticism of written word authenticity
- Detection reliability gap as AI writing improves
The hook
False positives in AI detection are eroding trust in the written word — and nobody agrees on what 'AI-written' even means.
Detection software offers quick answers, but the risk of false positives and the stigma of being accused are leading to societal mistrust in the written word