Simple computer tool detects AI-generated science writing

Scientists are already exploring using ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence models in writing research papers, reviews, and grant applications. But how these bots will affect scientific publishing is unknown, says Heather Desaire, a chemist at the University of Kansas. “Is this just augmented spell-check that’s going to make people’s life better, or is this going to destroy scientific publication by adding in a bunch of misinformation?” she asks. That’s why Desaire and her colleagues have developed a simple tool that can help explore the technology’s impact on academic publishing ( Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2023.101426 ). To make it, they compared review articles written by scientists with scientific writing produced by ChatGPT. They found 20 features that hint at human-drafted text, including the presence of more complex ideas and varying punctuation marks. They also found longer paragraphs and more equivocal phrasing, marked by words like “but,” “however,” and