Substack adds AI detection tool for newsletters

Substack announced this week that it is integrating with Pangram, an AI writing detection software, to give users visibility into how much of newsletter content is AI-generated. The feature is available in Substack's app for any post, note, reply, or comment above 100 characters and provides an estimate of the human-versus-AI split in the text.

The integration comes with an optional disclosure tool: writers can add an AI author's note to explain their use of AI and their creative process. Publishers can also run Pangram on their own drafts before publishing and can remove or report scans they believe are incorrect. Importantly, Substack clarified to TechCrunch that the tool is not designed to prohibit or penalize AI-assisted writing, but rather to encourage creators to be transparent about their methods.

Substack CEO Chris Best endorsed the move, saying "This is good use of AI." He elaborated in an online chat with Pangram founder Max Spero that Substack's pitch to writers has always been: "we'll do everything for you except the hard part." Best explained that writers must provide "an idea that's worth reading, that's worth caring about, that's worth sharing," and that software should handle the rest while the person does the hard creative work. The company acknowledged a near-term risk: the detection feature could expose newsletters relying heavily on AI, potentially damaging trust in the platform's ecosystem of independent news and blogs. However, Substack believes that in the long term, AI-detection features will help rid the platform of low-quality "AI slop" and encourage readers to trust content was written by a person or at least understand when it wasn't. This strategy aligns with moves by other platforms—social media sites now label AI-generated photos and videos, and music streaming services have begun labeling and sometimes penalizing AI-generated music.

Substack's decision to integrate Pangram reflects a broader industry shift toward transparency around AI-generated content. The newsletter platform joins social media sites and music streaming services in labeling AI-created material, signaling that transparency is becoming a competitive feature in platforms built on creator trust. CEO Chris Best's framing—that software should handle everything except the hard part (original ideas)—suggests Substack views the detection tool not as a barrier to AI use, but as a mechanism to separate legitimate AI-assisted writing from low-effort, wholly AI-generated content.

The short-term risk is real: exposing heavy AI use among popular newsletters could shake reader confidence in the platform's quality and independence. However, the company's long-term calculus appears to be that transparency will ultimately strengthen trust. By allowing creators to disclose their process and offering a way for readers to understand what they're consuming, Substack may differentiate itself from competitors by positioning itself as a platform where human creativity—even if AI-assisted—remains the core value proposition.