This section of the resource site offers guidance on identifying AI usage in student writing. It overviews the available AI detection tools and common indicators of AI-generated content. This section also highlights some of the challenges to detecting AI use, including the unreliability of current detection tools. As always, we encourage instructors to establish clear guidelines for AI use in their courses, helping students understand the ethical and appropriate ways to incorporate these technologies.


Potential Signs of AI Generated Writing

Below you can find some common signs that a paper may be AI generated. Keep in mind that AI detection is an imperfect science. Therefore, none of these signs guarantee that a document is AI generated. If you notice any of these signs, consider talking to students about their writing process and the content of their submission before making any accusations. 

For example, ask students to explain complex points or the meaning of specific words and phrases.

Signs of AI-generated Writing:

  •  Unusual phrases that a students wouldn’t normally use
  •  Vocabulary above the expected level
  •  Inconsistent style: changes in style, tone, or tense
  •  Tautology: saying the same thing twice, such as ‘We must come together to unite’;
  •  Repeating words or phrases
  •  Flawless grammar and spelling, especially in submissions from students who normally struggle with grammar and spelling
  •  Unusual paraphrases, including literal translations of turns of phrases that don’t make sense

AI Detection Software 

**Please note that these detection tools are not tools that we recommend, but simply tools that are available. They should not be used as the sole means of detecting AI use, but instead as one method among other methods recommended by the research below.**

top checkers



Below you can find information on some of the available AI detection tools:

  • GPTZero: Designed to detect ChatGPT, GPTZero analyzes text at the sentence, paragraph, and document levels. GPTZeroX is a paid version that allows teachers to upload files from an entire class at once. 
  • Originality.ai: Uses machine learning to scan for plagiarized content and AI-generated text. 
  • GLTR.io: Provides in-depth reports on whether content was written by a human or AI. 
  • Scribbr: A free AI detector that highlights the percentage of text written by humans and AI. 
  • ZeroGPT: A free tool that claims to have a detection rate of around 98.5%.


A Note on Turnitin: Turnitin is a particularly unreliable AI detector, which UIUC has disabled. Please do NOT use Turnitin to detect AI-generated writing.

A comprehensive list of all checkers