When students first discovered generative artificial intelligence, non-English majors collectively rejoiced: “No more essays!” With the unleashing of software that detects AI-generated content, though, students’ dreams were not long-lived.
Rather than students abandoning AI-powered writing services like DeepL Write, they have figured out how to utilize these platforms without completely relying on them. They might have the platform draft an outline or write portions of the essay, rather than having artificial intelligence write an entire essay.
Even when students don’t use DeepL Write (or similar resources like ChatGPT), they can be falsely accused of doing so. AI-detecting tools that are “neither accurate nor reliable” are often to blame for such baseless allegations, and they are a threat to students’ rights and reputations that our team encounters far too frequently.
Students who use generative AI tools like DeepL Write are not criminals, but you could be convinced they were based on the seriousness with which schools treat chatbot collaboration. Don’t allow overzealous discipline to cast doubt on your academic and professional future.
Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us online. We will show you what impactful, passionate student advocacy looks like.
You Can Probably Guess What DeepL Write Does, but Let’s Discuss It Anyway
You might be reading this because you or your student has been accused of using DeepL Write in some prohibited fashion. You probably understand what the platform does, then, but for the general audience, we should note that:
- DeepL Write is more than just a ChatGPT substitute: The platform, and specifically DeepL Write Pro, is a veritable “writing assistant” that tells the user where their writing is unclear and corrects mistakes, serving as a sort of synthetic editor for the user.
- The platform does have the capacity to do the heavy lifting for the user: There is no doubt that DeepL Write’s features include several that might be used in an academically unethical manner. For instance, the platform can adjust the user’s writing to match preferred tones and styles, which may cross a professor’s red line for AI collaboration.
- It’s not immediately clear whether or not DeepL Write would be an acceptable or prohibited resource: Is Grammarly or other text-editing platforms considered a means of cheating? If not, then students who use DeepL Write have a solid case that they did not necessarily break the rules. More than most AI-powered platforms, DeepL Write contains plenty of gray area between “obviously acceptable use case” and “blatant academic integrity violation.”
Several factors may influence whether using DeepL Write for academic work could, or should, lead to discipline.
Would Most Schools Consider Using DeepL Write to Be a Cause for Discipline?
Whether or not your use of DeepL Write constitutes a violation of school policy is not immediately apparent. To provide a more certain answer, we would need to know:
- Which features of DeepL Write you used (and how you used those features)
- What similar resources (like Grammarly) your professor or school generally prohibits or permits
- The specific instructions for the assignment you used DeepL Write to complete, and any parameters the professor included in those instructions
- If there are any specific policies, either from your school or a particular professor, that outline acceptable and unacceptable use of AI resources
These are facts we intend to gather and analyze while serving as your representatives. Such facts may be instrumental to our defense strategy and the range of acceptable outcomes to any disciplinary proceedings you undergo.
Why Students Are Often Not Solely at Fault for Using AI (Even When They Clearly Break the Rules)
Just as it takes two to tango, it often takes two (or more) parties to violate a school’s AI-specific behavioral policies. A student might admit that they used DeepL Write in a way that, if they were being more cautious, they would not have. At the same time, it may be true that:
- The professor or other school employees were not clear enough in their prohibition of specific AI resources, possibly including DeepL Write
- A professor or other school employee gave the false impression that using a tool like DeepL Write might be permitted
- School employees provided no written or digital AI policy, which is best practice when communicating which resources students can and cannot use
We have even seen cases where school employees explicitly tell a student they can use a resource like DeepL Write, only to deny they did so (and attempt to discipline the student).
You can make no assumptions once you’ve been accused of misconduct, or even if you sense rumblings of trouble ahead. Even adults you trust can be unpredictable in the worst ways, beholden to their employers’ whims and commands, and willing to discipline a student who they know does not deserve it.
Don’t Take a Disciplinary “L” Because You (Allegedly) Used DeepL Write—Let Us Fight for You Instead
There are countless ways to use DeepL Write ethically, and even in ways that signal you are actively trying to improve as a student. Yet, professors and academic administrators may not grasp the nuances of this platform, or may move ahead with discipline for other reasons.
Make no mistake, you can take a Deep “L” if you do not present a proactive, compelling defense to an allegation of wrongdoing. Allow the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team to serve you by:
- Giving you the floor to explain to us how you have arrived at such a precarious crossroads
- Using your insights as a prompt, investigating the facts of how you used (or did not use) DeepL Write
- Establishing contact with your school’s most influential decision-makers, including those who will have immediate sway in disciplinary decisions
- Identifying our options for resolving your disciplinary case, honestly evaluating the strength of evidence and facts, and soliciting your feedback in pursuing the outcome you believe is achievable and fair
We prepare students for hearings, negotiate with schools’ general counsel, urgently resolve appeals, and manage the other critical aspects of student defense. Let us take the lead for you.
Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team today at 888-535-3686 or contact us onlineabout how we are going to resolve this quandary and protect your future.