Have you ever copied text from ChatGPT and wondered if there might be any traces left behind? In today's era, where artificial intelligence is integrated into a multitude of areas, many users turn to intelligent chats like ChatGPT to create everything from simple messages to entire academic papers. However, there's one detail that many overlook: AI-generated text can contain invisible characters that cannot be seen with the naked eye and which, if not removed, may reveal the artificial origin of the content.
These hidden characters, known as non-printing Unicode characters or watermarks, They can cause problems both for those who want to deliver a clean text and for those who check whether a document has passed through the hands of an AI.In this article, we'll take a detailed look at what these symbols are, how to detect and remove them, and why, even after deleting them, traces of them remain in AI-generated texts.
Why do hidden characters appear when copying from ChatGPT?
When you copy and paste text from ChatGPT, especially with newer models like o3 and o4-mini, you may be unknowingly copying small invisible code snippets. These are known as non-printable Unicode characters, symbols that are not displayed on screen or printed, but that computers do detect and other tools can use to know that the text comes from an AI.
Where do they come from? The answer is simple: some ChatGPT models, for technical or experimental reasons, have included these for a time. characters in spaces, line breaks, and other gaps in text, like a kind of "watermark"For example, instead of a conventional space, the chatbot can leave a special character that, at first glance, is virtually impossible to distinguish from a normal space.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, acknowledged that the presence of these characters in recent models was a bug, not a feature; however, they haven't clarified whether they plan to remove them completely.
What effects do these invisible symbols have?
The main problem with these characters is that they change the functioning and appearance of the text., even if you don't see them. For example:
- Strange line break: You'll notice that when you paste the text, the lines may break in strange ways.
- Irregular spaces: Some spaces seem too short or too long.
- Formatting errors: When copying and pasting in certain programs, invisible symbols can alter formatting or cause error messages.
- Detection by anti-plagiarism tools or AI detectors: These characters serve as a clue to detect that the text has been through ChatGPT or another AI.
These hidden symbols can play tricks on you if you need to deliver clean work or pass off your text as human.Even more so if it's an important document, such as a college essay, a professional report, or a piece of writing for publication.
How to know if a text has hidden characters
There are several ways to detect if a text you have copied contains invisible or non-printable Unicode charactersHere we detail the simplest and most effective ones:
1. Specialized online tools
The quickest and most convenient option is to go to websites that analyze text for hidden symbols. One of the most popular is View Non-Printable Unicode Characters. You only have to:
- Search for the tool on Google and go to the website.
- Paste the text you copied from ChatGPT into the box.
- Within seconds, you'll see a list of suspicious characters at the bottom, usually identified as "CR" (carriage return), "LF" (line feed), or strange little symbols instead of conventional spaces.
These symbols are essentially like leaving a fingerprint at a crime scene: they can use them to tell that the text is coming from an AI.
2. Advanced text editors
- Microsoft Word:
- Paste your text into a new document.
- press Ctrl + Shift + 8: Normal spaces will be displayed as dots, and hidden characters usually appear as other symbols, such as small circles or special icons.
- Look for spaces or signs other than standard periods.
- Google Docs and other editors: Some allow you to activate invisible symbols. If you notice that certain spaces or jumps are different, that's an AI signature.
- Sublime Text, Notepad++ and similar: You can turn on the display of all characters and see the strange ones instantly.
How to remove invisible characters from text
Once you have detected these characters, it is ideal to clean up the text before submitting or publishing it.There are several methods, both manual and automatic, to leave it perfect:
1. Manual method in word processors
The homemade but effective option is to use the editor that best suits you (for example, Word) and follow these steps:
- Paste the suspicious text into a Word document.
- Make the mark of all special characters visible with Ctrl + Shift + 8.
- Look for the odd symbol (the space that takes up less or more, or a character other than a period).
- Copy it and go to the tool Search and Replace.
- Paste the faulty symbol into the first field and put a normal space in the second field.
- Click "Replace All" to have Word remove all suspicious markup at once.
With this process, you make sure to clean the text of most of the most obvious traces of AI.
2. Online tools for automatic cleaning
There are websites that, in addition to detecting and automatically removing these characters. Simply paste your text, click the corresponding button, and download the cleaned result.
3. Editing in advanced editors
- Sublime Text / Notepad++:
- Open the text and use the search function to locate suspicious characters (you can search by Unicode code).
- Replace with normal spaces or remove extraneous symbols.
Do AI traces disappear when you delete hidden characters?
Removing these invisible symbols can help disguise the origin of AI-generated text., but that doesn't guarantee it won't go unnoticed. Artificial intelligence models, like ChatGPT, leave traces in your writing style: structures, expressions, and styles that are difficult to completely remove.
The most advanced AI detection tools analyze language patterns and word frequency, not just characters. So, removing all invisible symbols doesn't mean a detection system can't identify the text as AI-generated.
Other ways to detect texts generated by ChatGPT
To check whether a text was created by AI, there are several specialized websites and services. Some of the most notable are:
- ChatGPT Detector (GitHub): It's open source and analyzes your text to determine the likelihood that it came from an AI.
- Writers: It allows you to analyze up to 1.500 pasted or URL characters, showing whether the text is "human" or AI-generated.
- OpenAI Text Classifier: Requires registration and analyzes texts longer than 1.000 characters.
- GPTZero: Highlights suspicious sections in yellow in texts of up to 5.000 characters.
These tools help verify whether content was produced by humans or artificial intelligence, useful for academics, teachers, and reviewers.
Recommendations to avoid problems when using ChatGPT texts
- Always check copied text, especially if it is important documents.. Run it through an editor or detection tool before submitting.
- Don't rely solely on removing invisible characters. Also review the tone and style, making adjustments to make it appear more natural.
- Do not overuse repetitive expressions or structures, since they are characteristics of AI.
- If in doubt, use several tools to ensure your text doesn't leave any obvious marks or traces..
Although detecting AI-generated texts is becoming increasingly difficult, identifying hidden characters can be a useful clue for attentive reviewers. Knowing how to locate, interpret, and remove them can prevent problems in academic or professional work. However, remember that artificial intelligence also leaves traces in aspects of style and structure. Personalizing and adjusting content to your writing style ensures greater authenticity and naturalness.
