The way you use artificial intelligence (AI) in college can affect your ability to get recommendations from professors. There is no rule stating that an instructor has to recommend you—if they don’t like the way you use AI, they might elect not to provide a recommendation.
Students should go to reasonable lengths to remain in compliance with professors’ AI usage policies. Reviewing written policies and discussing specific use cases with their instructor are two of the most effective best practices for avoiding allegations of AI misconduct.
Even students who take substantial preventive measures can still be accused of AI misuse. If an instructor believes that a student’s misuse of one or more AI resources is willful or egregious, that instructor may be unwilling to recommend that student to graduate school admissions boards, prospective employers, or others for whom a recommendation might go a long way.
If you have been accused of AI-related misconduct, clearing your name (or at least resolving the issue favorably) may be the best way to remain worthy of recommendation. Let us help. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team right away at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
Why Might a University Professor Cite a Student’s AI Use as a Reason Not to Provide a Recommendation?
Professors don’t typically revoke offers to recommend a student (or would-be offers) simply because a student uses AI. If that were the case, no college student would be eligible to receive recommendations from professors, as tools like ChatGPT have become as commonplace among collegians as textbooks and cellphones.
Professors typically choose not to recommend students who use AI in a manner they deem unethical. Such AI uses might include:
- Blatant violations of the professor’s written AI usage policy
- Violations of the professor’s verbal instructions regarding acceptable AI use (which may have been issued in a class-wide announcement or in a private conversation with the student)
- Uses of AI resources that the instructor considers to be sneaky (such as those that do not technically violate a policy but are ethically dubious)
- Failure by the student to disclose their use of an AI resource, whether or not the instructor’s policies mandated disclosure
If an instructor believes a student made an honest mistake, the instructor may not hold that mistake against the student. They may still be willing to provide a recommendation for the student if asked.
If, however, an instructor believes the student willfully violated their policies or engaged in ethically questionable conduct, the respect and trust between that instructor and the student may be irreparably violated.
What Other Consequences Might I Face If Accused of AI-Related Misconduct During College?
Depending on an instructor’s gravitas and connections, a recommendation could go a long way. However, the loss of an instructor’s recommendation may seem like a minor consequence compared with:
- Dismissal from your university, which may be on the table if you have prior disciplinary infractions or are accused of an egregious instance of academic misconduct
- Suspension, which has happened to countless students found responsible for AI-related misconduct at universities worldwide
- Probation, which may place you only a single alleged infraction from more severe consequences, such as suspension and dismissal
- The loss of educational and professional opportunities, which may result from formal disciplinary action (and may also result, in small part, from the loss of recommendations you might have otherwise received)
These kinds of outcomes can also expose students to severe mental health challenges. In both the short and long run, your quality of life may decline if an allegation of AI misuse leads to tangible consequences, including disciplinary action at the university level.
Will a Professor Still Provide a Recommendation If I’m Not Formally Found Responsible for AI Misconduct?
Some professors might place significant emphasis on the outcome of formal disciplinary proceedings. Others might form their own opinion about your responsibility for wrongdoing on their own.
For instance, say an instructor was the one who first suspected a student of AI misuse. Perhaps they reviewed your work, noticed marked differences in your most recent submission and prior work, and ran your submission through an AI checker. They might feel strongly that you used ChatGPT or another AI resource to cheat, and the result of formal disciplinary proceedings might not change their mind either way.
Conversely, consider a case in which an instructor receives a tip from a student alleging that their classmate misused an AI resource. That instructor may place greater weight on a disciplinary body’s ruling, as they may not have strong preconceptions about the student’s guilt or innocence.
Regardless of whether an instructor changes their perception based on the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, that outcome matters in a major way. Whether or not you suffer formal discipline could have a substantial impact on your future, which is why you should allow our Student Defense Team to be your advocates throughout disciplinary proceedings.
What Kinds of AI Use Do University Instructors Frown Upon?
There are a few common patterns of AI use that students should avoid, as they tend to violate even lenient instructors’ AI usage policies:
- Using AI to generate written text that the student submits as their own
- Having AI solve equations that the student is expected to solve on their own
- Using AI resources in any way when a professor has a comprehensive ban on AI use
- Failing to disclose one’s use of an AI resource in academic work
Footnotes, notes attached to assignments, emails, and one-on-one discussions with instructors can all count as “disclosure” of a student’s AI use.
Being transparent about your AI use not only eliminates perceptions of sneakiness and rule-breaking but may also reduce the risk that an instructor will choose not to recommend you in the future.
What Should I Do If I Am Accused of AI-Related Misconduct?
That’s easy: Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team right away at 888-535-3686 or contact us online.
Student advocacy is our focus, and we take a bold but tactful approach when resolving allegations that a student has misused AI—even when that means going directly to universities’ offices of general counsel to strike a student-friendly agreement.