Students often struggle with looming deadlines and complex assignment topics, which is why they look for a way out of them. Whether it is to brainstorm creative research ideas, write an essay or analyse a document, AI tools are becoming quite popular among students. By combining technologies and advanced algorithms, artificial intelligence is helpful in creating content, translating spoken and written language, and analysing data. This means that AI tools and chatbots can help write essays, solve math problems, and even write code.
However, educational institutions prioritise original and plagiarism-free content, and students who use AI tools for assignments can face serious academic consequences. Hence, an important question arises: Is it legal to use AI tools to write your assignments and essays? Let us understand this together.
What Are Legal & Ethical Concerns For Using AI Tools As A Student?
The answer to a popular question: Is it legal to use AI tools to write your assignments? It is not illegal to use AI tools to assist with academic writing. However, it is important to note that many education institutions have strict guidelines and do not prefer AI-generated coursework as it goes against their policies and academic honesty. Hence, here are some ethical considerations to keep in mind:
Academic Integrity
Most schools and universities have firm academic integrity policies. These policies are created primarily for students who are too lazy to adequately complete their coursework, essays, assignments, and research papers on time, to prevent them from cheating or plagiarizing.
Submitting an AI-generated assignment without any genuine effort on the student’s part constitutes academic dishonesty and can result in serious repercussions. Students in these situations can be expelled or fail the course, which is a much larger issue. Academic dishonesty is no joke. Hence, it is better to read the regulations at your academic institution regarding what you can or cannot do.
Plagiarism Concerns
It is important to note that AI tools are trained on content from the Internet, which means that there is a high chance that the output given to students for their assignments and homework could resemble the work of someone else. Even though the text may be generated in different ways, it still can raise plagiarism concerns.
Additionally, many universities and colleges use advanced plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin and Copyleaks to check assignments for AI-generated content, which makes it easier for professors to catch a student who has submitted plagiarised homework and essays.
Loss Of Learning Skills
Using AI as a tool for learning and improving your work is fine. For example, students can use AI to gain in-depth knowledge on a research topic, summarise key points from a published article or improve their writing and grammar skills. In such cases, you are still using AI, but you are also involved in the process. This is legal and ethically correct as well.
However, if you use AI to complete your coursework, from creating an outline to adding citations, then you are not only violating academic principles but also missing out on valuable learning opportunities. This is against the purpose of education, which is to help you grow intellectually.
When AI Use Crosses the Line
Problems start when students use AI tools to complete assignments on their behalf, especially if they present the work as entirely their own. Here’s where you might run into academic integrity violations:
- Submitting AI-generated work as your own: If an AI tool writes your entire essay and you turn it in without significant editing or disclosure, most institutions would consider that plagiarism.
- Violating specific class rules: Some professors or institutions have strict policies that prohibit the use of any AI-generated content. Violating these rules can result in penalties, even if the tool itself is legal.
- Bypassing learning objectives: If the assignment is meant to assess your personal understanding or critical thinking skills, using AI to do the heavy lifting defeats the purpose—and could be seen as dishonest.
How To Use AI Tools Ethically?
- AI is a great learning tool for students if it is used correctly and ethically. You can use AI tools to understand complex concepts and topics into easy-to-understand content. It can provide clear and concise explanations in a simple manner.
- Students can use AI to organise their thoughts, ideas, and even assignments to ensure that they meet deadlines and boost their academic performance.
- Additionally, AI tools can be used to proofread and edit your assignments, structure your essays, and improve your grammar and vocabulary.
Final Thoughts
Using AI tools to write your assignments or conducting research is not illegal, however, using AI to entirely complete your coursework is seen as academic dishonesty. Hence, students must make sure that they follow their education institutions guidelines. AI can be a powerful assistant, but it shouldn’t replace genuine effort. Used wisely, it can enhance your work—used carelessly, it could cost you.
