Step-by-Step Guide: How To Check If Code Was Written By AI

Follow our detailed instructions to determine whether code samples were written by a human developer or generated by an AI like ChatGPT or other language models.

AI Code Detection Guide

Step 1: Examine Code Formatting and Structure

What to Look For:

  • Unnaturally consistent formatting throughout the code
  • Perfect indentation and spacing
  • Standardized approach to bracket placement
  • Consistent line length and breaking patterns
  • Identical formatting in different code sections

Pro Tip: Human code typically shows variations in formatting style, especially in larger projects or when code has evolved over time.

Code Formatting Analysis

Step 2: Analyze Comments and Documentation

Code Comments Analysis

What to Look For:

  • Overly detailed explanations for simple operations
  • Textbook-like description of algorithms
  • Documentation that reads like formal technical writing
  • Comments explaining even the most basic code constructs
  • Absence of conversational notes or TODOs

Pro Tip: Human developers typically add comments that focus on "why" rather than "what" the code is doing, and often include personal notes or references.

Step 3: Check Naming Conventions

What to Look For:

  • Extremely descriptive and consistent variable names
  • Function names that precisely describe functionality
  • Lack of abbreviated or shorthand names
  • Consistent naming patterns across the entire codebase
  • Absence of quirky or creative naming choices

Pro Tip: Human developers often develop personal naming conventions and shortcuts, and their naming style evolves over time and across different parts of the code.

Naming Conventions Analysis

Step 4: Use an Automated Detection Tool

Automated Detection Tool

Why Use a Tool:

  • Detects subtle patterns that humans might miss
  • Provides objective analysis with confidence scores
  • Can analyze large codebases efficiently
  • Uses machine learning trained on thousands of examples
  • Identifies model-specific patterns from different AI systems

Pro Tip: For the most accurate results, use a specialized tool like our AI Code Detector that can analyze multiple aspects of the code simultaneously.

Try Our Detection Tool

Additional Detection Tips

Check Error Handling

AI tends to implement comprehensive error handling for every possible scenario, whereas humans often focus on the most likely error cases.

Look for Code Creativity

Human developers often use creative or unconventional approaches to solve problems, while AI typically generates standardized solutions.

Analyze Import Patterns

AI may import unnecessary libraries or use more general-purpose functions, while humans tend to be more selective in their imports.

Check for Personality

Human code often contains traces of personality, such as humor in comments or personal preferences in coding style.

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