Tian never intended to pivot from journalism to software development. While completing his computer science degree at Princeton, he spent his time working on open-source investigations for the BBC and Bellingcat, with a fellowship at The New York Times waiting for him post-graduation. That trajectory shifted during a winter break in 2023 when he and his childhood friend, Alex, built an AI detection tool in response to the arrival of ChatGPT.
The project moved from a side experiment to a venture-backed startup after a viral launch. By leveraging a waitlist to generate artificial scarcity, the duo secured $3.5 million in funding, allowing Tian to build the business while finishing his degree. In 2025, the team sold GPTZero to Superhuman, where Tian now serves as a director of product. Despite this successful exit, his perspective on the technology he helped police has darkened.
He now observes a growing reliance on AI-generated writing among recent graduates, a trend he finds personally distressing. Tian argues that the ability to write and edit is becoming a critical differentiator, noting that if he were to return to college today, he would prioritize a humanities degree over pure computer science. As he integrates his work into the broader platform at Superhuman, his mission has shifted from simple detection to advocating for responsible usage, driven by a concern that the internet is losing its capacity for genuine human connection.
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