Turnitin Announces Clarity, Aim to Make Student Writing More Transparent

Earlier this week, at SXSW EDU, Turnitin announced a new product, Turnitin Clarity.

Turnitin said they developed Clarity to help schools and students address concerns over artificial intelligence.

The primary function of Clarity is to provide a composition space where students can draft their writing assignments. This space is closely monitored, allowing instructors to understand their students’ writing process.

This includes monitoring elements such as pasted text, typing patterns, draft history, etc. The system works with Turnitin Feedback Studio, allowing instructors to keep the entire process in one place easily.

However, one element of Clarity has turned the most heads. In addition to the composition environment, Clarity also offers an AI writing assistant feature. The system, which instructors must enable, aims to allow students to use AI in a controlled environment with boundaries set by the instructor.

This has led some to accuse Turnitin of committing an about-face on AI usage. Noting that the company has a long history of trying to detect AI writing.

However, that’s not really the case. In fact, if there is any criticism of Turnitin here, it’s that it’s late to the party and is launching a product that its competitors have long had.

Understanding Turnitin Clarity

If this idea sounds familiar, it’s because it is.

Back in August 2024, we looked at Grammarly Authorship. The idea is very similar to what Turnitin aims to do with Clarity. Grammarly Authorship creates a controlled environment where students write their assignments. It monitors the writing process, including identifying pasted text, AI-generated content and more.

Grammarly is a divisive subject in academia. Though lauded for its ability to help students correct their work, it was one of the first services to launch an AI writing tool in March 2023. Many students have claimed that Grammarly caused their work to be flagged as AI wrongly.

Grammarly, like others, has realized that detecting AI writing is fraught. Though AI detectors are getting better, they are only reliable as part of a “Swiss cheese” approach. Controlling the writing environment is, potentially, a layer to that approach.

However, Grammarly’s approach to this problem is somewhat different. Authorship integrates with students’ word processors, such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, where Clarity has its own composition environment that integrates directly with their other products. This gives Turnitin greater control but could result in more pushback, especially over privacy issues.

That said, the approach is not the most controversial aspect of Clarity; it’s the AI issue, even if it shouldn’t be.

The AI Question

Many of the headlines about Turnitin Clarity have focused on the inclusion of AI writing tools rather than the writing environment.

This is understandable. Turnitin was one of the first services to offer AI writing detection and has been consistently one of the best at it. However, that “best” is a low bar that makes it difficult to rely on the findings of such a tool.

But none of this means that Turntin was or is anti-AI. Just as educators see both possibilities and dangers with generative AI, so does Turnitin. Wanting to stop or detect the misuse of AI does not preclude trying to help students understand it.

Though we won’t know the full details until it is launched, the description suggests this is a limited AI with guardrails. Clarity would allow students to use AI but ensure their actions do not cross ethical boundaries. This could be a powerful tool for teaching the ethical use of AI systems.

However, if the instructor does not want students to use AI in any capacity, they can disable the system entirely. While students could use a different AI system, Clarity is designed to help detect that kind of misuse.

As long as instructors are in the driver’s seat, including AI writing tools shouldn’t be that shocking.

If anything, it’s fairly milquetoast. Companies like Microsoft, Apple and Grammarly are putting AI in browsers, operating systems, and more. With Turnitin, there are at least some guardrails and guidelines.

Bottom Line

In the end, Turnitin Clarity is an acknowledgment of two things. First, AI writing detection is not reliable with AI detectors alone. Second, AI is here to stay.

Educators are understandably struggling with AI. Generative AI has the potential to upend how people create essays, images, videos, music, and more. However, it’s also prone to misuse, letting people generate works without understanding the process.

Finding a balance between punishing unethical AI usage and teaching students about AI systems isn’t easy.

Turnitin, for its part, has decided not to try. It has left the decision to the educators, who can turn off AI completely or allow broad usage. However, that’s probably the best move.

There’s going to be a lot of different answers and approaches to AI. Any approach that Turnitin took with AI would be wrong more often than it would be right. By putting the control in the hands of instructors, they give them the flexibility two allow a wider variety of approaches.

That, in the end, is what Turnitin Clarity is really about, enabling instructors to carve the path they feel is best. Even if that is no path at all.