Turnitin introduces AI writing detection capabilities for educators and institutions

07 Apr 2023 01:37pm

picture for illustrative purposes - FILEPIC

KUALA LUMPUR Turnitin, a global leader in academic integrity solutions, has unveiled a brand-new technological feature that enables educators and institutions to examine and assess the validity of the academic work of their individual students, including by spotting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools like ChatGPT.

The AI detector technology activated on Wednesday (April 5), will help educators detect how many sentences in a written submission from their students may have been generated by AI which can be then used to determine if further inquiry or discussions are needed with the students.

Turnitin Chief Executive Officer, Chris Caren said it has been the top priority of educators to detect AI written text with very high certainty to assess the authenticity of their students’ work and determine how to best engage with them.

"It is equally important that detection technology becomes a seamless part of their existing workflow, which we have done by integrating AI detection capabilities into Turnitin solutions,” he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Regional Vice President of Turnitin Asia Pacific, James Thorley said academics, educators, and university administrators in Southeast Asia have been keenly aware of the potential impact of AI tools like ChatGPT in the region.

" Educators in Malaysia recognise the impact AI tools may have on the quality of students' work and the learning experience.

"However, while the community recognises that AI tools can also be a force for good, a heavy dependence on technology can stunt critical thinking and academic integrity which are core values for societal development," explained Thorley.

Turnitin’s AI writing detection capabilities are available within existing products and solutions, including Turnitin Feedback Studio (TFS), TFS with Originality, Turnitin Originality, Turnitin Similarity, Simcheck, Originality Check, and Originality Check+.

To help the education community navigate and manage this new technology in the classroom, Turnitin has published an AI writing resource page.

The publicly available web page is regularly updated with practical resources from the company’s Teaching and Learning team, which consists of former and current educators - BERNAMA