How-to Students and teachers, Introductory, Staying safe
Academic integrity and AI: honest use or cheating?
For students and teachers, a plain guide to where honest use of AI ends and cheating begins, following your institution's rules and acknowledging AI help.
Last reviewed: . Reviewer: Muhammad Asadullah.
Why this matters
AI chatbots can write essays, solve problems and answer exam style questions in seconds. That makes them powerful study tools. It also makes it easy to hand in work that is not really yours.
Academic integrity means being honest about whose work you are submitting. A degree or certificate is a promise that you can do what it says. If AI did the work, that promise is empty. You also lose the learning you came for.
Honest uses
These uses usually support learning, as long as your institution allows them:
- Explaining a concept you did not understand in class
- Quizzing yourself before a test, then checking the answers against your notes
- Getting feedback on a draft you wrote yourself, such as "where is my argument weak?"
- Checking grammar and spelling in your own writing
- Planning your study time with a timetable. Our study plan prompt can help
- Brainstorming ideas that you then research and develop yourself
When it becomes cheating
Use of AI usually crosses the line when:
- You submit AI-written text as your own work
- You use AI during an exam or test where it is not allowed
- You ask AI to rewrite someone else's work so it does not look copied
- You include references or data from AI that you have not checked. AI often invents sources. See hallucination
- You use AI on an assignment where your teacher said not to, even for a small part
A simple test: if your teacher watched exactly how you produced the work, would they be comfortable? If not, stop.
Follow your institution's rules
Rules differ between schools, colleges and universities. They can differ between courses and even between assignments.
- Read the policy. Look for a policy on plagiarism, academic honesty or AI in your student handbook or on your institution's website.
- Read the assignment brief. It may say whether AI is allowed and how.
- Ask when unsure. Ask your teacher or supervisor before you start, not after you submit.
- Keep a record. Save your drafts and notes. They show how your work developed if anyone asks.
Some institutions use software that claims to detect AI writing. These tools can be wrong in both directions. Your drafts and honest acknowledgement are your best protection.
How to acknowledge AI help
If AI use is allowed, be open about it. A short note at the end of your work is usually enough, unless your institution asks for a specific format. Include:
- Which tool you used
- What you used it for, for example "to explain the concept of supply and demand" or "to check grammar"
- What you did yourself, for example "all analysis and writing are my own"
Do not list a chatbot as a source for facts. Find and cite the original source instead.
For teachers
- Be clear in every assignment about what AI use is allowed.
- Explain the reason behind your rules. Students follow rules they understand.
- Design tasks that need personal thinking, such as reflections, local examples, oral explanations or work done in class.
- Talk before you accuse. Detection tools are not proof. Ask the student to explain their work.
Related: how to check AI citations.