After a surge in student essays that looked suspiciously AI-generated last year, Rachael Zeleny, director of the writing program at the University of Baltimore, recommended her instructors use a free app called Brisk to avoid wasting time grading work by a chatbot. The move reflects a growing shift among educators who are turning to detection tools and new teaching strategies as generative AI becomes harder to ignore in the classroom.
The detection dilemma
AI writing tools have forced instructors to rethink what they accept as student work. Zeleny's recommendation came after a noticeable uptick in submissions that read like they were produced by a machine - polished but hollow, factually shaky, and missing the voice of a real student. Brisk joins a crowded field of apps promising to flag AI-generated text, though none are foolproof. False positives remain a concern, particularly for students whose writing style is more formulaic or for whom English is a second language.
Instructors seek practical solutions
The pressure to identify AI-written work has pushed some professors toward old-school methods. Blue book exams and in-class writing assignments have made a comeback, as have oral defenses of written work. Others are experimenting with AI itself as a teaching tool. One professor built an app that argues with students to push them past easy answers from ChatGPT. Another school district asked students to help draft its AI policy, treating the technology as a subject for discussion rather than a threat to be banned.
Free tools like Brisk lower the barrier for instructors who lack institutional support or technical budgets. But the broader question - what counts as original student work when AI can produce a competent essay in seconds - remains unsettled. Instructors can learn more about integrating these tools into their practice through AI for Teachers Courses, which cover detection strategies and ethical frameworks for classroom use.
Policy and platform responses
Some institutions are formalizing their approach. ChatGPT's developer has rolled out free educator tools for select school districts, signaling that AI companies see the classroom as a key market. Meanwhile, universities and K-12 systems are crafting policies that range from outright bans to structured integration. The patchwork of responses means an instructor's ability to handle AI depends heavily on where they teach.
Why this matters for educators
The immediate takeaway for teachers and administrators is that detection tools are a stopgap, not a strategy. Relying on apps like Brisk can save time, but it does not solve the underlying challenge: designing assignments that make authentic student thinking visible. Educators who invest time in understanding how these tools work - and how students use them - will be better positioned to set policies that hold up as the technology improves. Resources like AI for Education training materials can help build that foundational knowledge without requiring a technical background.
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