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A new tool helps teachers detect if AI wrote an assignment

Janet W. Lee headshot

Janet W. Lee

Several big school districts such as New York and Los Angeles have blocked access to a new chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to produce essays. One student has a new tool to help.

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Although clever, Snapchat’s AI bot threatens students’ privacy and academic integrity

Brinda Iyer , Copy Editor | April 28, 2023

Anyone who’s logged into Snapchat in the past few weeks would have noticed an irremovable AI chatbot, My AI, awaiting them, pinned at the top of their screen.

Brinda Iyer

Anyone who’s logged into Snapchat in the past few weeks would have noticed an irremovable AI chatbot, My AI, awaiting them, pinned at the top of their screen.

As of March, Snapchat has over 350 million active daily users and is one of the leading social media platforms for young adults. Anyone who’s logged into the app in the past few weeks would have noticed an irremovable AI chatbot, My AI, awaiting them, pinned at the top of their screen.

In February, the bot was only released to people with a Snapchat Plus account. Once it was added to all accounts on April 19, the $4 monthly subscription became the only way for users to disable the bot. Even then, Snapchat only hides the bot from the chat feed, rather than fully removing it. 

Upon the bot’s announcement, people were quite frustrated with this invasive infiltration of their app. The bot was not given a warm welcome, as Snapchat’s reviews plummeted to a weekly average rating of 1.67 stars following the launch.

For several users, though, the bot has been an amusing chat partner. Rather than being annoyed by its presence, they take advantage of the bot, treating it like an online friend.

“If I do use [the bot], I use it when I’m either bored or just to mess around with it with my friends,” freshman Siomara Rios said. “I feel like it’s entertaining when you use it, because the stuff it says is interesting and sometimes it’s just funny since it’s a robot.”

The AI is powered by OpenAI’s viral chatbot, ChatGPT , whose automatic essay writing capabilities have threatened academic integrity in high school classes. It appears that My AI is no different: The app where many students chat with their friends can now do its users’ homework.

For instance, here was My AI’s response when asked to write an essay on the history of ice cream:

The chatbot wrote that entire response in about five seconds. My AI’s speed and accessibility have already made it teachers’ primary concern. Some are opting for more strictness around cell phones at school, suggesting that students place their phones in designated phone pockets to prevent usage during class.

Additionally, My AI has raised questions on security. According to Snapchat’s website , if users stop sharing their location, “it may take a little time” for the bot to realize this.

Snapchat’s AI bot is able to write whole essays inside the app at the users’ convenience.

Although clever, Snapchat’s AI bot threatens students’  privacy and academic integrity

Many users are uncomfortable with this aspect of the bot , especially since they didn’t ask for the feature and are unable to erase it. Others, like freshman Rachel O’Brien, are not allowing safety concerns to ruin their experience with the app.

“Snapchat already has my location,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think [the AI] is necessarily bad because we give our location away to so many websites these days. Maybe it’s a little bit concerning for some people, but I’m not so [worried].”

While My AI can make for a fun time-waster, it can also be somewhat disappointing. In O’Brien’s experience, the mundanity of the bot’s responses dissipates its novelty, and, after using it for a while, it can get boring.

“I like it because it’s like somebody who can talk to you and give you information but you don’t have to go ask for it,” O’Brien said. “I don’t like that everybody’s chatbot is designed the same [way], so nobody really gets it personalized. But that’s hard for an AI to gain, I guess.”

Students agreed that if My AI had a longer memory and was able to retain information for more flowing, human-like conversations, it would be more fun to use — and less like another search engine.

“If you ask it something similar [to something you already asked], it’ll just repeat itself a lot,” Rios said. “If the responses are more varied, then I feel like it would be even more interesting, and I feel like I’d use it more.”

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Brinda Iyer is a sophomore at Burlingame High School and a second-year journalism student. She's thrilled to have the opportunity to explore different...

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Turnitin’s AI writing detection capabilities

Rapidly innovating to uphold academic integrity

Identify when AI writing tools such as ChatGPT or AI paraphrasing tools (text spinners) may have been used in submitted work.

AI writing and paraphrasing detection is available to Turnitin Feedback Studio, Turnitin Similarity and Originality Check customers when licensing Turnitin Originality with their existing product.

iThenticate 2.0 customers can get access to this feature by licensing it separately.

AI Writing Detection by Turnitin Originality

Turnitin's AI detector

Turnitin's AI detector is specialized for student writing and is highly proficient in distinguishing between AI and human-written content.

can snapchat ai write essays

Trouble viewing? View the video on YouTube or adjust your cookie preferences .

Why choose Turnitin’s AI detector?

Turnitin’s AI writing detection capabilities have been enabled by a large number of our customers. It has also been independently shown to have high effectiveness in correctly identifying AI-generated content, when compared to other commercially available detectors.

Our AI writing and paraphrasing detection technology is highly proficient in distinguishing AI written content from human-written content specifically for student writing, given our 25 years of experience in understanding and safeguarding academic writing.

Our AI writing and paraphrasing capabilities are fully integrated into the Similarity Report, providing customers with a seamless experience. It’s also available via your learning management system.

Academic integrity in the age of AI writing.

Awards & recognition, istelive 2023.

Turnitin’s AI detection feature named best in show by Tech & Learning

Turnitin’s AI detection feature named best in show by Tech & Learning

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One Click Human | Blog

Can Turnitin Detect Snapchat AI? Unraveling the Capabilities and Limitations

In the evolving landscape of academic integrity, the question arises: Can Turnitin, a widely-used plagiarism detection tool, detect content generated by Snapchat AI and similar artificial intelligence tools? Let’s explore the intricacies and delve into the capabilities and limitations of Turnitin in this realm.

The answer to this question is nuanced . While Turnitin remains a robust tool against conventional forms of plagiarism, it may face challenges when dealing with content generated by advanced AI, such as Snapchat AI .

Here are key considerations:

  • Distinctive Text Patterns: If the AI-generated text closely mimics existing patterns found in academic literature or previously submitted works , Turnitin may detect similarities.
  • Innovative AI Techniques: Advanced AI tools may employ techniques that alter the structure of the text in ways that conventional plagiarism detectors may struggle to identify.
  • Constant Updates: Turnitin continually updates its algorithms to enhance its capabilities. However, staying ahead of rapidly evolving AI technologies presents an ongoing challenge.

Turnitin primarily focuses on detecting textual plagiarism , analyzing submitted text against its extensive database of academic and non-academic content . Turnitin is effective at identifying similarities in wording , sentence structure , and overall composition , making it a powerful tool for detecting conventional plagiarism.

How much Snapchat AI can be detected by Turnitin?

  • When it comes to content generated by platforms like Snapchat, which may include images , multimedia , or non-text elements , Turnitin’s capabilities may be limited . 
  • Turnitin is primarily designed for textual analysis , and it may not be as effective in detecting plagiarism in images , videos , or other non-text formats .
  • If Snapchat or similar platforms generate content that includes text, Turnitin could potentially detect similarities in the textual components . 
  • However, it’s important to note that Turnitin’s strength lies in analyzing written text, and its effectiveness diminishes when dealing with non-text content .

Understanding Turnitin’s Functionality

Turnitin operates by comparing submitted text against an extensive database of academic content, publications, and student papers . It employs advanced algorithms to identify similarities and potential instances of plagiarism.

Capabilities of Turnitin

  • Textual Analysis: Turnitin excels in analyzing textual content . It is proficient at detecting similarities in wording , sentence structure , and overall composition , making it effective against conventional plagiarism.
  • Database Comparison: Turnitin’s vast database includes a wide array of academic material , making it adept at identifying similarities to previously submitted works and published content .
  • Internet Source Matching: Turnitin scans online repositories , journals , and websites to flag content that matches the submitted text, expanding its reach beyond its internal database.

Limitations of Turnitin

  • Image and Non-Text Content: Turnitin primarily focuses on textual content . It may not be equipped to detect plagiarism in non-text elements such as images , graphs , or multimedia content generated by tools like Snapchat AI .
  • AI-Generated Text: Traditional plagiarism involves copying existing text , which Turnitin is adept at identifying. However, with AI-generated content, especially from tools like Snapchat AI, the challenge lies in recognizing text that doesn’t have direct matches in the existing database.
  • Emerging AI Technologies: As AI technologies evolve, newer tools may employ sophisticated techniques to manipulate text in ways that traditional plagiarism detection tools find challenging to discern.

As technology evolves, plagiarism detection tools may need to adapt to address new challenges posed by emerging platforms and content creation methods. Institutions and educators may need to consider a combination of tools and approaches to maintain academic integrity in the face of diverse and evolving content types.

Turnitin remains a powerful tool in preserving academic integrity , but its effectiveness against AI-generated content, including that produced by Snapchat AI, has inherent limitations .

The future landscape of plagiarism detection will likely involve continual adaptation and innovation to address the dynamic nature of AI-generated content.

1. Does Turnitin display AI?

While the report identifies the precise passages that appear to have been written by AI, Turnitin’s AI writing detection indication indicates the proportion of material that has probably been produced by an AI writing tool. 

2. What does Turnitin not detect using AI?

The model is unable to accurately identify short-form or unusual writing, such as bullet points, tables, or annotated bibliographies, as well as AI-generated text in non-prose formats like poetry, scripts, or code.

3. To what extent does Turnitin detect AI?

Turnitin states that up to 98% of AI-generated content may be recognized by its AI detector. This number, though, most likely relies on how good and advanced the AI authoring tool is.

Celina Brooks

Writer & AI Entusiast

Celina Brooks from New Jersey is very passionate about AI. She earned her Engineering degree in IT from Rutgers University. She's has been researching about the role of AI in SEO and content writing since 12 months. She's truly excited about what the future holds for Writers and how they will evolve with AI.

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Snapchat ‘My AI’ Chatbot: What Is It, How Does It Work, How to Use, and More

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What is Snapchat’s ChatGPT ‘My AI’ Bot?

Say hi to My AI 👻 pic.twitter.com/mZW0TNEuJj — Snapchat (@Snapchat) February 27, 2023

Snapchat My AI is based on OpenAI’s GPT technology and likely uses the latest GPT 3.5 language model. Since it is based on the same technology, it works in similar ways to other ChatGPT-like apps . However, Snapchat mentions that the more the user interacts with the AI, the better it gets to know them. So yeah, the chatbot essentially evolves as you converse with it.

What Can Snapchat’s ‘My AI’ Assistant Do?

Snapchat Demo Chatbot AI

How to Use Snapchat ‘My AI’ Chatbot on iOS & Android

How to remove snapchat ‘my ai’ from your chat feed.

If you’re among a lot of users who are not interested in using Snapchat My AI, you can go ahead and disable the chatbot. You can unpin its chat and even remove it entirely . We already have a guide in place on how to get rid of Snapchat’s My AiI bot from the chat feed . But, we’ve briefly explained how to remove the “My AI” conversation from your chat feed altogether here.

open settings - snapchat

Snapchat My AI does store your conversations in the chat tab. The records remain there until you delete them. While this might seem like a privacy concern, Snapchat servers are generally safe and your data should remain safe. Nonetheless, if you’re not okay with this, you can follow the steps above to remove the Snapchat AI chatbot from your feed.

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Upanishad Sharma

Combining his love for Literature and Tech, Upanishad dived into the world of technology journalism with fire. Now he writes about anything and everything while keeping a keen eye on his first love of gaming. Often found chronically walking around the office.

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COMMENTS

  1. Can colleges really detect ChatGPT essays? : r ... - Reddit

    Yes, we can detect it based on sentence structure. AI has a distinct method of writing that stands out from usual student writing. Also, AI-generated text programs cannot provide references if your assignment calls for them. Since your professor explicitly wrote this in your syllabus, maybe you should not even be asking this question?

  2. A new tool helps teachers detect if AI wrote an assignment

    Just a month after ChatGPT got teachers worried, he built a bot to help them. It's called GPTZero. You can copy and paste any text, and it'll analyze each sentence, each word and judge how likely...

  3. Although clever, Snapchat’s AI bot threatens students ...

    The AI is powered by OpenAI’s viral chatbot, ChatGPT, whose automatic essay writing capabilities have threatened academic integrity in high school classes. It appears that My AI is no different: The app where many students chat with their friends can now do its users’ homework.

  4. AI Detector - Trusted AI Checker for ChatGPT, Copilot & Gemini

    Scribbr’s AI Detector helps ensure that your essays and papers adhere to your university guidelines. Verify the authenticity of your sources, ensuring that you only present trustworthy information. Identify any AI-generated content, like that created by ChatGPT, that might need proper attribution.

  5. AI Detector - Turnitin

    Turnitin’s AI writing detection capabilities. Rapidly innovating to uphold academic integrity. Identify when AI writing tools such as ChatGPT or AI paraphrasing tools (text spinners) may have been used in submitted work.

  6. Can Turnitin Detect Snapchat AI? Exploring Detection Methods

    The model is unable to accurately identify short-form or unusual writing, such as bullet points, tables, or annotated bibliographies, as well as AI-generated text in non-prose formats like poetry, scripts, or code.

  7. We don't need to worry about students using AI to do their ...

    Professors can use tools such as plagiarism checkers to identify when a paper has been written by AI, and can take appropriate action if necessary. AI-generated writing does not encourage students to think critically.

  8. How Teachers Catch ChatGPT Essays | Lifehacker

    ChatGPT is a valuable studying tool. It can help you brainstorm, it can quiz you, and it can explain answers to you in a really thorough way. Of course, it can also be used to cheat, since it can...

  9. Exploring Snapchat’s My AI Chatbot | Internet Public Library

    Taking note of growing concerns around student use and academic integrity, Snapchat’s AI bot does not feature extensive text-generative capabilities that might be used to automate essay and paper-writing tasks. Snapchat’s AI keeps responses short and succinct.

  10. Snapchat 'My AI' Chatbot: What Is It, How Does It Work, How ...

    Snapchat’s My AI chatbot cannot write essays, blog posts, or do your homework for you. Since Snapchat AI is a like a companion, you can give it a custom name and even customize its chat wallpaper. Moreover, it’s also worth noting that Snapchat has made it clear that My AI is not perfect and very prone to errors .