AI Tools in University Level Education: A Comparative Review of Free and Subscription Tools for Teaching, English Communication, Research, Citation and Plagiarism Checking

Name of Author : Kavitha Kaliyaperumal, Dr.Nehru Parasuraman

Abstract: Generative AI is now routine in universities, so institutions need a clear, low cost map of which tools suit which academic task. This paper reviews widely used AI tools across eleven functional categories in higher education: quiz creation, group discussion, pronunciation checking, English communication, story image creation, video creation, prompt-based scenario creation, content creation, research, grammar checking and plagiarism checking. For each tool we record free-tier availability, indicative subscription cost, classroom use and main limitation, and we give a sample university activity per category. We find that free tiers cover most teaching, discovery and citation tasks; that paid plans are most justified for pronunciation drilling, academic editing and avatar video; and that AI text detectors are the least reliable category and should never be the sole evidence of misconduct. We situate the findings in the Indian higher-education context (UGC 2018 plagiarism regulations, INFLIBNET ShodhShuddhi, NEP 2020, AICTE initiatives) and close with ethical considerations, a five step adoption framework aligned with UNESCO guidance, and ready-to-use prompts for teachers.

Keywords : generative AI, higher education, English language teaching, academic integrity, plagiarism detection, citation management, AI literacy, India

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