How to check if text is written by AI
To check if text is written by AI, look at the writing process rather than the prose. Key signals include a large share of text arriving via paste, an unnaturally uniform typing rhythm (consistent with transcribing AI output), and a word count inconsistent with the time spent. These behavioural signals are concrete, explainable, and don't degrade as AI writing quality improves.
Why text-only AI checkers are unreliable
Tools that score how 'AI-like' text reads rely on statistical patterns in the prose. Those patterns erode as AI models improve, and they disproportionately flag non-native or simple writing. Several universities have stopped using text-based AI checkers for exactly this reason.
What to look for in the writing process
If you can observe how text was entered, look for: a large block appearing in one or two paste events; very little variation in keystroke speed; a submission time implausibly short for the word count; and no evidence of editing or revision. Multiple signals together are meaningful.
How to collect the process evidence
Text that has already been submitted as a document has lost its writing history. Tools like Learnaway capture behavioural telemetry as students write, preserving the evidence you need. For text you already have, process-based checking isn't possible; you'll need to rely on a conversation with the student.
FAQ
- Can AI-detection tools check any text for AI?
- Text-based AI checkers can process any text, but their reliability is limited and well-documented. Process-based tools like Learnaway require the writing to be done through the tool, but are substantially more reliable.
- What's the difference between checking text vs checking the process?
- Checking text analyses what was written; checking the process analyses how it was written. How it was written is harder to fake, doesn't degrade as AI improves, and doesn't unfairly flag non-native writers.
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