12 What If I Don’t Use Generative AI?

I am seeing more and more news articles and social media posts about students who have been falsely accused of using generative AI when they haven’t. While many instructors hoped there would be a reliable AI checker, the fact is there just isn’t one. Because of the nature of LLMs and how they work, it’s not likely that a reliable checker will ever exist.  Worse, the students who seem likely to “get caught” (or rather, falsely accused) tend to be strong writers.

So if you’re already a good academic writer, what can you do? The information below comes from a chapter from Introduction to Ethics and AI in Higher Education by Reed Hepler, Liza Long, and Joel Gladd.

Students Who Don’t Want to Use Generative AI

There are plenty of ethical concerns associated with generative artificial intelligence, and we have found that students who are educated about these concerns sometimes prefer not to use or interact with generative AI tools. Maybe you are one of those students.

Some students are rightly uncomfortable with using AI. What should you do if a teacher requires it? First, know that AI is a developing technology, and the ways that AI can be implemented (or avoided) in a classroom vary widely. Keep in mind the instructor’s intent. AI is increasingly in demand in the workplace; as higher education is increasingly expected to justify how a course fosters “durable skills” that translate to the workplace, AI is going to become one of those bridgeable technologies that will be difficult for faculty to carve out of their syllabus. Or, your instructor may include AI assignments not to promote using it uncritically, but rather to encourage savvy awareness around its limits and capabilities. If you want to resist or critically engage with AI, for ethical or other reasons, your ethical stance may be perfectly compatible with using it in a controlled environment.

If you want to remain in a section even if it requires using AI, establish a line of communication early on to see if you can complete alternate assignments, such as arguments that engage critically with the exercise and provide explanations for how the technology may be limited or unethical. Faculty who allow opt-out sometimes provide sample chatbot conversations. Ask the faculty member if they would be able to provide these for you to engage with and reflect on, if you do not want to use the technology yourself.

You should also look for what platform(s) the instructor expects students to use in the course. Does the institution provide safe and secure access to something like Microsoft Co-Pilot or ChatGPT for Enterprise? Are they working with a company that uses the APIs of Anthropic, OpenAI, or another company but within a contained environment that doesn’t share your data? If not, the instructor may be requiring you to sign up for a service that violates basic expectations around privacy. If the nature of the course content involves highly personal work, press them on this issue. You can of course find ways to transfer to another section early in the semester, if you feel it’s not in your best interest to remain in that section.

When You Are Unfairly Accused of Unauthorized AI Use

What happens if you’re unfairly accused of using generative AI? Unfortunately, as of this writing in 2024, such accusations are extremely common. It will be helpful to know that a high percentage of faculty are just trying to figure out this technology themselves. They’re learners, just like you, and they’re applying an older framework (plagiarism) to a new technology (generative AI). Most higher education institutions did not update their academic integrity policies to include artificial intelligence until 2023. Until most faculty have fully wrapped their heads around how to teach and assess in a way that “fits” with how students are engaging with a course, it will help to keep that in mind.

So how can you deal with an accusation like this? We have seen that when a student is accused and receives a zero for an assignment (whether it’s a low stakes discussion board or a higher stakes exam or paper), it’s extremely important to continue the conversation and ask to meet with the faculty member to demonstrate your proficiency. Start there. Rather than lashing out in anger (even though your anger is understandable), show them you’re eager to demonstrate that you’re engaging with the course content. Set up a Zoom meeting or, better, visit them in person, as soon after the accusation as you can.

Second, know your institution’s protocols around academic integrity violations. This is extremely important. If a student receives a “0” for an assignment, and the instructor believes it’s AI-generated text, the instructor needs to follow institutional protocol by notifying academic integrity officers, usually by submitting an academic integrity violation report. Students can challenge this, and you should, if it comes to that—but first, start with a sincere and eager communication with the instructor. When reporting a student, faculty must be able to demonstrate “with reasonable certainty” that the student has committed a violation. It doesn’t have to be 100% certainty, but rather something they could argue successfully in an academic integrity hearing.

When you meet with the instructor, ask how they determined your submission was AI-generated. As mentioned above, AI-checkers are highly flawed. AI cannot be used to detect AI with certainty. If communication breaks down, and you challenge the grade, make sure you are aware of institutional appeal deadlines (usually available in your college catalog). Do not hesitate to appeal the grade if your instructor is unwilling to work with you after that initial meeting.

Finally, what this entire scenario demonstrates is that it’s often helpful to leave a digital trail of your work. As we mentioned previously, tracking your version history can be one way to do this. Google Docs and Microsoft Word have histories with timestamps that show the progress of your work. If you’re particularly concerned, you can download Chrome extensions, like Cursive, that record your labor in a more granular way. It’s a good practice to write first in Word or Google Docs, etc., and then copy your work into the LMS. That way, you can prove your labor.

If you’ve been accused of using AI and you did, keep in mind the same steps provided above regarding unfair accusations (reach out to demonstrate your engagement, know the academic integrity reporting process, etc.), but the best thing to do is simply to ask for an opportunity to redo the assignment or complete an oral assessment. Know that most faculty truly do want to work with you, and if they see a good faith effort to re-engage, they usually will accept a redo or alternate assessment.

A “No-AI” Acknowledgement Statement

In the previous chapter, we looked at how to cite and acknowledge AI use. But as an instructor, I am also curious about why students choose not to use AI tools. For this reason, I request that my students include a “no-AI” acknowledgment statement when they choose not to use AI. Here is the template:

The important point to remember here is that these tools exist, and we need to be mindful about how and when we are using (or not using) them. Understanding why you may choose not to use AI is just as important as knowing why you choose to use it!