#California

California’s public colleges are spending heavily on AI-detection tools to curb plagiarism and AI-assisted cheating. Yet a growing body of evidence points to blind spots, privacy risks, and questionable educational value. The California case offers a cautionary preview for Thai educators as digital learning expands nationwide.

The surge of AI writing tools like ChatGPT has unsettled professors who worry students may not be the true authors of their work. In response, providers began marketing detection systems that promise to identify both plagiarism and AI-generated writing. California State University recently budgeted an additional sum for Turnitin’s AI-detection upgrades, pushing annual licensing past the seven-figure mark. Across the state, Cal State campuses have spent millions on Turnitin since 2019, with many community colleges and University of California campuses adopting similar contracts. These findings come from investigative reporting by CalMatters and The Markup, which examined spending and policy choices across the system.

California’s public colleges and universities are spending millions on high-tech solutions to catch plagiarism and artificial intelligence (AI) misuse, but mounting evidence reveals these investments may be rife with technological blind spots, privacy risks, and questionable educational value. As higher education worldwide faces a new era of “AI arms race,” the experience of the California system demonstrates how quick fixes may fall short, fueling new debates that resonate in classrooms from Bangkok to Berkeley.