UCT drops use of AI detection software
Image: AFP
In a move likely to be welcomed by students, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has announced that it will discontinue the use of AI detection tools, such as Turnitin's AI Score, effective October 1, 2025.
This decision follows the endorsement of UCT's AI in Education Framework by the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee in June 2025. According to the university, the framework prioritises ethical AI literacy, assessment integrity, and innovative curriculum design over reliance on automated surveillance tools.
According to the University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Teaching and Learning Professor Brandon Collier-Reed, the institution will discontinue the use of AI detection tools, such as Turnitin's AI Score.
He also raised concerns regarding the reliability of AI detection tools, noting that they are widely considered to be unreliable and can produce both false positives and false negatives.
"An important related issue is the use of the Turnitin AI Score, which flags passages of writing in student work considered to be AI-generated," Reed said in a communique directed to students and staff.
"AI detection tools are widely considered to be unreliable, and can produce both false positives and false negatives. The continued use of such scores risks compromising student trust and academic fairness. The Senate Teaching and Learning Committee has now agreed that use of the AI Score should be discontinued, and this feature in Turnitin will no longer be available at UCT from 1 October 2025".
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad Loading
The university's decision comes amid global challenges with AI detection tools, which have frequently resulted in students being mistakenly accused of using AI-generated content. universities worldwide are being forced to reconsider how they monitor and assess the use of AI in student work.
Collier-Reed added that the endorsement of the framework was a result of UCT moving with the times, as 'artificial intelligence technologies are becoming part of our daily lives'.
'Staff and students are using tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in innovative and productive ways; while at other times these technologies present significant challenges, requiring us to rethink teaching pedagogies, assessment practices and the fundamentals of what a university experience should be, and what our qualifications should signify in a changing world,' he said.
IOL News
mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
9 minutes ago
- IOL News
South Africa is not ready for the coming white-collar AI bloodbath
South Africa is not ready for the coming white-collar AI bloodbath, says the author. Image: AI LAB A major disruption is unfolding in global white-collar employment. According to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs could vanish in the next five years due to advances in artificial intelligence. As detailed in Axios' article 'Behind the Curtain: A White-Collar Bloodbath', this isn't science fiction; it's a forecast from one of the leading minds in the AI field. South Africa, already battling youth unemployment and graduate underemployment, is ill-prepared for this transformation. According to StatsSA, South Africa's youth unemployment rate stood at 45.5% in quarter one 2024, and even university graduates struggle to find meaningful, skills-aligned work. Our economy continues to rely heavily on labour-intensive sectors like mining and retail while offering limited pathways into knowledge work. Now, with AI rapidly mastering entry-level professional tasks, such as document drafting, basic analysis, and customer interaction, the last buffer between graduates and long-term exclusion may collapse. This shift is not about robots in factories; it is about machines replacing tasks traditionally assigned to junior professionals. Legal clerks, marketing interns, junior auditors, and admin graduates' roles, meant to build workplace experience, are increasingly handled by AI systems that are faster, cheaper, and tireless. Employers may not downsize immediately, but they are already freezing hiring or redesigning roles to be 'AI-first.' Without access to these stepping-stone roles, South Africa's already marginalised youth may find themselves locked out of the formal economy altogether. The government, academia, and business sectors are largely unresponsive to this looming crisis. Government conversations remain stuck in Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) rhetoric, disconnected from the speed and nature of current technological shifts. We are no longer preparing for change; we are reacting too late to one that is already here. To date, responses have been piecemeal. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has produced documents like the National Data and Cloud Policy and launched an AI Institute with the CSIR and UJ. However, these efforts lack a coordinated AI-readiness strategy that connects automation with job protection, ethical deployment, and skills development. The 2020 Presidential Commission on the 4IR laid out strong recommendations, but implementation has stalled. Meanwhile, digital upskilling initiatives funded through the National Skills Fund or SETAs focus mostly on basic IT literacy and coding, not AI fluency or workplace adaptation. Universities and TVET colleges continue to produce graduates for roles vulnerable to automation. While some institutions offer data science or entrepreneurship programmes, the majority of curricula remain outdated. Employers, for their part, are adopting AI in operations, particularly in banking, consulting, and customer service, but without public commitments to ethical deployment, job transition planning, or internship preservation. Public discourse is also behind. Civil society and researchers have begun tackling data ethics and algorithmic bias, but little attention is paid to AI's role in reshaping the graduate labour market. As a result, policy and pedagogy remain misaligned with the rapid automation of professional tasks. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ South Africa urgently needs a coordinated national strategy for AI integration and labour resilience. This strategy must include: Regulation of AI deployment in sectors like finance, education, and HR. An AI usage tax or levy to fund reskilling, digital public employment schemes, or universal basic income pilots. Labour market forecasting that tracks which roles are most vulnerable and identifies growth sectors suited to human skills. The education sector must act now. From basic education through to postgraduate study, curricula must equip students with data literacy, AI ethics, systems thinking, and interdisciplinary problem-solving. All disciplines, not just STEM, must be AI-aware. Pedagogies must evolve from rote learning to adaptive, applied learning. Employers must also take responsibility. Ethical AI adoption should include commitments to preserving pathways for young professionals, supporting employee reskilling, and maintaining entry-level learning opportunities. Without these, automation will deepen inequality and economic exclusion. We must also be bolder in where we look for future jobs. Care work, social entrepreneurship, the digital creative economy, rural innovation, and climate adaptation all require skills that AI cannot easily replicate, such as human judgement, emotional nuance, and cultural intelligence. If supported with funding and training, these sectors could provide both dignity and economic inclusion. While structural change is vital, individuals, especially tertiary students, must act proactively. First, they must become AI literate, understanding how platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and are transforming work. Many free or low-cost online courses are available. Second, students must strengthen human-centred skills such as ethical reasoning, creativity, communication, and teamwork, areas where machines still struggle. They should build real-world experience through volunteering, student leadership, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Third, graduates must build adaptable portfolios, showcasing skills through blogs, digital artefacts, or small projects. A certificate alone will no longer open doors. Finally, students should demand more from their institutions, AI-informed teaching, curriculum updates, and exposure to emerging tools and thinking. This moment demands courage and clarity. AI is not on the horizon; it is in the room. Without urgent, collaborative action across government, higher education, and business, South Africa risks cementing a two-tier society: those who build and manage the machines, and those left behind. If we act wisely, we can still shape a future where human talent and machine capability work together to create inclusive, ethical prosperity. Dr Zamandlovu Sizile Makola is a senior lecturer in the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS) at Unisa. *** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL. BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
The AI race is getting serious on the global stage and it's time to pick a side
Global leaders have entered the AI race. Last week, the US President Donald Trump announced the US AI Action plan. He described it as, 'An industrial revolution, an information revolution, and a renaissance—all at once.' A few days later China proposed a framework to govern AI development. What these superpowers have said and plan about AI is important for all of us who will be affected by this technology. The US plan proposed the 'cutting regulations to spur AI innovation and adoption, speeding up the buildout of AI data centers, exporting AI 'full technology stacks' to US allies and partners, and ridding AI systems of what the White House calls 'ideological bias'. The plan makes it clear that the US will use AI to achieve its political goals. If the plan gets implemented it seems what gets said by AI will matter a lot. The plan has great focus on AI ideological bias. On the other hand, China's proposal suggests that it's concerned about fragmentation in AI governance. More importantly, China is keen to develop an AI environment that moves away from AI dominance by just a few countries. To that effect it proposes that its AI development tool should be shared with others. Knowing about the AI approaches of both these super powers is important for South Africa. Going forward it will be impossible for South Africa to be non-aligned (in theory). The situation is forcing South Africa to choose a friend. China is planning to build an AI foundation that will enable countries in the South to be independent and not dependent on China. On the other hand, the US is building an AI foundation that will maintain the status quo that will mean global tech leadership by the US. If South Africa chooses to adopt AI platforms from the US it will have to also accept that it will be an AI slave. The China promise, however, seems to be an option that could allow South Africa to maintain its sovereignty. We are at a point where we all need to make up our mind about AI tools that we use. It's becoming clear that AI tools are not neutral tools. Most of them are aligned with their countries of origin. Understanding these developments should assist all in making informed decisions. Adopting AI is not just about adopting a tool that solves a problem. An AI tool that we will adopt will also inform how we live. We all need to choose wisely very fast. We need to always remember that for now the newly released AI blueprint from the US is aimed at vastly expanding the US AI exports to allies in a bid to maintain the American edge over China in the critical technology. According to a US Think Tank, the US AI Action Plan's strongest message is that the United States should meet, not curb, global demand for AI. To achieve this, the plan suggests a novel and ambitious approach: full-stack AI export packages through industry consortia. On the other hand, China wants AI to be openly shared and for all countries and companies to have equal rights to use it. The sooner nations choose their AI partners the sooner they master their AI destiny.
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
UCT discontinues AI detection tools, including Turnitin's AI Score
The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT. Image: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File UCT has announced that it will discontinue the use of AI detection tools, such as Turnitin's AI Score, effective October 1. This decision follows the endorsement of UCT's AI in Education Framework by the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee in June this year. According to the university, the framework prioritises ethical AI literacy, assessment integrity, and innovative curriculum design over reliance on automated surveillance tools. According to the University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Teaching and Learning Professor Brandon Collier-Reed, the institution will discontinue the use of AI detection tools, such as Turnitin's AI Score. He also raised concerns regarding the reliability of AI detection tools, noting that they are widely considered to be unreliable and can produce both false positives and false negatives. "An important related issue is the use of the Turnitin AI Score, which flags passages of writing in student work considered to be AI-generated," Reed said in a communique directed to students and staff. "AI detection tools are widely considered to be unreliable, and can produce both false positives and false negatives. The continued use of such scores risks compromising student trust and academic fairness. The Senate Teaching and Learning Committee has now agreed that use of the AI Score should be discontinued, and this feature in Turnitin will no longer be available at UCT from October 1, 2025". Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The university's decision comes amid global challenges with AI detection tools, which have frequently resulted in students being mistakenly accused of using AI-generated content. Collier-Reed added that the endorsement of the framework was a result of UCT moving with the times, as 'artificial intelligence technologies are becoming part of our daily lives'. 'Staff and students are using tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini in innovative and productive ways; while at other times these technologies present significant challenges, requiring us to rethink teaching pedagogies, assessment practices and the fundamentals of what a university experience should be, and what our qualifications should signify in a changing world,' he said. Cape Times
