Substack deploys AI detection tool to flag generated content
The newsletter platform Substack has integrated AI-detection software to label machine-generated text, a move that risks short-term reputational damage but aims to protect the long-term commercial value of human-authored content.
Substack has introduced a tool that allows readers to scan posts, comments, and replies to determine how much of the text was generated by artificial intelligence. The feature relies on an integration with Pangram, an AI writing detection software, and is available in the Substack app for any text exceeding 100 characters.
The company stressed that the technology is not designed to ban or penalize writers who use AI. Instead, Substack wants to encourage authors to include an optional AI author's note to disclose their creative process. Publishers can also test their own drafts using Pangram and flag scans they believe are inaccurate.
Embracing this transparency carries immediate commercial risks for the platform. Exposing the extent of AI usage across its network of independent newsletters could damage Substack's reputation for hosting premium content and erode reader trust in the short term.
In the long term, however, establishing a clear baseline of authenticity could protect the platform's economic model and keep it free of "AI slop." The subscription newsletter industry relies entirely on readers paying directly for specific expertise and distinct human perspectives. If audiences cannot distinguish between a human analyst and a machine, the fundamental business case for paid newsletters collapses.
Substack is now joining a broader market shift among digital media companies attempting to manage the influx of generative AI. Social media networks already label AI-generated photos and videos, while music streaming services have recently begun flagging and, in certain cases, penalizing AI-produced tracks.
Substack co-founder Chris Best framed the tool as a way to preserve the core value of the platform's writers. “This is good use of AI,” Best said during an online chat with Pangram founder Max Spero. “When I used to pitch Substack to writers, one way I would do it is … we’ll do everything for you except the hard part. You have to have something — an idea that’s worth reading, that’s worth caring about, that’s worth sharing. That one thing is very hard and very valuable … [S]oftware should do everything else, but I think you do want the person to do the hard part.”
