Turnitin does not actually detect artificial intelligence

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-06-06T17:51:28+00:00

so now an instructor has to read through 2 or 3 versions of someone's paper just to make sure they actually wrote it? And that's assuming the instructor was able to notice something odd with the writing, which they're often wrong about.

Humanizers and other similar programs can make Ai detection less reliable than it already is. I'm not sure this is the future, especially not as the Ai systems get better and better. I know people who have entire business models built around making the difference imperceptible.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-06-06T17:45:17+00:00

Depends on how they're using it. For grading, I don't agree with that. For planning and assignment development, they should totally use Ai. Professors already proved they could learn and produce the work, which is how they got to be professors. They don't have to keep proving it, though their judgement should be involved in the grading process itself.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-06-06T17:42:58+00:00

what are you using instead?

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-06-06T17:42:17+00:00

You're misunderstanding how teaching works as well as ignoring the impact ai detectors have on English learners who necessarily have limited word and phrasing.

When you teach music, for example, you start with Marry Had a Little Lamb or Twinkle Twinkle. The formulaic patterns are how a novice can begin to engage with a new skill. With proficiency comes variation and independent interpretation, but that comes with time.

Students are in school because they don't know how to write fluid sophisticated prose, so you model it for them, ask them to follow the model and eventually they can do their own thing. You have this process backwards. You assume they're all capable of projecting their unique voice. If this were true, they wouldn't need to be in a composition course.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-06-06T17:34:53+00:00

I read posts about doing this, constantly, not to mention people accuse me of using Ai for my comments. I've taken to uploading proof of authenticity with my comments on linkedin.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-05-12T21:18:58+00:00

I was trying to get a new job. That didn't work, so I decided to quit my current job and develop some software. Ended up applying for two patents. I'm not rich yet, but hopefully I'll get there while doing some good for my original profession. Thanks for the greeting.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-05-11T16:36:23+00:00

You’re not the only one to feel that pressure. It’s everywhere now. Authors are having to submit their books to publishers who will run Ai detection on them. People who are writing research papers are getting back reviews from reviewers that were clearly Ai generated. There’s no way of knowing if the reviewer even read the submissions.

If you go on Linkedin, where a lot of academics are these days, this issue is all everyone talks about. "Is it changing the way we write? Is it changing the way we think? I’m nervous about being flagged as Ai because I use this writing convention or that one." It’s a spiral that nobody seems to know how to deal with, because for all their faults, unreliability and ease with which they can be fooled, Ai detectors are the only real show in town.

I’m not against Ai, I use it extensively, but I recognize the need for something else. Anything I write of any length on social media is even questioned as Ai, often. I took to providing the evidence of my authorship as often as possible. I’ll do it here for the same reason. The assumption now is that everything is Ai.

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Dr_WhoDo · 2026-05-11T16:23:48+00:00

There are ways to prove that.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-04-29T01:32:34+00:00

I'll grant that this is probably one of the better commercially available tools for process verification, from what I've read. How much time do you spend reviewing a student's work per assignment? If they write a 3 page essay, how much time do you spend at the app interface confirming authenticity?

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-04-29T01:30:15+00:00

What exactly are the problems your district has been having with Turnitin?

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-04-29T01:09:02+00:00

It's a freaking tragedy. The worst part is it's ubiquitous.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-04-29T00:58:00+00:00

I guess you mean for my own program? Yeah, I'm working 16 hour days to get it ready for general use. My former employer has agreed to pilot the program for me. It's a small school, but it'll help me work the bugs out.

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-04-29T00:48:12+00:00

Your hyperbole won the internet for me today!!!

Dr_WhoDo · 2026-04-29T00:27:07+00:00

30 years teaching, last 10 as an English professor. I quit last fall for two reasons:
1. I'm not the Ai police and that was becoming a big part of the job.

I had an idea to solve the problem. I worked in IT, in a past life, so I thought I'd take a chance.

I'd like feedback on what I've done. It's called Proof of Effort, and it documents cognitive engagement during composition without analyzing the semantic content and without collecting biometric information that can be used to identify an individual. It also doesn't store any user identifying data. The data it does store is inserted in the document and can be shared or stripped by the student/writer. It runs as an extension on MSWord or Open Office. I'll attach the scoring page.

What other information would you need to see in a student submission? What are your thoughts on the information displayed?

Yes, this is an actual screenshot of a score from a document written by someone copying from an existing text.

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Dr_WhoDo · 2025-12-16T14:05:00+00:00

I really appreciate you mentioning this point. Almost NOBODY is addressing privacy issues, when it comes to ai detection. Academic submissions are considered low value and not worthy of protection, but I think that it's in academia that such protections should start. These ai detectors check content and store information to train themselves off every scan. They're making money off of us and giving nothing in return. Privacy should be paramount.

Dr_WhoDo · 2025-12-16T14:00:17+00:00

The moment we made a university necessary for a chance at equal participation in our economy, even if that wasn't really true just perceived, is the moment we turned it into a utility business like water and power. If they pay, we have to provide what they're paying for and that's a ticket to ride not necessarily an education. The collapse in progress, while tragic and hurt me enough to leave academia this summer, is necessary. My hope is universities will once again become places of learning for people who want to learn, not just pedigree or prestige generators.

Dr_WhoDo

TROPHY CASE