With the shift from traditional pen-and-paper essays and research papers to online, digital content, educators have had to learn how to digitally analyze their student’s work for plagiarism, factual accuracy, and more. However, in the face of AI, there are more factors than ever to consider, like the use of AI to generate academic papers.
Fortunately, the emergence of AI writing models has led to the creation of some pretty handy AI detection tools for teachers to grade their students’ assignments. These tools are designed to assess content and flag anything that has potentially been generated by AI, making it a breeze for you to verify the authenticity of your student’s work.
But which tools stand out among the rest? Our carefully curated list will help you find the right AI detection tool and decide once and for all which one takes the cake.
1. Smodin AI Content Detector
ChatGPT has taken over the internet – especially when it comes to content creation. So why not arm yourself with a tool that has been trained to look for ChatGPT-generated text? That’s where Smodin’s AI Content Detector comes in.
Our AI detection tool lets educators effortlessly upload and analyze any text in a smooth, quick, and hassle-free way. Simply copy and paste the text into the tool, hit the ‘Detect AI Content’ button, and let Smodin do the rest.
Our tool will help to distinguish between human and AI-generated content, with 91% accuracy in flagging AI and 99% accuracy in confirming that a text was written by a human. But that’s not all. Smodin can also help you to identify potential plagiarism issues in your students’ writing.
This tool is amazing for your students, too. If you encourage them to check their essays or written work through the Smodin detection tool, it can help them avoid plagiarism before they submit their work, and can even help them to improve their text. In turn, this can aid them in improving their overall writing skills.
Pros
- Accurately identifies AI-generated content
- User-friendly interface for easy scanning
- Includes plagiarism detection
- Distinguishes between human text, AI text, and AI-assisted writing
Cons
- May miss nuanced changes in writing
- Limitations with more sophisticated AI-generated writing
2. Winston AI
Another impressive AI detection tool is Winston AI, which includes teacher-centric features that make it a popular choice for educators.
Firstly, this checker has clear explanations and detailed reports of any AI-generated writing it detects. While this can help you to check the tools’ accuracy, you won’t need to. According to the Winston AI website, the checker is 99.98% accurate.
Additionally, your students won’t need to submit their work in digital format for Winston to detect AI-generated content. In fact, it uses a technology called Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to scan hand-written essays so that you can check all of your students’ academic papers.
If you pay for the Winston detection software, you’ll also receive access to the AI plagiarism detector. That way, you won’t need multiple tools to check your students’ writing.
Pros
- Accuracy rate of 99.98%
- Includes features tailored to educators
- OCR technology for hand-written scanning
- Smooth, user-friendly interface
Cons
- 2,000-word limit using the free version of Winston AI
- No plagiarism detection in the free version
3. CopyLeaks
As one of the fastest and most versatile AI tools on the market, CopyLeaks has become a popular choice for professionals across the board – including educators.
This AI detector actually earned a reputation for helping to cut down on the time it takes to scan essays, making it easier to manage a bigger workload. It’s known for detecting AI writing in less than a minute – even for longer pieces of text.
No matter what your student demographic is, you can also use CopyLeaks to scan documents in multiple languages. Additionally, you can scan essays that are in different formats. From uploading files to using URLs or text from images, this AI detection tool has the versatility and flexibility you need to maintain academic integrity.
If you primarily work with digital content, then you may also be interested to know that CopyLeaks has a browser extension. This allows you to check online content quickly and easily without switching between browser tabs.
And if you want to shave even more time off of your grading and checking, then be sure to check out Smodin’s AI Grader for a comprehensive set of AI tools.
Pros
- Up to 99.1% accurate
- High-speed service to detect AI writing quickly
- Available as a browser extension
- Various input options, including URL and image scanning
Cons
- The free version has a daily limit
- No dedicated AI plagiarism checker
4. Content At Scale
If you’ve been shopping around for AI detection tools, then you’ve probably already heard of Content at Scale. And for a good reason. This is one of the few AI content detectors that has consistent and reliable results, with a proven track record of distinguishing between AI and human-written text.
Unlike a lot of other AI content detectors, though, Content at Scale highlights which parts of the text are considered to be AI-generated. It also highlights these sections in different colors to show how likely it is that they are fully AI-generated or whether they’ve been written by a human with the help of AI.
Although this can help you to make a judgment call on sections of the text that don’t necessarily pass the AI writing check, Content at Scale has its drawbacks. There is no compulsory sign-up process, but the free version of this checker is extremely limited unless you have an account or paid subscription.
Pros
- Accuracy rate of 98.3%
- Thorough explanations of any AI content to improve transparency
- No mandatory sign-up required
Cons
- Limited usage with the free version
- No dedicated AI plagiarism detection
- Less versatile than other AI detection tools
5. AI Detector Pro
AI Detector Pro is a well-rounded, comprehensive AI detection tool that includes tools and features that can benefit teachers and their students alike. But first, let’s get into what makes it such a handy tool for educators…
This tool gives teachers detailed reports after each scan that help pinpoint sections of text that are likely to have been generated by AI. It even highlights certain words or phrases that AI writing tools tend to use in their content, making its AI detection even more accurate.
As part of checking the essays your students write, you can also use the Detector Pro to collaborate with them and help them rephrase their essays using the AI Eraser tool. This can aid them in brushing up on their writing skills and learning how to effectively use AI tools to supplement their writing rather than relying on artificial intelligence to write their content.
With most educational content and submissions moving online, it can be tricky to scan all of the papers that are submitted to you. Luckily, the Detector Pro has URL scanning to help you analyze online content without disrupting your workflow.
Pros
- Detailed reports when AI content is found
- URL scanning to improve the tool’s versatility
- Cancel your paid subscription at any time
- Free plan available
Cons
- Limited to three reports when you’re using the free version
- No plagiarism detector
6. Scribbr
If you want an AI checker that goes above and beyond the call of duty, then Scribbr may just be the perfect pick. This holistic tool is everything an educator could ever need all rolled into one.
It includes features like a plagiarism checker, a proofreader if you need to give feedback to your students, and even a grammar checker. This can help to streamline your processes when you’re grading your students’ papers.
Specifically designed for students and educators, Scribbr’s plagiarism checker is tailored to academic writing and essays. In turn, this boosts its accuracy within the education space and helps to maintain academic integrity.
Although Scribbr has a free AI checker, it is limited to 500 words per scan. This can be extremely limiting, especially when it comes to longer research papers or essays. For this reason, it may be better to pay for this service than rely on its free online detector.
Pros
- Multiple tools to help meet the diverse needs of educators
- Powered by another popular AI detection tool (Turnitin) for plagiarism detection
- Available to check for multiple different tools
Cons
- The free version is limited to 500 words at a time
- No detailed reports on text that is flagged as AI content
7. GPTKit
With more emphasis being placed on AI detection – particularly in academic writing – it’s important to use a tool that is accurate. However, it’s just as important that the tool you’re using is able to assess the writing on multiple levels. As AI writers continue to evolve, checkers need to keep up with their progress. That’s why GPTKit is invaluable to educators.
GPTKit uses six different methods of AI detection to analyze texts and produce more accurate results. In fact, GPTKit has one of the most advanced algorithms on the market. This means that the tool is more likely to pick up on AI-generated text that has been produced by almost any AI writer.
Additionally, GPTKit has been trained on more than one million datasets. These include content from various sources, such as Reddit, web pages, and news articles. So not only are you receiving incredibly accurate results, but GPTKit is also more reliable than some other tools that are available to teachers.
Pros
- Uses multiple detection methods to improve accuracy (up to 93% accurate)
- Quickly provides results to cut down on the time you spend checking essays
- Easy to use
Cons
- The free version is limited to 2,048 characters (note: not 2,048 words)
- Subscription models available for institutions of up to 20 members
8. GPTZero
One of the most popular AI writing tools on the web is ChatGPT, which was created by Open AI. Now, as part of Open AI’s services, they also offer access to their AI checker: GPTZero. The popularity of this checker is primarily because of people’s familiarity with the brand, and it has quickly become a go-to tool for plenty of educators who want a reliable and versatile product.
One of the most important things to know about GPTZero is that it has been specifically designed for student writing and educational purposes. This makes it a fantastic aid for teachers who want to check their students’ writing without the constant worry of false AI writing reporting.
AI writers typically leave traces of their work behind, such as low perplexity in the produced content and poor sentence length and structure variation (burstiness). Luckily, GPTZero uses an AI text classifier to produce both a perplexity and burstiness score, making it easier for you to determine whether your student’s work is really their own.
Pros
- GPTZero allows for bulk uploads, cutting down your work time
- Uses robust training data for better accuracy
- Created by OpenAI, the same publishers of ChatGPT
Cons
- Explanations and details about content flagged as AI may be vague
- Heavily edited content can produce false results
9. Turnitin
Perhaps one of the biggest names in AI and plagiarism checking in the academic space is Turnitin, a well-known and trusted product. Turnitin’s reputation precedes it, with multiple educational institutions already using its services as a part of an integrated toolkit for maintaining academic integrity.
Turnitin can help to streamline your work without any disruption, especially considering that it integrates with Learning Management Systems like Blackboard to help maintain a familiar environment for educators.
Although it may have started as a plagiarism checker, Turnitin has also evolved into being one of the most reliable AI detection tools around. That means that you can check the two scores (both AI and plagiarism) at once, without the need for multiple tools.
Pros
- Institutional subscription models are available
- Integrates with Learning Management Systems (LMS)
- Includes a plagiarism checker
Cons
- Only available to subscribers
- May still potentially produce false positives
FAQs
How accurate are AI detectors?
The accuracy of an AI detection tool usually depends on the tool itself. Typically, the accuracy of these tools is based on how many false positives (when human content is flagged for being written by AI) and false negatives (they don’t pick up AI-generated content) they produce. They may also struggle to differentiate between content produced by different AI writing tools.
You can find the accuracy percentages for these AI tools on their websites, so be sure to check that out before relying on a tool that may not be the most accurate. But if you want as close to perfection as you can get, then the Smodin AI Checker may be your best bet!
How can I test the accuracy of an AI detector?
Although AI detection tools may have their accuracy rates on their websites, there are still a few ways you can test this accuracy for yourself.
To do this, you can feed the checker several articles that are written by humans, generated by AI, and those that have a mix of human-written text and AI-generated content. You can create a mix of text by using Smodin’s AI Detection Remover for AI-generated text in certain places, which will help shave time off of manually rewriting part of the text yourself.
If you consistently get false negatives or positives, then the checker may not be as accurate as you’d like.
Can I use free AI detection tools?
Free detection tools are great when you need a quick and easy option for scanning different texts. And although some educational institutions have paid subscriptions to these services that educators can use, that isn’t always the case.
While there are plenty of fantastic free AI checkers that you can use, there are a few things to keep in mind when you’re using it to check student writing. These include:
- Some free checkers may have a character limit that allows you to only scan a certain number of words or characters
- Free checkers may not be as accurate as some paid options
- You may be restricted to one or two scans a day or at one time
The best way to use these free tools is as a trial run. If you’re happy with the service, then investing in a paid option for unlimited scans or checks may be better.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right AI detection tool can be challenging – but with our list of the best tools on the market, it doesn’t have to be. We’ve selected the best detection models for teachers to help you narrow down your search and confidently analyze academic writing.
Whether you’re looking for accuracy, speed, or integration, there’s a tool out there to help. However, it’s important to remember that your decision ultimately lies with you and how they complement your specific needs.