Choose the right operation
Lossless scanning and AI rewriting solve different problems.
If the problem is a literal invisible character, rewriting the entire passage is unnecessary. Inspect the evidence first, remove only supported artifacts, and preserve the readable message.
| Question | Lossless scanner | Generative rewrite |
|---|---|---|
| Primary action | Reports and removes supported literal artifacts | Generates different wording |
| Readable wording | Preserved | May change |
| Evidence | Exact code point, count, and location | Usually transformation output |
| Reproducibility | Deterministic for the same input | Can vary by model and settings |
| Statistical watermark guarantee | No | No universal guarantee |
| Best fit | Copy hygiene, Unicode inspection, audit trails | Intentional editing and style changes |
Use lossless scanning when
- You need exact character-level evidence
- The readable words should remain unchanged
- You need a repeatable audit result
- You are checking copied text for formatting artifacts
Use rewriting when
- You intentionally want different wording
- You can review every semantic change
- Style editing is the actual goal
- Exact textual preservation is not required
Important limitation
Neither hidden-character cleaning nor generic rewriting proves that a provider-level statistical watermark was detected or removed. That requires a supported provider-specific verifier and an honest inconclusive state when verification is unavailable.