How to Handle the AI Essay Problem
Students will ask if they can use AI to write their school essays. The honest answer is: yes, but you won’t learn.
The practical answer for teachers: AI-written essays are easy to detect. They are perfectly structured, use formal vocabulary that no student of your age would use. They are likely to be too long.
If a student submits AI work, the best response is not punishment but a conversation — ask them to explain what the essay says. They usually cannot. Use this as a teaching moment about the difference between using AI as a tool versus using it as a substitute for thinking.
These tools will help you check if AI has been used