Turnitin introduces AI writing detection for Japanese submissions

Edtech company offers Japanese-speaking educational community new solution that supports transparency and upholds academic integrity

OAKLAND, Calif., April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Turnitin, a leading provider of technology solutions in academic integrity, has launched its AI writing detection feature for Japanese language submissions, expanding upon its award-winning product portfolio. The new feature helps Japanese-speaking educational communities advance learning, uphold academic integrity and promote original thinking in the classroom.

The AI writing detection feature for Japanese submissions is available within Turnitin Originality and iThenticate as a separate add-on. It is embedded within customers' existing workflow, providing a seamless experience with helpful insights. Like the English version, the feature provides educators with an overall percentage of likely AI-generated content. Currently, Turnitin's AI writing detection model for Japanese is trained to detect content from the GPT-4, GPT 4-o and GPT 4-o-mini language models.

"As AI continues to integrate itself into different aspects of life, including in the classroom, Turnitin's new feature gives Japanese educators deeper insights into their students' writing," said Betsy Matsunaga, director of sales for Turnitin APAC. "Educators, relying on their experience, judgement, and a student's past writing style, should decide what is or what is not acceptable regarding original writing. Our AI writing detection for Japanese submissions can offer valuable data with helping educators drive student engagement and informed discussions."

A recent survey conducted by the Japanese National Federation of University Co-operative Associations revealed a significant increase in the use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, among university students. The survey, which gathered responses from 11,590 undergraduate students across 31 national, public and private universities, found that 50% of students are now using generative AI regularly, a notable rise of 22 percentage points from the previous year when usage was below 30%. While many students appreciate the convenience of AI in summarizing information, students also raised concerns about the reliability of sources and the ethical implications of using AI for academic assignments.

"This launch demonstrates our company's commitment to listening to customers' requests and addressing their needs in the classroom through continuous innovation," said Annie Chechitelli, chief product officer of Turnitin. "Although originally available for English language submissions only, customer feedback highlighted the strong need for AI writing detection for Japanese submissions to support authenticity and academic transparency for our Japanese-speaking customers and educational partners."

Turnitin's dedicated AI engineering team began working on a writing detection solution more than two years before the launch of ChatGPT and introduced its AI writing detection feature for English writing submissions within months of OpenAI's generative AI application release. The company and the feature have also received numerous industry accolades and honorable mentions, including the 2024 SmartBrief on EdTech Readers' Choice Awards, 2024 Bett Awards, EdTech Breakthrough Awards 2024, 2023 Tech & Learning and 2024 GSV 150.

About Turnitin
Turnitin is a global company dedicated to ensuring the integrity of education and meaningfully improving learning outcomes. For more than 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educational institutions to promote honesty, consistency, and fairness across all subject areas and assessment types. Over 16,000 customers in 185 countries use Turnitin solutions to uphold academic integrity, increase learning performance, and enable students and professionals to do their best, original work.

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