If you are accused of using artificial intelligence to complete an assignment (without adequate authorization), you could be required to redo that assignment. It’s just as likely, if not more so, that you may face a more severe response, such as failing the assignment and being formally reprimanded for AI-related misconduct.
Several factors may affect the response to an allegation of unauthorized AI use. Whether you intended to violate an AI usage policy, the strength of evidence that you used AI in an inappropriate way, and your disciplinary history could play a role in that response.
It’s best practice for university students accused of inappropriate AI use to protect themselves from the jump. Should an instructor try to impose substantial discipline or escalate your case to a formal adjudicative body, you will already be prepared.
Start by calling the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team right away at 888-535-3686 or contacting us online about our student-defense services (and how they can benefit you).
Redoing an Assignment After an Accusation of Unauthorized AI Use? That’s Likely the Best You Can Hope For.
Being able to redo an assignment (even for partial credit) is, by most standards, a merciful, even lenient response if a student is suspected of AI-related misconduct. Such a “light” response may be most likely when:
- An instructor recognizes that their instruction about AI use was not entirely explicit (but, in their judgment, explicit enough that the student should have refrained from using any AI resources)
- A student genuinely did not intend to violate any AI usage policies (and the instructor deems them sincere)
- The student and instructor have a generally positive relationship
- The student has no prior disciplinary infractions
- The use of an AI platform was not instrumental to the completion of the assignment (as opposed to, say, having ChatGPT write an entire paper)
In some cases, it may be the student’s lucky day, as the instructor may be willing to give a second chance. Whatever the reasoning behind the professor’s decision, merely redoing an assignment after being accused of unauthorized AI use is often a best-case outcome.
But What If I Didn’t Use AI? Isn’t It Unfair That I’d Have to Redo an Assignment?
Of course, having to redo an assignment if you did not use AI (as you’ve been accused of) is unfair. When you speak with our Student Defense Team, we will help you decide whether to contest the decision or comply with the instructor’s order to redo the work.
Some of the More Severe Responses to Alleged AI Misconduct
When an instructor suspects (or knows) that a student used AI on an assignment without receiving permission to do so, getting a do-over is far from the worst-case outcome. Many students have suffered far more severe consequences as a result of alleged AI misconduct, including:
- Failing the assignment without the opportunity to redo it
- Failing the course
- Suffering a formal reprimand indicating misconduct occurred
- Suspension
- Dismissal
At Stanford Law, for example, “Unauthorized use of AI tools may result in a lower grade, including a grade of F, and/or a referral to Stanford’s Office of Community Standards.”
While university students are not typically dismissed for a first-time allegation of AI misconduct, you may be at a heightened risk of severe discipline if:
- You were previously found responsible for academic or behavioral misconduct
- There was an unambiguous instruction not to use AI on the assignment in question
- You are found to be dishonest during the investigation of suspected AI misconduct
- Your instructor, or others involved in the adjudication of suspected misconduct, has a preexisting bias against you
You should always proceed as if the authorities at your school are going to overreact. When you prepare for such a disciplinary overreaction, you will present a tenacious defense.
Our Student Defense Team’s approach is aggressive and proactive. We leave no room for doubt that we did everything possible to help our students avoid discipline.
Who Decides the Response to Unauthorized AI Use by a University Student?
Instructors typically determine whether a student’s use of AI is unauthorized in a couple of different respects:
- Instructors typically compose the AI usage policies that detail what use cases are acceptable and unacceptable
- Instructors are often the ones who first suspect potential illicit AI use during the grading process
- If a third party reports suspected AI misconduct to a professor, the professor may conduct a preliminary review of the complaint (and determine if formal adjudication is necessary)
At many schools, instructors even have the authority to adjudicate the complaint on their own. This isn’t always the case, though.
Some universities consider unauthorized use of AI an Honor Code violation. Rather than granting instructors sole discretion over the student’s responsibility and corresponding discipline, schools like Harvard require instructors to outsource the matter to an Honor Council-like body.
Our Student Defense Team will quickly familiarize you with the adjudication process ahead of you and prepare you for it.
Does an Instructor Have to Prove That I Used AI to Make Me Redo an Assignment (or Impose More Serious Sanctions)?
An instructor or another assigned investigator may not have to prove that you used AI in order to impose sanctions. For instance, if you admit to engaging in unauthorized AI use, your admission may be more than enough grounds to discipline you.
If you don’t admit to wrongdoing, though—perhaps because you did nothing wrong—then it may be far more difficult to sanction you.
At the University of Southern California, for instance, instructors “relying on evidence created by AI detection tools is insufficient to determine responsibility without additional analysis or other supporting elements.” If an AI detector’s results aren’t enough to find a student responsible for unauthorized AI use, that leaves witness testimony, self-incrimination, and a select few other forms of evidence to use against a student.
These are the kinds of considerations that we help you weigh. Everything we do will be for your best interests, and that may include negotiating a resolution with your university’s Office of General Counsel.
We are the team to reach out to when students’ lives get rocky. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team right away at 888-535-3686 or contact us online as soon as you sense trouble.