Pangram’s Max Spero on why AI detection is harder than ‘Real or Fake’

Pangram co-founder and CEO Max Spero discussed the challenges of AI detection on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, noting that distinguishing AI-generated content is harder than a simple 'Real or Fake' test. Pangram, which recently raised $9 million and partnered with Substack to identify AI-written newsletters, also launched a new AI image detection tool.

The internet has a trust problem, and it’s not just because social media feeds are filling up with AI slop. AI-generated text and images are now making their way into job applications, product reviews, and even insurance claims, leaving platforms and users alike scrambling to figure out what’s real. A handful of startups have cropped up in the past couple of years to become the “trust layer” the internet needs — including Pangram. The startup recently snapped up $9 million https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/29/as-ai-content-floods-the-internet-pangram-raises-9m-to-detect-it/ for its AI detection system and landed a partnership with Substack https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/22/substacks-new-tool-tells-you-whos-been-writing-their-newsletters-with-ai/ , which is now using Pangram’s tech to show readers which of their favorite authors use AI to write their newsletters. Pangram also recently dropped a new AI image detection tool. Watch as Pangram co-founder and CEO Max Spero joins TechCrunch’s Equity https://techcrunch.com/podcasts/equity/ podcast to dig into the promise of AI detection tools and where to draw the line between AI assisted and AI generated. Subscribe to Equity on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TechCrunch , Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1215439780 , Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1215439780/equity , Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5IEYLip3eDppcOmy5DmphC?si=rZDFHv2sQUul g94iCRgpQ and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X https://twitter.com/EquityPod and Threads https://www.threads.net/@equitypod , at @EquityPod.