Is Google recognizing AI-written content in blog posts
Let’s take a moment to all the question we’re wondering as content creation - can Google actually detect if a post was written by an AI. Spoiler alert – it’s a bit more complicated than some SEO experts want to admit.
What We Know So Far
Google has been pretty intentionally quiet about whether it can detect AI. It’s said in the past it’ll focus on the quality of content more than where it was created. But, based on SERP behavior, it seems to be doing something different.
After the core update in December 2025, we’ve seen sites relying on mass-produced AI content dramatically cut out of search results. Organic traffic at some companies dropped 80% or more in one day. But was this because Google detected the content was AI, or simply the quality level of what the content provided?
Detection vs Quality Signals
It’s important to differentiate here. Is Google:
- AI content is being actively detected and penalized
- AI content is being detected and only the worst content is being penalized
- AI content isn’t detected, but it’s just not good enough quality to meet standards.
If any of these cases are true, you’d respond to each of them in a very different way. And as of now, we don’t really know which is true.
The Evidence
Some studies have tried to address this question. For instance, an Ahrefs analysis of 600,000 pages detected nearly no correlation between Google rankings and sites that used AI. However, this was measuring correlation between AI-content and high-ranking content – not causation through test pages.
What we really need is test sites with equal content across new domains, then to watch what happens. Thankfully, that’s what we are doing here at RankNotes.
What This Means for You
Until we know which is true, it may be best to use AI tools as a tool for drafting instead of a tool for publishing. Heavily edit it, add your expertise, and make it your own content.
In fact, the sites that did well during the December update didn’t lack with AI all together. They added their own expertise, edited AI content, and used it in smart, thoughtful ways.