The startup selling proof that a human wrote your manuscript

Unpublished author Dylan Reed created a service that cryptographically seals manuscript drafts as evidence that a human wrote them. Vellumproof stamps each version with the time, then cryptographically links it to its predecessor. If you slip a draft in later or alter its date, it will break the chain of hashes.

An uploaded snapshot is only "deterrence-grade," Reed says; "a patient cheater who drip-feeds AI text in believable daily chunks can still mimic a real writer's cadence." Text written inside Vellumproof's editor is recorded as it is typed, which the site rates as stronger evidence. 

Reed's public proof page for his novel Understudy includes 11 sealed versions. "I am terrified that someone is going to think that my normal writing tics are AI and ruin all dreams I have of getting published," Reed writes.

Previously:
• Unpublished novel's $2.4m deal pulled over AI concerns
• AI writing witch hunts hurt autistic writers most
• Students fight false accusations from AI-detection snake oil