A teacher devised a clever trap to catch students using AI to write their essays. Laura, who posts on TikTok as @teacherlaura, added a hidden instruction in the essay prompt: students should write the word 'Gatorade' three times. If they did, it would indicate they had copied the prompt into an AI tool without reading it.
The Trap and the Results
Laura made the instruction invisible to students. When she ran one essay through an AI checker, 70% of it was flagged as AI-generated, 0% as human, and 30% as mixed AI and human. The checker stated, 'We are moderately confident this text was AI-generated.' Laura then checked for the word 'Gatorade' and found it three times, confirming the student had used AI without reading the prompt.
Reactions from Other Teachers
In the comments, teachers shared their frustrations. One wrote: 'Remember when the teachers’ biggest issue was getting students to stop using Wikipedia.' Another said: 'I'm so glad I finished school long before AI.' A third joked: 'This is so funny Gatorade. You caught them Gatorade good. Keep up the good Gatorade work!' A fourth fumed: 'So not only did they use AI, but they didn’t seem to proofread it either…'
One commenter argued: 'The issue isn’t AI itself, it’s how it’s used. Schools shouldn’t pretend AI doesn’t exist when it’s already part of many workplaces, and even teachers use it to save time creating lesson plans, quizzes, or grading support. Instead of banning it outright, schools should teach students how to use it responsibly, like how to fact-check its answers, improve their own ideas, and be transparent when they’ve used it. But if a student has AI write an entire paper and turns it in as their own, that’s still cheating. Teaching responsible use prepares students for the real world much better than simply forbidding the technology.'
