Pangram CEO on AI Detection: Beyond Simple Real or Fake
Original: Pangram’s Max Spero on why AI detection is harder than ‘Real or Fake’
Why This Matters
AI content detection is becoming critical infrastructure as AI-generated content spreads across professional and consumer platforms.
Pangram co-founder and CEO Max Spero appeared on TechCrunch's Equity podcast to discuss the complexity of AI content detection. The startup recently raised $9 million and partnered with Substack to flag AI-written newsletters, while also launching a new AI image detection tool.
Pangram, an AI content detection startup, has raised $9 million in funding and secured a partnership with Substack, which now uses Pangram's technology to inform readers whether newsletter authors use AI to write their content. The company also recently released a new AI image detection tool.
In a 24-minute appearance on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Pangram co-founder and CEO Max Spero discussed the growing challenge of distinguishing AI-generated content from human-created content. Spero addressed where the line should be drawn between AI-assisted and fully AI-generated content — a distinction that matters as AI text and images increasingly appear in job applications, product reviews, and insurance claims.
Spero framed AI detection as a trust infrastructure challenge for the broader internet, not simply a binary classification problem. Pangram positions itself as part of a wave of startups aiming to serve as a 'trust layer' for platforms and users navigating AI-generated content at scale.