From Barbie's and Oppenheimer’s record-breaking box offices and the Beckhams' stealing our hearts in their new Netflix documentary, to Taylor Swift being named Time's Person of the Year, these pop culture moments shaped the year and made 2023 one we won’t forget.
2023 also brought a lot of change to the educational landscape. The topic of AI writing in the classroom came to the forefront with OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT and led to a lot of conversations: Should it be allowed in school? How can educators help students use it safely and ethically in assignments? Should academic policies be updated to incorporate AI writing?
At Turnitin, though AI writing was at the top of our list, it wasn’t the only thing on our minds this year! In 365 days, we released a variety of innovative features and products that help educators work more efficiently; we celebrated 25 years in global academic integrity; and we attended events around the world to continue conversations with educators and students.
Take a look at a few of our notable moments from the past year. It's the season to reflect on what happened and think about the year ahead. What were some of your highlights?
Delivering products and solutions to address the shift towards AI
In March 2023, Turnitin launched its AI Writing detection feature to help educators identify when AI writing tools, such as ChatGPT, may have generated text used in students’ submissions. Along with that release, we made updates to existing products like iThenticate and the Similarity Report. Check out our top five product updates and features, and hear from some of our customers about their experiences.
1. Turitin launched its AI Writing detection feature
Celebrating Turnitin at 25 - A year of milestones
Turnitin had much to celebrate in 2023, including a variety of partnerships, a milestone anniversary, and a new employee resource group.
3. 2024 AI in education Bett Awards Finalist
5. Launched a new Employee Resource Group: Neurodiversity at Turnitin
Taking the conversation to industry events
Throughout the year, Turnitin attended and sponsored events around the world, talking about academic integrity, AI writing, and assessments. Globally, the story remains the same: we are here to help educators, administrators, and students navigate the ever-changing world of education.
1. In October, Turnitin attended Educause in Chicago, launching Turnitin’s interactive AI writing puzzle.
2. Throughout Latin America, Turnitin hosted AI roundtables in five cities in a variety of countries where nearly 240 attendees had conversations about AI and education. We enjoyed learning together about the challenges and opportunities AI brought this year and how Turnitin can help support institutions.
3. Turnitin employees attended the World Academic Summit in Sydney, where James Thorley, Turnitin's APAC Regional Vice President, spoke on an AI writing panel, discussing how the technology is impacting education.
4. In March, Eric Wang, Turnitin’s Vice President of Artificial Intelligence in Technology, spoke at SXSW EDU. “Even with the rise of AI writing tools, students will still need to understand the ‘why’ of the assignment and we are here to help facilitate those conversations.”
5. The EMEA Turnitin team attended the OEB Conference in Berlin in November, to talk with trade show attendees about how Turnitin can help with assessments and academic integrity.
Creating resources for educators, learners, and researchers
2023 spurred thoughtful questions around AI writing, and in recognition of this uncertainty, Turnitin released myriad new resources for educators, administrators, and students alike.
Best practices, tips, and tools: Insights from the Turnitin blog
Our team of writers and veteran educators pride themselves in crafting meaningful, helpful blog posts to serve our customers' needs. Here are our top five posts from 2023 for students and educators:
Understanding the role of AI in education via research and surveys
And finally, Turnitin collaborated with a variety of industry partners to publish research and survey results to help the educational community better understand trends and the needs of students.
*Turnitin was a partner in providing compensation to conduct this study.
In sum: 2023 Turnitin wrapped
As 2023 comes to a close, we reflect on a year that saw Turnitin at the heart of the evolving education landscape, particularly with the rise of AI writing. Celebrating our 25th anniversary, we've not only launched innovative features like the AI Writing detection tool but also engaged in meaningful conversations and research about academic integrity and technology's role in education.
Our journey through 2023 has solidified Turnitin's commitment to supporting educators, students, and administrators in navigating these new challenges. As we look towards 2024, we remain dedicated to evolving alongside the educational community, ensuring that integrity and excellence stay at the forefront of our collective journey.
Thank you for joining us in this eventful year. We're excited for what the future holds and eagerly anticipate another year of innovation and collaboration. Here's to a successful and integrity-driven 2024!