# AI detectors are creating a new era of distrust > Source: > Published: 2026-08-09 12:00:00+00:00 # AI detectors are creating a new era of distrust By Emma RothSource: [The Verge AI](https://www.theverge.com)*This is *[The Stepback](https://www.theverge.com/the-stepback-newsletter)*, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more news about how AI is changing our daily lives, follow **Emma Roth**. *The Stepback* arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for *The Stepback* **here**.* ## How it started Long before [ChatGPT](/compare/chatgpt-vs-claude) became a thing, educators and editors frequently used anti-plagiarism tools to see if writers were being honest about their work. These tools work by comparing a written work against a database filled with content from across the web, scholarly articles, and more to check for matching sentences and phrases. Some, like Turnitin, offer a percentage th … Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.