Ailsa Ostovitz, a 17-year-old student, was accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) on three assignments across two courses. One accusation from a teacher in September included a screenshot from an AI detection program, indicating a 30.76% probability of AI use on a writing assignment.
Following the accusation, Ostovitz's grade was lowered. Ostovitz's mother, Stephanie Rizk, reported meeting with the teacher in November, after which the teacher indicated they no longer believed AI was used.
Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) stated that Ostovitz's teacher utilized the AI detection tool independently, as the district does not fund such software. PGCPS further noted that staff training advises educators against relying on these tools due to documented inaccuracies.
Prevalence and Reliability of AI Detection Tools
A national survey by the Center for Democracy and Technology reported that over 40% of 6th- to 12th-grade teachers employed AI detection tools during the previous school year. This occurs despite multiple research studies indicating these tools are not consistently reliable.
Mike Perkins, a researcher in academic integrity and AI at British University Vietnam, found that popular AI detectors, including Turnitin, GPTZero, and Copyleaks, sometimes misidentified human-generated text as AI and vice versa. Accuracy rates reportedly decreased when AI-generated text was modified to appear more human.
District Adoption and Company Statements
Several school districts have invested in AI detection software. Broward County Public Schools, a large district, holds a three-year contract totaling over $550,000 with Turnitin, which introduced an AI detection feature in 2023. Turnitin's tool provides a percentage reflecting the likelihood of AI-generated text, noting that scores of 20% or lower are less reliable.
Turnitin states that its AI writing detection may not always be accurate and advises against using it as the sole basis for punitive action against students. Sherri Wilson, director of innovative learning for Broward, stated the tool serves to facilitate conversation and feedback rather than for grading. The district utilizes Turnitin as a tool to meet authentication requirements for programs like International Baccalaureate (IB) and International Education at Cambridge, though these programs have indicated they do not mandate the use of AI detection software.
Shaker Heights City School District allocated approximately $5,600 for annual licenses for 27 teachers to use GPTZero. John Grady, a teacher in Shaker Heights, uses GPTZero for student essays and investigates further when a score indicates over a 50% likelihood of AI use, by examining revision histories. Edward Tian, CEO of GPTZero, describes the tool as a component of an educator's toolkit, not a conclusive indicator for punitive measures, and suggests scores above 50% warrant closer examination.
Concerns and Adaptations
Concerns have been raised regarding potential bias in AI detection software, particularly against non-native English speakers. Zi Shi, a Shaker Heights junior whose first language is Mandarin, reported that his writing style sometimes resembles AI output and that an assignment was flagged by GPTZero. His teacher suggested the use of Grammarly might have contributed to the flagging.
Carrie Cofer, an English teacher in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, reported that a chapter of her Ph.D. dissertation was flagged by GPTZero as 89-91% AI-written during an experiment. Cleveland schools currently do not use paid AI detection software. Cofer advocates against its use, citing potential ineffectiveness and suggesting that resources could be better allocated to teacher professional development.
Students have also reportedly explored methods to circumvent AI detection, including using detection software themselves to pre-check assignments and employing "AI humanizer" programs. Ailsa Ostovitz now processes her assignments through multiple AI detection tools and modifies flagged sentences, a process she states adds approximately 30 minutes per assignment.