OpenAI has removed its AI classifier, a tool ” trained to distinguish between AI-written and human-written text.”

One of the biggest challenges with AI is detecting when it is being used. OpenAI announced the availability of its classifier at the end of January, but the company has now removed it, citing accuracy issues:

As of July 20, 2023, the AI classifier is no longer available due to its low rate of accuracy. We are working to incorporate feedback and are currently researching more effective provenance techniques for text, and have made a commitment to develop and deploy mechanisms that enable users to understand if audio or visual content is AI-generated.

OpenAI did not make an announcement regarding the tools’ removal, instead updating the original post with the notice.

The admission that OpenAI’s classifier could not reliably detect AI-written content is concerning, especially coming from the company that has some of the most advanced AI on the market. If OpenAI’s own tools can’t reliably detect AI-written content, it raises serious questions about what hope anyone else has of detecting such content.