AI in Education Trends

Turnitin’s quarterly Learning Integrity Insights Reports reveal the qualitative and quantitative data driving our work with educators, students, and institutions as we navigate this next chapter of learning integrity and what responsible use of AI looks like in practice.

Our most recent report, looking at Q2 2026, revealed the following:

1. Students use AI differently depending on level and geography: US higher ed students are offloading their writing to AI (>80% AI writing detected) at double the rate of their fellow students in the UK and Australia. The AI in writing rate for secondary students from the US, UK, and Australia is mixed but overall lower than higher ed. And secondary students are using AI at a lower rate than higher ed students in the US.
2. AI can’t be applied off-the-shelf to education: Educators are hungry for education-specific AI. They need to be able to see how students use AI. And, it needs to be flexible to meet their teaching needs, reflective of how they design assignments, and save time–or add tangible benefit–on everyday tasks. If not, it’s not worth the investment.
3. AI decision making has moved closer to the educator: An increasing number of faculty and teaching and learning leaders–not administrators or IT–are leading AI strategy and implementation at their institutions.