Superhuman is acquiring GPTZero, an AI detection startup founded by Edward Tian, to bolster its authenticity tools amid the rise of AI-generated content.
Superhuman, a productivity company, is set to acquire GPTZero, an AI detection startup co-founded by Edward Tian and Alex Cui in 2023. This acquisition comes as AI-generated content becomes increasingly prevalent across the internet.
Edward Tian, who launched GPTZero while he was a senior at Princeton University, noted that the startup gained significant attention following its launch. GPTZero has since expanded its offerings to include tools designed to identify AI-generated content and hallucinations in social media feeds.
While the financial specifics of the acquisition were not disclosed, GPTZero has an estimated valuation exceeding $88 million, as reported by PitchBook. The startup has attracted investment from notable firms including Uncork Capital, Neo, Footwork, and Jack Altman.
Since its inception three years ago, GPTZero has experienced rapid growth, boasting over 19 million registered users and achieving an annual recurring revenue of $30 million, according to Tian.
As part of the acquisition agreement, both Tian and Cui will transition to Superhuman, where they will lead a team dedicated to enhancing authenticity tools. Additionally, the 30 employees from GPTZero will also join the Superhuman workforce, as stated by Superhuman CEO Shishir Mehrotra.
Mehrotra emphasized the importance of the team in acquisitions, stating, 'When you're buying a business like this, the people come first,' referring to GPTZero's founders.
Previously known as Grammarly, Superhuman rebranded itself after acquiring the email app Superhuman, which is popular among Silicon Valley professionals and venture capitalists. The company now provides various productivity tools, and the acquisition of GPTZero aims to strengthen its existing authenticity offerings, which include the Grammarly AI detector and an Authorship product that assists writers in verifying their work.
GPTZero will soon be integrated into Superhuman Go, an AI assistant that functions across multiple websites and applications, while also continuing to operate independently as a standalone product.
Mehrotra highlighted the critical nature of differentiating between human and AI-generated content, particularly in educational settings. He noted that demand for such tools is also rising in professional sectors like consulting, recruiting, and journalism. Education represents approximately one-third of Superhuman's flagship writing assistant Grammarly's annual revenue, which totals over $700 million, with the remainder coming from professional users.
Tian expressed the original mission of GPTZero, saying, 'GPTZero started with the mission of preserving what's human. Now we need to preserve critical thinking.'
The acquisition of GPTZero marks the fourth significant purchase by Superhuman, according to Mehrotra. The company has previously acquired the productivity assistant Coda, the email app Superhuman, and the AI spreadsheet tool Rows.
Mehrotra's approach to acquisitions has been influenced by his experience at Google, where the company expanded its offerings from a single product to a comprehensive suite. He views Superhuman's 40 million daily users as a 'trampoline' that can help newly acquired companies scale more effectively.
