You can't reliably detect AI-written code — the detectors aren't trustworthy enough to stand alone

Across 2026 assessments, AI-code detectors score well on untouched AI output but fall apart on edited or paraphrased code, dropping to roughly 20–63% accuracy. The field's own consensus: no detector is reliable enough to be standalone evidence.

What it means Don't hang a pass/fail — or an accusation — on an AI-code detector. Treat its output as a hint to look closer, never as the verdict.