Pangram is an AI startup based in Brooklyn with 24 employees and has raised $13 million to date. The company claims to detect the extent of AI involvement in text generation, providing a percentage estimate. The controversy surrounding its accuracy began in January when speculation arose that author Mia Ballard's self-published novel, Shy Girl, was AI-generated. Pangram's CEO stated that the book was 78 percent AI-generated, leading to Hachette canceling its release.
Pangram has since been involved in several similar controversies, including accusations against The New York Times for running an AI-generated installment of its Modern Love column, which received a 100 percent Pangram score. Other works, such as the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner and the novel Daggermouth, also received high AI detection scores. In July, Substack announced its integration with Pangram to help readers identify potential AI use in content.
Some authors express concern about the implications of AI detection software. Jane Friedman, an author and publishing expert, noted a growing distaste for such tools, suggesting they may be viewed as equally problematic as AI itself. Pangram's cofounder and CEO, Max Spero, discussed the company's hiring practices and the technology behind its AI detection methods, including synthetic mirroring and hard negative mining.
Spero acknowledged the controversy surrounding Pangram's involvement in the Shy Girl incident, clarifying that his access to the manuscript came from a pirating website. Despite the backlash, he emphasized that Pangram's scores are only one part of the decision-making process in publishing.
The integration with Substack has raised concerns among authors about the potential impact on their careers. A poll by Gotham Ghostwriters found that 61 percent of writers use AI tools, with 7 percent having published AI-generated text. Some publishers, including Penguin Random House, confirmed they may use AI detection tools as part of their editorial process, but these tools are not the sole factor in decision-making.
Critics of Pangram highlight issues such as false positives and potential bias in AI detection. Studies have shown that non-native English speakers and neurodiverse writers may be disproportionately flagged as AI-generated. Spero has offered cash rewards to writers who can prove their work was wrongfully flagged, but no one has accepted the offer so far.