Artificial Intelligence

What AI Detectors Do Colleges Use in 2025? Top 6 Tools

05/12/2025
by Zoran Trimmel
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You’ve likely poured so much love and effort into your writing, aiming to highlight your unique style and original ideas. It’s understandable to worry, though: could those assignments of yours accidentally get caught up in algorithm flags?

This growing trend raises an important question: What AI detectors do colleges use? Don’t worry! This article will help you clear things up by shedding light on the advanced AI detection tools universities are adopting and how they fit into academic processes. Let’s dive in together!

Top 6 Accurate AI Detectors Used By Colleges

Alright, not all colleges publicize their actual AI detectors, and there’s scepticism about their accuracy. You just keep in mind that these tools provide a probability score, kind of like a nudge, “Hmm, this seems a bit AI-like”– but they don’t give a definite answer!

Turnitin

Turnitin is a popular tool that helps promote academic integrity in colleges by checking for text similarities and plagiarism. Recently, it has added a feature for detecting AI-generated content, which is a fantastic resource for educators wanting to ensure originality in student work. Because Turnitin is available only to licensed educational institutions, so it’s not something individual users can access directly.

 Turnitin AI detection report

Turnitin AI detection report

Key Features:

  • Plagiarism Checking: Core feature – robust feature comparing submissions against a massive database (300 M+ student papers, 130 M+ academic texts, and web content).
  • AI Writing Detection: Integrated capability to analyze submissions for characteristics of AI-generated text (from models like GPT-3, ChatGPT) and provide an overall percentage.
  • LMS Integration: Commonly integrated with Learning Management Systems (e.g., Blackboard, Canvas, Moodle), simplifying workflows.
  • Segment Analysis: Breaks down submissions into segments for AI likelihood rating (0 for human, 1 for AI).
Pros Cons
✅ Strong plagiarism detection.

✅ Seamless LMS integration.

✅ Support AI detection

✅ Detailed similarity reports with source links

❌ False positives/negatives in AI detection

❌ AI detection requires an institutional subscription

Winston AI

Winston AI is your go-to tool when you need to figure out if something was written by a human or cooked up by an AI like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. It’s seriously sharp—like 99.98% accurate kind of sharp. Plus, it doesn’t just stop at catching AI text. It spots paraphrasing tricks, works in multiple languages, checks for plagiarism, and even reads scanned documents and handwritten notes. Oh, and it can flag deepfake images too. Pretty wild, right?

Winston AI All-in-one checker

Winston AI All-in-one checker

Key Features: 

  • AI Text Detection: Core feature – scans text, provides “Human Score,” and color-coded “AI Prediction Map” for sentences. Claims high accuracy of about 99.98%.
  • Plagiarism Checker: Scans the web and compares your text to 400 billion web pages, documents, and databases to find matches.
  • Multi-Language Support: The content detector supports English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, and Chinese, while the plagiarism detector works with over 180 languages.
  • Optical Character Recognition: Extracts text from scanned documents/images, including handwriting, for AI analysis.
  • Document Upload: You can upload any document, including Word files, PDFs.
Pros Cons
✅ High AI detection accuracy

✅ Integrated plagiarism detection

✅ User-friendly interface

✅ AI Image/Deepfake detection

❌ Plagiarism detection is unavailable in the free trial or basic plan
❌ No option for direct URL scanning

Originality AI

Originality AI is a popular AI checker that helps you spot AI-generated content with great accuracy, including text from models like ChatGPT. Plus, it offers solid plagiarism detection, making it an all-in-one solution for checking the authenticity of your content. Website owners and SEO professionals love it, and it’s starting to catch the eye of folks in the academic world.

Originality AI detecting AI-generated content

Originality AI detecting AI-generated content

Key Features: 

  • AI Content Detection: Identifies text generated by AI models like GPT-3, GPT-3.5, and GPT-4. Claims high accuracy.
  • Plagiarism Checker: Detects unoriginal content by comparing text to online sources and providing matching URLs.
  • Fact Checker: Real-time fact checks, classifying statements as “potentially true” or “potentially false” with justifications.
  • Readability Checker: Analyzes text for readability, offering scores, stats, and optimization suggestions.
  • Chrome Extension: Browser extension available for on-the-go scanning.
Pros Cons
✅ High accuracy detecting AI-generated text

✅ Combining plagiarism, fact, and readability checking

✅ User-friendly, straightforward interface.

✅ Continuously updated models to improve detection.

❌ Rate of false positives, flagging human-written text

❌Limited free scans

GPTZero

GPTZero is an AI detection tool developed by Princeton student Edward Tian. It’s designed to help educators maintain academic integrity by identifying text generated by AI models like ChatGPT. It looks at factors like “perplexity,” which measures randomness, and “burstiness,” which checks for sentence variation, to figure out if a piece of writing was created by an AI.

GPTZero AI detection for text classification

GPTZero AI detection for text classification

Key Features:

  • AI Text Classification: Identifies text as likely human, AI, or mixed, using perplexity and burstiness scores.
  • LMS/Software Add-ons: Available for integration with Canvas and as an add-on for Microsoft Word.
  • “AI Vocabulary” Tool: Shows words most frequently used by AI (though with a disclaimer that their presence isn’t definitive proof of AI generation).
  • Source Finder: A feature to help verify sources and claims made in a document.
  • Human Writing Report: A feature allowing users to demonstrate that their writing was done word-by-word, not copy-pasted.
Pros Cons
✅ 99% accuracy for human text, 85% for AI.

✅ Designed for education, addresses AI plagiarism.

✅ Integrations (Chrome, API, Canvas, MS Word).

✅ Free plan/trial available.

❌ Prone to false positives/negatives

❌ No multi-language support confirmed

ZeroGPT

ZeroGPT is a helpful tool that can figure out if a piece of text was written by an AI, like ChatGPT or Bard, or if it came from a human. It boasts an impressive accuracy rate of over 98% thanks to its special “DeepAnalyse™ Technology.” This user-friendly tool is perfect for everyone, from students to teachers and writers, offering support in multiple languages and a bunch of extra writing assistance features to help you out!

GPTZero AI detection classifies text as human-written

GPTZero AI detection classifies text as human-written

Key Features:

  • AI Text Detection: Its core function is to analyze text and provide a percentage score indicating the likelihood of AI generation, highlighting AI-suspected sentences.
  • Multi-Language Support: Claims to detect AI-generated text in all available languages.
  • Citation Generator: Formats citations and bibliographies in styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago automatically.
  • AI Grammar Checker: Automatically identifies and fixes grammar, punctuation, and style mistakes.
  • Additional Tools: AI Summarization Tool, AI Paraphrasing Tool, AI Translator, Word Counter, AI Email Helper.
Pros Cons
✅ High accuracy for AI detection (all languages).

✅ User-friendly with copy-paste input.

✅ More affordable than some other tools for each word scanned

✅ Free plan with a 15,000-character limit.

❌ Inconsistent accuracy.

❌ No proofreading or editing features.

Copyleaks

Copyleaks is a trusted AI platform that started by offering robust plagiarism detection. Recently, it has broadened its horizons to include AI content detection as well! What’s great about Copyleaks is its support for multiple languages and its unique way of spotting the difference between human writing and AI-generated content.

Copyleaks AI robust AI and plagiarism detection

Copyleaks AI robust AI and plagiarism detection

Key Features:

  • AI Content Detection: Identifies text generated by various AI models (ChatGPT, GPT-3, GPT-4, Jasper, T5, Bert, etc.).
  • Extensive Plagiarism Checker: A core and reputable feature, checking against a vast database of online content.
  • Multi-Language Support: A significant strength, supporting AI detection and plagiarism checks in over 30 languages.
  • LMS and API Integration: Offers robust integration with popular Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, etc.) and provides an API for custom implementations.
Pros Cons
✅ Strong plagiarism detection

✅ 30+ languages supported

✅ User-friendly interface

✅ LMS & API integration

❌ Slower scan speed

❌ False positives flagging human-written text

Other AI Detectors Used By Schools (Scribbr, AI Detector Pro, Grammarly)

Besides these main players, TechDictionary has noticed a few other names sometimes mentioned by colleges. Many of these alternatives also integrate with popular Learning Management (LMS), making them easier for institutions to adopt.

  • Scribbr
  • AI Detector Pro
  • Grammarly
  • Sapling
  • Smodin
  • SciSpace

Indeed, this LMS integration capability is a key feature. Many AI detectors, including established ones like Turnitin and Copyleaks, are designed to plug right into these systems.

What this integration means is, when you upload your essay via the LMS, the AI detector can automatically scan it. Your teacher can then see the AI detection report directly within that system, without having to juggle a bunch of different websites.

If a tool isn’t directly plugged in, whether it’s one of the main players or an alternative, teachers might still use it by having you submit files (like Word docs or PDFs) that they can then upload to the AI detector’s website. But for big colleges checking lots of papers, that built-in LMS way is usually the winner for keeping things smooth and efficient.

Wrap it up

What AI detector do colleges use is something many students wonder about. Colleges are keeping an eye out, but remember, it’s more about getting to know you rather than just catching AI. The best approach? You just be yourself, embrace your unique style, and always take a look at each school’s specific policies.

Want more insights on navigating AI in education and beyond? Let’s subscribe to TechDictionary for the latest updates. We’re excited to share more with you!

FAQs

1. How do universities detect AI?

Universities use tools to detect AI-generated content. These tools compare submissions to large databases to find similarities with AI-written work.

2. Which AI detector do schools use?

Schools often use AI detectors like Originality.ai, GPTZero, ZeroGPT, Turnitin, and Copyleaks to identify AI-generated content in research and student work.

3. What do college admissions use to detect AI?

College admissions utilize AI detection tools such as Originality.ai, GPTZero, and Turnitin to identify application essays. They also manually review essays for vagueness and inconsistencies.

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Zoran Trimmel
Zoran Trimmel
Zoran Trimmel is an AI specialist who simplifies complex technical concepts. He evaluates emerging AI platforms for our technology website and produces insightful articles on AI and tech tools, thanks to his attention to detail and effective communication skills.
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