Been going back and forth on this since my professor mentioned it last semester. She said the school uses multiple tools but wouldn’t say which ones specifically.
From what I’ve researched, most universities are running Turnitin as the primary check. Some have added GPTZero or similar tools on top. A few institutions run in-house solutions.
The honest answer is: it varies a lot. A smaller design school might only run plagiarism checks with no AI detection at all. A larger research university is almost certainly running dedicated AI detection on submitted writing.
What I’ve noticed though is that design schools seem to focus more on visual work originality than written AI detection. The written components of case studies and process journals are the ones getting flagged.
Has anyone had work rejected or reviewed by their institution? Would help to know what system they’re actually using.
Anyone teaching at a design program here? Even a general answer would help.
From what I know working with a few universities on content, Turnitin is the most common across North America and Europe. Some schools have added additional layers but Turnitin is still the baseline for most institutions.
Design programs specifically are inconsistent. I went to two different programs and neither had AI detection on visual work - only the written thesis components. The tools just aren’t built for image detection the same way.
@CrispestHaze88 the variance is the answer honestly. There’s no standard. Some programs are very rigorous, some haven’t updated their policies since 2020. Best to ask your department directly.
The written process documentation is where it matters most in design programs. That’s where the AI detection flags come up. The visual work itself doesn’t get run through these tools - yet.
Spoke to a lecturer friend recently. She said their institution switched tools twice in the last 18 months trying to find one with fewer false positives. The whole space is still settling.