Students change how they write to stand out from AI

Students who write their own assignments are increasingly worrying that their work could be mistaken for AI-generated text, Yle reports. Nea Oksanen, a media studies student at Tampere University, says the concern has added stress to her studies, even though she does not use AI to write.

“There is extra stress in learning because I have to think about how to make sure my text looks like I wrote it myself,” Oksanen told Yle. She says the issue has become common among students over the past year.

Professor Kaarina Nikunen, who leads a seminar group of five students preparing to write their master’s theses, says almost all students recognise the struggle. Nikunen also changes how she writes academic texts so they are less likely to be mistaken for AI output.

As a professor, Nikunen regularly reads students’ essays and other work. She says suspicious passages are rare, but she has come across essays citing books attributed to her that she did not write.

AI use is permitted at Tampere University, but students must report it in detail. Some courses may not use AI at all. Nikunen says AI systems draw on scientific writing produced by researchers, while researchers themselves are now trying to make their work look distinct from AI-generated text. She also says companies developing AI have used researchers’ texts without permission or agreements.

Oksanen has stopped using the dash in her writing as one way to distinguish her work. Nikunen researches AI, including its use in social media discussions such as hate speech.