This is the Line...
A response to Substack and the introduction of their Pangram powered AI Detection on posts and notes.
On July 21, Substack introduced a feature powered by Pangram that provides an AI Detection score. At first it seems benign, and yet I have written about the flaws in these AI detector technologies for some time. I’ve already exercised that set of arguments before in March of 2026. You can find that here:
The Modern Day Witch Hunt against "Perfect" Prose
This piece is the first in a five-article arc on AI, language, and what survives of you in your writing and other works:
When you click on ANY of my articles published since July 21, when this feature applies, you will see the following statement if you click on the AI Detector option:
I have disabled this feature. To Substack and anyone else who cares, your judgment is what I value, not another AI algorithm.
This is the line.
Read my views, which were published in March of 2026, here: https://haverin.substack.com/p/the-modern-day-witch-hunt-against
I am clear about how I use AI in my writing, research, and publishing. Nothing is automated; everything starts and ends with me and my ideas.
The Centaur is always in charge
The option to create this kind of statement is a bit buried in instructions, but you can find how to do it in the full Substack support article for this ‘feature’ (Link at end of this article)
Now, Substack Team have not made this easy. You will see this message on any post.
HOWEVER, to actually switch off AI detection, I have to do it on EVERY post from an option fully at the bottom of the publish page.
That sucks.
There should absolutely be the option to turn this off globally for any content I produce. I can squint and see what they were getting at, but I don't want the burden shifted on me. Give us a global setting to disable the AI checker.
I’m happy you are expanding your partnerships, but this is a feature that nobody writing here really asked for.
You used to be the champion of the authors; now you seem to be pandering to voices from other quarters. I personally would rather you discontinue this capability in its entirety, as I certainly have little faith in Pangram, or for that matter any of the AI detector technologies (all ironically powered by AI!).
In the absence of that ethical spine, at a minimum, enable those of us writing here to globally disable the feature, and get your own survey of exactly what we think of this ‘capability’ you have added.
I love coffee
For my fellow writers: here is the how-to guide for disabling this feature
FULL DISCLOSURE - Gemini gave me this in less than 30 seconds, and it worked perfectly. The full Substack support article is linked below that.
Option 1: Disable AI Detection Scans on Posts & Notes
Substack includes a Pangram-powered AI scanner that readers can run on posts, notes, and comments. If you want to disable this feature so readers see an “AI detection unavailable” notice instead, you can turn it off per post:
For Draft Posts
Open your draft in the post editor and click Continue (or Next on mobile) to reach the Publishing page.
Click Scan for AI text (or the three dots
...and Check for AI on mobile).Once the report generates, click the three dots (
...) inside the analysis box.Select Disable detection.
For Notes & Comments
In the notes editor before publishing (or on an existing note), click/tap the three dots (
...).Select Check for AI.
Click the three dots (
...) on the analysis box and choose Disable detection.
Note: Substack handles AI scanning on a per-post or per-note basis. A global toggle to turn off Pangram scans publication-wide is not currently available.
The full Substack support note is located here:
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/50891130623508-How-can-I-detect-AI-on-Substack
Keep haverin
Stuart Miller
Thank you for sharing this. It added some much-needed stability to my spiraling feelings of injustice and disgust. I am exhausted by the number of AI tools that nobody asked for being forced on unsuspecting demographics more likely to receive harm from them. I hate that I have to disable this for every single post and note, but thank you for showing us how. I truly hope Substack receives enough backlash to consider their next move.
Thank you for sharing this and your very rational perspective.