Generative AI has genuinely changed the game of education. It is creating a bifurcation of educational tools: the good and the bad. On the one hand, students are getting access to tools that help guide them through their learning journey. Tools that help assess them when they are doing their work and offer helpful nudges when needed. Students are gaining access to digital personal assistants, tutors, and resources that are laser focused on each student's learning needs. They quickly calculate and generate learning paths, prepare learning materials, and assess learning so that the student can quickly master the class objectives. On the other hand, though, students are dipping their toes…well some just dive right in.. to the turbulent world of using AI with a kaleidoscope of intent. Some wish to skirt the system and have the computer author their essay. Others want to have their original work checked for accuracy or grammatical structure. And there is a spectrum of AI uses in between.

 

As educators how do we resolve the conflict between original academic work and flagrant or sometimes masked use of AI for cheating? 


Enter the world of AI detectors. Let's dive in.


What is an AI detector and how does it work?