Unsurprisingly, more students are using AI to write their essays. As the focus shifts from detection to transparency, educators call for frameworks outlining responsible AI use.
Turnitin is a text-matching software that checks submitted work for originality and potential plagiarism. Its CEO, Chris Caren, says months of data show students use AI for feedback on their writing, rather than just using AI to write for them outright.
Turnitin’s newest tool, Clarity, aims to bring greater visibility to how students use AI when writing. Clarity tracks the drafting process as an AI assistant offers feedback and guidance, yet refuses to write the assignment for the student.
Since October 2025, around 15% of essay submissions analysed by the company’s latest AI detection tool contained more than 80% AI-generated writing. When Turnitin first launched its AI detection capabilities in April 2023, that figure was only about 3%.
“The reality is students and educators alike are craving clear guidance on when and how to use AI,” Caren says. “With educators under increasing pressure to do more with less, we are dedicated to building solutions that make assessing the process and the final product easier for today’s educators.”
Clarity looks to allow instructors to enable an AI assistant that helps guide students through their writing without completing the work for them. It can provide feedback on structure, argument development and citations, while also checking for copied material from online sources or other student papers. Educators gain insight into how a student arrives at their final submission.
Early insights from the first three months of Clarity’s use reveal several patterns in how students interact with AI tools. One of the most striking findings is that many students are actively seeking feedback rather than asking AI systems to generate content outright.
Nearly 29% of prompts submitted to the assistant asked for review, judgement or general feedback on their writing. Questions such as “Is this good?”, “Is this a strong conclusion?” and “What can I fix?” were among the most common.
The data also suggests that students prefer to create their own prompts rather than relying on suggested ones. Around 94% of prompts were written independently instead of using the pre-written prompt suggestions built into the tool.
However, Turnitin’s analysis indicates that many of these prompts lack clarity or detail. More than half were considered too general, lacking the specificity, constraints or goals that make prompts effective.
Only about 36% of prompts asking for feedback were judged to be effective. These prompts typically included more context, clear objectives and evidence that the student was reflecting on their own writing process. As a result, Turnitin believes that prompt writing itself may become an important new skill for students to develop as AI becomes more integrated into education.
Educators testing the Clarity system also report practical benefits in managing their workload. The AI assistant can handle routine questions students often ask during assignments, such as citation formatting or structural advice. This allows teachers to focus their time on deeper feedback and higher-level teaching.
More importantly, the approach encourages open conversations about AI use in the classroom. Rather than treating all AI assistance as academic misconduct, perhaps the technology can support learning when used responsibly.
