How to Detect AI Generated Content in Google Sheets

Large language models (like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity) are without a doubt impressive.

They can whip up blogs, sales emails, and social media posts in seconds… but they do leave behind a footprint.

You’ve probably picked up on this already.

The signs of AI-generated content are subtle, but if you look closely, you can spot them in the LinkedIn posts that sound a bit too clever and the blogs that flow really well but don’t actually say anything at all.

As subtle as they are, once you know the patterns, AI-writing becomes much easier to spot.

But unfortunately, you can’t always rely solely on your gut instinct.

So in this article, we’re unpacking everything you need to know about how to check for AI-generated content on a website using your own brain and helpful AI detection tools.

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Key Takeaways

• You can identify AI-generated content from a mile away… if you know what to look for.

• Manual checks and having a good intuition for AI content are helpful, but not foolproof.

• Automated AI-detection tools (like Undetectable AI) can save you a ton of time when checking AI content, especially when checking in Google Sheets.

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Common Characteristics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Writing

Here are five tell-tale signs of AI writing:

1. Overly Perfect Grammar – AI rarely makes typos, but humans do. If the text feels a bit too perfect, this is a sign that it could have been written by an AI model.
2. Repetitive Phrasing – AI tools often reuse the same odd sentence structures and phrases. This leads to predictable writing patterns that sound a bit mechanical.
3. Vague or Generic Explanations – Instead of offering deep research or specific details, AI writing tends to explain concepts broadly without providing examples.
4. Excessive Use of Connectors – Words like “additionally”, “moreover”, and “in conclusion” tend to show up frequently in AI phrases. Models use these connectors to maintain the flow, but they often overdo it.
5. Lack of Context or Nuance – Human writers can weave in context, personal anecdotes, and golden nuggets of insight, but AI struggles to replicate this level of depth.

How to Detect AI Content In Google Sheets

If you frequently create content in Google Sheets, there are two different ways you can detect AI-generated content.

The first method is to review the content yourself manually.

This involves reading each passage line by line, looking for potential AI patterns, and flagging words and phrases that feel off.

The other option is to use an AI detection tool (like our own Undetectable AI Detector) to flag AI content automatically.

These tools can scan large blocks of text in seconds, highlighting areas that are most likely to be AI-generated.

Neither method is necessarily better than the other. Instead, the best AI content reviewers and editors tend to use both.

This allows them to review large amounts of content efficiently, while still being able to catch the subtle nuances that only a human eye can spot.

Manual Methods to Detect AI Content in Google Sheets

To start verifying AI-generated content manually in Google Sheets, all you need is a sharp eye and an organized spreadsheet.

Pattern Recognition by Human Review

Once you’re familiar with the patterns of AI-generated content, it’s easy to spot it yourself in the written material you’re reviewing.

Manual reviewing takes some effort (especially if you’re reviewing a large amount of text in one go), but Google Sheets makes it easier to organize and flag suspicious AI text.

Here’s a step-by-step approach for flagging and fixing AI content.

How to Detect AI-Generated Content in Academic Writing and Online Content Using Google Sheets
Step 1: Create a Review Column	Start by copying your text samples into one column. Then, add a second column where you can note any suspicious patterns, such as repeated phrases, overly formal tone, and vague statements.
Step 2: Use Filters to check for Repetition	Repeated words and phrases are an obvious giveaway of AI text. Use functions like “COUNTIF” to detect words and phrases that occur multiple times throughout batches of text. For example, if phrases like “in conclusion” or “it’s not just…” keep showing up over and over, that’s a red flag for AI writing.
Step 3: Color-Code for Readability	Patterns can sometimes be easier to spot if they’re color-coded. Use Google Sheets’ conditional formatting to highlight phrases that repeat, look too generic, or feel overly polished. For example, you could automatically color-code any phrase that contains connectors like “moreover” and then edit as needed.
Step 4: Edit	Once you’ve flagged everything that feels like AI, you can then edit the content directly in Google Sheets or flag it for further review.

Limitations of Manual Review

This method works best when you’re dealing with small amounts of text. However, it’s not very practical for longer passages.

It’s also worth mentioning that humans are inherently biased, so words that sound “robotic” to one person may seem fine to another.

Without standardized checks, two reviewers might respond differently to the same passage, leading to inconsistent evaluations, mistakes, and very frustrated writers.

Connecting External AI Detection Tools to Google Sheets

Manual reviews are still essential for the editing process. But if you need to review large amounts of content?

You’ll need some help from an AI detector.

The easiest way to do this directly in Google Sheets (and Google Docs) is by downloading the Undetectable AI Chrome Extension.

This extension allows you to:

• Quickly review rows of text without copying/pasting or leaving your spreadsheet.
• Process large amounts of AI-generated content at once.
• Humanize and edit flagged words and phrases immediately.

As an added bonus, because Undetectable AI runs directly in Google Sheets, you don’t have to give a third-party app access to your data.

This added layer of security makes the Undetectable AI Chrome Extension perfect for teams handling confidential projects and sensitive content.

Competitor Reviews: Limitations of Other Detectors

Undetectable AI is just one of many other AI tools out there that can help you flag AI text.

However, even though these tools claim they can accurately spot AI-generated content, what you might not know is that most detectors struggle to spot AI text consistently.

ZDNet Study on Detection Accuracy

This was actually proven in a ZDNet study that compared popular AI content detectors.

After testing 11 different tools, ZDNet discovered that accuracy rates vary widely across different AI checkers.

Although Undetectable AI was one of five tools with 100% accuracy, other AI detection tools failed to correctly identify AI-written text.

Not only that, but they also frequently incorrectly flagged human-written text as AI.

Why Undetectable AI Outperforms

A lot of the AI content detectors out there are trained using training data that doesn’t necessarily reflect all the different writing styles we see in the real world.

As a result, these tools often misclassify polished human-generated content as AI-generated.

In contrast, the more advanced machine learning models (like Undetectable AI) are trained on more diverse datasets and use more advanced natural language processing.

This helps minimize the risk of false positives, and it’s why some tools are more accurate than others.

However, if you’ve ever actually worked in content development and editing, you’ll already know that accuracy is only half the battle.

This is where Undetectable AI really stands out, as it provides a range of solutions for not only detecting AI content but also fixing it.

Here are just a few different tools you can add to your AI detection toolkit:

• AI Humanizer – for refining AI-written content so it reads more naturally.

• Paraphrasing Tool – for rewriting sections to improve readability and add variety.

• AI Plagiarism Checker – for maintaining professional and academic integrity by avoiding potential plagiarism.

And don’t forget… Undetectable AI’s Chrome Extension makes it easy to integrate these tools directly into your workflow.

Explore our AI Detector and Humanizer effortlessly in the widget below!

AI Content Detection Isn’t Rocket Science… But You Do Need the Right Tools  

AI-generated content isn’t going away anytime soon… But neither is the demand for human-written content.

What is changing, though, is the writing process itself. And if you want to create high-quality content at scale, adding an AI verification step is absolutely essential.

The smartest way to go about this is to use an accurate AI detector (like Undetectable AI) to quickly scan your text and flag potential AI patterns.

Pair it with Undetectable AI’s Humanizer to make your text sound natural and authentic.

Use the Paraphrasing Tool and Plagiarism Checker to refine, rephrase, and keep your work 100% unique.

Then, you can refine your content with insights and magic from your real-life human brain.

With Undetectable AI, you can create content that passes AI checks, stays original, and connects with your readers.