Since generative AI went mainstream, many teachers have found themselves reading essays that seem a little too smooth. The instinct is to reach for a detector. The more useful response is to change how you design and assess writing.
Why detectors aren't the answer
AI detectors estimate how "predictable" text is. That makes them prone to false positives, including on writing by English learners and students with simpler styles, and easy to defeat with paraphrasing. OpenAI withdrew its own AI text classifier in 2023, citing its low rate of accuracy. A detector score alone isn't fair grounds for an accusation.
Make process visible
The most reliable evidence is how the work was made:
- Drafts and version history. Google Docs version history shows whether text appeared in a single paste or developed over time.
- In-class writing. Start drafts in class, or include short in-class writes you can compare with take-home work.
- Planning artifacts. Outlines, annotated sources, notes.
- Conferences. A two-minute conversation ("Walk me through your second paragraph. Why this example?") tells you a lot.
Design tasks that need the student
- Connect prompts to class discussions, local context, or personal experience.
- Ask for reflection on the process: what changed between drafts, which feedback they used.
- Use sources you provide, and ask students to cite specific pages.
None of these make AI use impossible; they make the student's own thinking a necessary part of the work.
Write an AI policy per assignment
Students genuinely don't know what's allowed, because rules differ between classes. Say it explicitly: "You may use AI to brainstorm topics. Drafting and revising must be your own. If you use AI, include a note describing how."
When you suspect misuse
Have a conversation, not an accusation. Ask the student to explain the work and show their process. Follow your school's academic integrity policy, and focus on the learning: often the best outcome is the student redoing the task with process evidence.
Use AI where it helps you
AI can also support teachers, for example by drafting rubric-aligned feedback that you review. See AI in the classroom: useful vs hype and is AI grading accurate and fair?.