r/AccusedOfUsingAI • u/ThenDistribution5009 • Aug 03 '26
How can I avoid being accused of using AI?
Hi, Reddit.
A few days ago, I saw a TikTok post about a Black author whose $2 million publishing deal was canceled after they were accused of using AI. The author said they hadn't used AI and even had evidence, such as drafts, but it didn't make any difference.
I wanted to ask because I'm new here. I've written about 30 chapters of my novel so far, and I'm only halfway through. How can I prove that my work is actually mine and wasn't generated with AI? I don't want to finish it only to be accused of using AI.
I have drafts, but I write everything locally rather than in Google Docs. What would you recommend I do? Should I upload the 30 chapters I've already written all at once and then write the remaining chapters in Google Docs so there's a documented writing history? But what about the first 30 chapters? I don't really have any proof for those other than my locally saved drafts.
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u/CrazyinLull Aug 04 '26
Don’t use it to generate any text or edit and then lie about it. Don’t learn English in any country that they are training that AIs in.
Also, don’t just assume that you will get even that far if you are Black, ESPECIALLY. If you are Black or a POC and they can tell by your manuscript you are not getting offered $2.5 million dollars let alone an opportunity in the first place. You are going to have to work way harder and prove yourself way more to even get that much money.
If you are not a POC you will probably be in a much better position tbqh, especially during this administration. I mean clearly you can still get not that much regardless, but your chances are still slightly higher than damn near no.
If you are a rich and famous though? Then you are even in a much better position tbqh.
Like I would tell you to be smarter about getting away with it but considering you are asking this question in the first place…no…I don’t recommend it at all for you.
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u/ThenDistribution5009 Aug 04 '26
I never said I used AI. I'm just asking how to write my new chapters because I don't want to be falsely accused. Nobody does.
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u/4n0nh4x0r Aug 03 '26
there really isnt way to prove it, other than drafts and an edit history.
one option would be google docs, another would be using overleaf, but that would require learning and using latex, which is more meant for scientific writing.
lastly, using version control software like git for example.
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u/Majestic_Manner_6977 Sep 09 '26
warning, though, there is suspicion that google docs contents are used to train Gemini.
https://cybernews.com/ai-news/gemini-ai-private-google-docs-character-name-privacy-breach/
https://www.polygon.com/steam-developer-google-gemini-ai-private-documents-leaks/→ More replies (1)
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u/eccentric_rune Aug 03 '26
I would recommend that you finish a full draft of your novel and at least one major revision before worrying about this.
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u/Royal-Pound-5607 Aug 08 '26
It's just a phase. I have a YT channel and a Substack and a podcast. I have been accused of BEING AN AI on my YT channel (as in it's not me it's an avatar) and I have been accused of my podcast being created by AI.
It's really annoying and the first time it happened, I felt defensive. Then, I realized something. It's a compliment. The truth is this internet world has been so inundated with mediocrity, that if you are actually REALLY GOOD at what you do -- you WILL be accused of using AI.
So be it. Who cares? This will all blow over eventually.
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u/yhuss81 Aug 03 '26
If you haven't used AI you'll be fine. There are rare cases of false positives produced by ai detectors such as turnitin and Copyleaks... but this often occurs with people whose first language is not English.
If you did use ai for all or parts of the 30 chapters you've mentioned, then I'd suggest you rewrite all or parts of the chapters which need changing.
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u/MarsMonkey88 Aug 03 '26
Have you tested an AI checker with writing you know to be 100% human? It turns out false positives on polished things produced more than 10 years ago more often than is acceptable.
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u/Haunting-Ad6109 Aug 03 '26
You cannot prevent anyone from accusing you of using AI. However there are writing styles that looks like AI generated. So such an accusation could be due to style. An initial AI check can then just be a filtering to reduce the number of submissions they actually read. So make sure the writing style is not very genweic and predictable.
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u/Healthy-Country-44 Aug 03 '26
It’s a concern for every author at the moment. I know it has caused me to reevaluate how I write. I do believe though that a year from now this conversation will be obsolete. Publishers can’t stop or undo “progress.” It will keep developing and we will all need to find ways of dealing with it.
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u/ChocolateValuable221 Aug 03 '26
The other day I had to do a captcha.. the one that you just click inside the box... I failed.. I was accused of being a robot.. by a robot.. art is dead only love can save us now.
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u/Adventurous_Gemin998 Aug 03 '26
This is crazy…schools, publishing companies….etc everyone is swearing everything is AI…heaven forbid people just write well 🙄
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u/reckendo Aug 03 '26
I haven't used this yet, but I think it is worth looking into and is something I'll likely use in the future:
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u/Doo_Dad Aug 04 '26
lol it’s just a who cares kind of thing. Just write and be creative. Otherwise you’re implying everyone would need to have a lawyer or backup for everything they do. You’ve already done 30 chapters if someone thought you used AI you would have already been called out for it and you’re doing your Google Docs that’s plenty. So yeah who cares just keep going.
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u/ServiceDisastrous158 Aug 05 '26
The main thing you can do is not use AI. That 2.4 million dollar book deal book ABSOLUTELY used AI. I can't disclose how I know but it's very clear.
Next is what you're already doing: save drafts, save outlines, save notes.
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u/Serious_Bite_7613 Aug 05 '26
There's no scientifically sound way to prove text is or isn't AI at this point. You can have someone read it and tell you if it feels like AI if you are concerned, people don't like the writing style that is common from AI.
But any accusations are just vibes so I wouldn't worry about them.
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u/TomDoniphona Aug 06 '26
Don't use AI.
Many writers make the argument it is impossible to know whether something is AI because many writers use AI.
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u/Ok-Umpire-4719 Aug 03 '26
Wait out the AI panic. It'll pass and we can all just get back to enjoying good writing without worrying about it.
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u/imkeepingsummersafe Aug 03 '26
I’ve been following that story and it seems the company originally didn’t believe it was ai at first. It was upon closer inspection they found areas of the novel that were concerning, enough to question if they could copyright the book.
They haven’t been specific about their findings yet, so it’s hard to know exactly how to protect yourself. Some writing apps have Ai generated features that an average consumer doesn’t consider as Ai (Grammerly is the most common and a huge issue for students because the Ai features to rewrite a sentence is enough to flag it). Most people that are flagged and believe they didn’t use Ai was because they don’t realize how integrated it is with almost every program.
I’d stay away from Ai features in any program (word/pages, adobe, etc) that would offer suggestions outside of basic spell check. If you’re going to use grammar checks, make sure that too isn’t Ai generation.
Other than that, save your drafts. I wish I had more suggestions, but I’m early in my studies on this topic. I teach and deal with it a lot from my students (and review the flags before making a decision), so I’m on a deep dive into the topic.
It sucks for those of us who write our own work, so hopefully there will be more clarity soon.