Plagiarism: How Can I Tell If A Student Has Used AI in Their Work?

With the rise of AI tools capable of generating essays, solving problems, and even creating code, educators face new challenges in ensuring academic integrity. Detecting whether students have used AI tools to complete assignments requires a combination of technological awareness, teaching strategies, and careful evaluation.

Below are some practical steps for educators to identify AI-generated work.


One of the most effective ways to detect AI use is to understand each student's unique writing style and academic capabilities. These benchmarks make it easier to spot discrepancies in tone, structure, or complexity.


Design activities that are more challenging for AI tools to complete effectively. For example, prompt students to draw on personal experiences, reflect on specific class discussions, or incorporate unique insights that cannot be easily found online. AI tools are less adept at responding to hyper-localized or personalized tasks.


AI-generated text often displays certain characteristics that can raise red flags. Here are the big ones:


Fostering an open dialogue about AI tools and their ethical implications is critical. Creating a culture of transparency and trust can reduce the temptation to misuse these tools.


Platforms like GPTZero analyze submissions for patterns typical of AI writing. While these tools are not foolproof (and can give false positives), they provide a helpful first step in evaluating suspicious work.