This research examines the critical distinction between fully AI-generated text and human writing that has been minimally enhanced by AI tools.

Key findings:

• AI-polished content creates a detection blind spot between fully human and fully AI text
• Current AI detectors risk misclassifying minimally polished text as AI-generated
• False classifications could lead to unwarranted plagiarism accusations and skewed perceptions of AI prevalence

Security implications: As AI writing assistants become mainstream, accurate differentiation between human-authored and AI-generated content is essential for maintaining content authenticity, preventing false accusations, and developing reliable detection systems.

Almost AI, Almost Human: The Challenge of Detecting AI-Polished Writing