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(InvestigateTV) — It’s getting harder for people to be able to tell the difference between reality and artificial intelligence (AI) – and AI content detection tools aren’t always what they promise to be. “AI content detectors are useful products and necessary – if they work,” said Ben Halpern-Meekin, an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). As AI becomes part of daily life, the FTC is pushing companies to be truthful about their claims. “These are emerging technologies. They are amazing. They are very powerful, but they are emerging!” said Halpern-Meekin. The Commission recently finalized an order against Workado, LLC. – maker of an ai ‘content detector’ tool available on the website Content at Scale, which is now known as Brandwell. The FTC said the company claimed it was built on a wide range of material, but the Commission said was it actually trained only on academic writing – making its advertised detection abilities misleading. “It claimed to have an AI content detector that was capable of correctly classifying content as human created or AI generated with 98 percent accuracy,” Halpern-Meekin said. “Unfortunately, that claim was false!” He said misleading statements like this hurt both the marketplace and consumers. “The FTC Act prohibits unfair and deceptive acts and practices in commerce. If doesn’t have that evidence, it’s breaking the law!” he stressed. “And if the evidence shows that in fact, their claim is not unsupported, it may also be false. Which also breaks the law.” Under the order, Workado can no longer make claims about any AI detection product unless they are not misleading and supported by reliable evidence. The company is also required to keep data to back up any future claims, notify eligible customers about the FTC order by email, and file compliance reports with the Commission one year after the order and annually for the next three years. The InvestigateTV team tried several times to reach out to Workado and Brandwell for comment but did not receive a response. Halpern-Meekin urged potential AI detector users to be wary of companies promising “the moon and the stars.” He said any strong detection claims should be met with caution. The emergence of new technology often makes it tricky to find the balance between functionality and wishful thinking. “Well, I do want businesses to know that the Commission is strongly supportive of entrepreneurs and innovators, and the Commission strongly believes in robust competition among, say, small businesses or a large business with a new innovation,” Halpern-Meekin explained. “But when those businesses begin advertising to the public and making claims and representations about their products, they need to have competent and reliable evidence to back up those claims!” The FTC said this case is part of a broader effort to police claims about AI products as they proliferate on the market. They urge consumers to think twice before handing over money or personal information – and to report suspicious claims to the FTC or the Better Business Bureau. Submit story tips to our Investigators Share errors or concerns with our Digital Editors Watch full episodes of InvestigateTV+ Subscribe to the InvestigateTV YouTube Channel
