If you thought students gaming the system with ChatGPT was the end of the story, think again. Turnitin just unveiled a new feature that goes after a sneakier trend: AI “humanizers” or “bypassers.” These tools rewrite machine-generated text so it looks more human and slips past plagiarism or AI-detection software. In other words, students aren’t just using AI—they’re using AI to hide their AI.
Turnitin’s update adds bypasser detection to its existing AI writing detection platform, aiming to close what had quickly become an open loophole. The company says the tool is baked directly into its AI writing detection suite, meaning educators won’t need to juggle third-party plug-ins or risk data exposure to outside tools.
The Arms Race of Academic Integrity
The timing makes sense. In the two years since ChatGPT and its rivals became campus fixtures, a whole cottage industry of AI-masking tools has sprung up. Just Google “AI humanizer” and you’ll find dozens of services promising to outsmart detectors—for free or cheap. For teachers already stretched thin, that means not only do they have to spot machine-written essays, they now need to sniff out when those essays have been re-written to fool them.
“Cheating providers” is how Turnitin’s Chief Product Officer, Annie Chechitelli, describes these humanizer companies. She notes they profit from students’ misuse of AI while undermining both genuine learning and the trust between students and educators. Turnitin’s countermeasure, she argues, restores some of that balance by exposing concealed AI text before it erodes academic standards further.
How It Works (and Where It’s Available)
When AI writing detection is enabled, Turnitin’s system will now also flag text that has been passed through leading bypasser tools. This isn’t a separate product or integration—it’s folded into Turnitin Originality and available as an AI capabilities add-on for iThenticate 2.0 customers.
That’s key for adoption. Educators wary of layering multiple vendors into already sensitive student data pipelines get a one-stop solution. Turnitin also claims the tool was trained and tested specifically for English, which means international institutions may be waiting for broader language coverage.
Why It Matters
Turnitin’s move highlights a growing reality: AI detection is no longer just about spotting ChatGPT-style prose. It’s about keeping up with the evasion tech designed to outwit those detectors. And with companies like Copyleaks and GPTZero also iterating on their detection systems, the competitive landscape is heating up fast.
The bigger picture: education tech is caught in an AI arms race. Every new LLM makes it easier for students to crank out passable essays, and every new detection model tries to keep academic honesty intact. Bypassers simply raised the stakes.
Whether Turnitin’s solution holds up against the next wave of cloaking tools remains to be seen. But for now, the company has made a clear statement: if students are trying to game the system, Turnitin intends to keep leveling up right alongside them.
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