Substack has partnered with AI plagiarism checker Pangram to introduce a new ‘scan for AI text’ feature.
On any Substack post published after 4.30pm on the 21 of July 2026, readers can now select the “scan for AI text” tile from the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the web version and it will give the percentage of AI content in the article.
Substack co-founder and CEO Chris Best said in an article announcing the move that lack of journalistic transparency around AI usage “undermines trust in authorship and threatens the livelihoods of writers.
“The problem is when there is a mismatch between a reader’s expectation and reality, especially when they unwittingly invest their attention in something with no human thought on the other end.”
A fierce debate has been sparked in the comments section of the post.
One Substack writer, Monica Herbet, criticised the new addition, saying: “I use AI. I also bring the stories, memories, opinions, arguments, humor, lived experience, and final judgement. My readers seem perfectly capable of recognising that a real woman is present… The presence of AI does not prove the absence of a human.”
Many others agreed with Herbet.
One user responded: “This is nothing but an imperfect purity test for writers. It discourages writers from using all the tools that are available for them to use.”
A third commenter said this was another “layer of bureaucracy ” and argued Substack should “let people develop their own inner guidance. That is what this next evolution of human is.”
Others supported the move, with one saying: “If people are using AI to entirely produce content, then AI needs to get the credit. Authors have editors and others who read their work, how is this different.”
Another commenter said: “I love Substack, I’m here every day because I enjoy the HUMAN content.”
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