South African Universities Switch Off AI Detectors Over Accuracy and Bias Concerns, Rethinking Assessment

By 2026, the initial panic that greeted the launch of generative AI in higher education has transitioned into a complex, high-stakes standoff. At the heart of this conflict are AI checkers – software designed to catch students using tools like ChatGPT. However, a growing number of institutions, including major South African universities, are now switching these detectors off, sparking a fundamental rethink of what it means to learn and be assessed in a digital age.