Created by Zachary Urdaneta, 2/17/25

Turnitin AI is an AI-detection feature incorporated into the Turnitin Feedback view on an assignment. 
This document explains the purpose of Turnitin's AI feature and how to use the tool.

Outline:

  • What are the requirements to use Turnitin AI?
  • How do I view the AI detector?
  • What are the limitations of Turnitin AI?

What are the requirements to use Turnitin AI?


Turnitin is a feature included in every TMU Canvas course. To set up Turnitin for an assignment, please follow our instructions here: https://tmufacstaff.helpdocsite.com/turnitin/setting-up-an-assignment-with-turnitin. 

As long as the assignment meets the following minimum requirements, an AI score will be visible to you:

  • File size must be less than 100 MB
  • File must have at least 300 words of prose text in a long-form writing format
  • File must not exceed 30,000 words
  • File must be written in a supported language: English, Spanish
  • Accepted file types: .docx, .pdf, .txt, .rtf

How do I view the AI detector?


The Turnitin AI detector can be accessed under the Turnitin feedback view:
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Note: Turnitin's Similarity Score is separate from the AI score. The Similarity Score determines what percentage of the paper may be compared with other sources and papers in Turnitin's database. The AI score is the percentage of text that likely came from an AI model.

The AI score may be viewed at the bottom right of the sidebar. This score indicates the percentage of text in the assignment that the AI model determines was generated or paraphrased from AI. Clicking the score opens the AI detection view:

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This view displays the entire document and scores each sentence based on whether it is likely AI-generated, paraphrased from an AI tool, or the student's original work. 

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What are the limitations of Turnitin AI?


Turnitin AI presents the instructor with percentages of text that are likely AI-generated or parahphased. The AI score is determined by analyzing the text against a language model trained on the most common AI models.


Turnitin states that their false positive rate for AI detection is less than one percent, however indepedent research suggests that the rate is likely 10-20%. While Turnitin's AI detection is one of the leading tools available, it is not able to make an infallible determination on whether text is original or AI-generated. The goal of Turnitin AI is to provide faculty with an objective resource if they suspect a student's work is not original.