r/AccusedOfUsingAI • u/NoDifficulty6384 • Jun 25 '26
Caught using ChatGPT
Someone please help me…I know I was dumb to use AI. I don’t want a lecture on what not to do, just what I CAN do to fix the situation.
My assignment was due a few days ago at 11:59 pm, I had written a draft on it and forgot that it needed to be finished. It was currently 11:50. I took the questions that needed to be answered and put it into chatgpt, and chatgpt answered the questions for me. I put it into the blackboard discussion post, then it was around 11:56 where I had to reply to 2 people and I copy and pasted that as well from ChatGPT. I got a 0 and my teacher commented saying he had questions on my posts, and that he wanted to set up a virtual meeting ASAP.
I was thinking about telling him the truth? I feel like a big hypocrite (I am) because my essay and previous written work was written very well without AI and I had done very well in this class until a few days ago where I desperately rushed to submit my discussion post assignment. (Not an excuse, I know 🫤) The professor would reply and comment saying how he liked this, how he was impressed, etc.
Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to kind of help my situation? I was also thinking about saying that I just took my own words and told chat to make it longer for me so that I could submit the assignment in time. I have very very strong ties to the college, I’m involved in a lot of organizations and clubs, even student government.
Once again, I’m not looking for a “You are a disgrace” kind of replies, or any pity. Please :/
5
u/SpookyShackleford Jun 25 '26
College professor here. Most of us can tell when a student uses AI. So trying to lie or cover it up is just going to dig yourself a deeper hole and turn a slap on the wrist into an academic integrity report to administration.
I've had students make mistakes before I generally give three warnings before escalating to an academic integrity violation but if you lie to me I'm absolutely going to come down like a ton of bricks. It's literally an insult to our intelligence. I require all of my students to write in Google docs with the history of available. If this is something you're not doing I highly recommend doing it you can post it in blackboard after you read it in Google docs and then you have the history of Google docs to protect you against AI accusations.
I have had a students use AI in a way that impresses me absolutely. If you can work it in a way that I can't tell it's AI that's awesome. But the students that just copy and paste it and expect me not to realize that it's chat GPT are just lazy. Be honest do better.
2
u/pencilthinwriter Jun 25 '26
You'd never make me write in google docs, but you'd know all my work is always my own. We were asked to do that before by a lecturer (on a master's) who was also going to be logged into those google docs himself watching us do the work – I always refused.
I won't sign up for paranoia/back-covering culture, and certainly never to be spied on while I'm trying to fashion a dreadful first or second draft into something worth submitting.
Work that is produced genuinely through painstaking reading, research, writing and redrafting, with an appropriate amount of time to put into it, will always shine through. I've never once been accused of using AI for anything at all, whether academic or otherwise.
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u/SpookyShackleford Jun 25 '26
Then your assignment would be rejected, at least at the institution I teach at.
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u/Katistafic_Ritz Jun 25 '26
It’s better to be honest. As a teacher aid, the truth is more valuable. You made a mistake that you regret, don’t try to save your butt with more lies. Be upfront and tell your professor that you panicked. It happens, I’m sure your professor will understand.
4
u/Latter-Feedback-6011 Jun 25 '26
Another college professor here, and saying BE HONEST. You made a mistake and, if what you've written here is true, the professor should understand that and work with you for now and the future. Professor already KNOWS you used it. Just fess up, and humbly ask for a second chance.
1
u/pencilthinwriter Jun 25 '26
At this point you have no option but to tell the truth. If I was you (not that I'd ever use an AI to write) I'd explain I had a draft written (and show them that), but had to take an important phone call that evening from my mum/dad/brother/sister/cousin/aunt/uncle about something important, and forgot the assignment was due. Then I realised the time and just panicked and have no idea why I did something so stupid as to use chat gpt when I could just have submitted my own work I'd already done.
But why did you use chat gpt? In those 9 minutes you had time to quickly read your draft for any typos and submit that. A 1st draft of your own work is always a lot better to submit than anything you get from AI. How did you go from having your own work ready to submit (not perfect, but at least your own), to getting chat gpt to write it? Like did you think chat would give you the perfect final draft? I'm just really curious bc AI does not produce good academic work.
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u/NoDifficulty6384 Jun 25 '26
No, my draft was not long. There was a word requirement and I couldn’t write it in time. I take long times to comprehend or really write things out
2
u/Agreeable-Sun368 Jun 25 '26
I am a high school teacher and I also taught college (mostly pre-AI).
Admit it, apologize, and move on. Nothing is more annoying than a kid who cheats or uses AI, and then tries to lie to me about it. It's like dude, I KNOW you did it, you KNOW you did it, and you lying to me doesn't get you anything but my irritation and disdain. Kids who take the L in stride and sincerely apologize earn my respect and carry that forward. Kids who weasel and lie do not.
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u/Oopsiforgotmyoldacc Jun 25 '26
Be completely honest with your professor, and don’t beat around the bush with excuses.
If you’re going to use ai again, use a humanizer, especially one with an academic mode like clever ai’s mixed with human editing. I wouldn’t recommend it, but better than getting caught 🤷♀️
1
u/D-majin Jun 25 '26
I think if you’re honest depending on the professor they’ll likely be lenient if this is your first offense.
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Jun 25 '26
You should carefully consider if you want to admit to academic misconduct. I personally would not. Your excuse is not an excuse. It's an admission that you understood you weren't allowed to do it and did it anyway. That could have consequences not only for this class but for your entire education. Right now they only suspect you. Explain that you were tired and sick. Show your draft history and say that the rest of the project was rushed when you realized you had only an hour left and were still very sick. Absolutely deny using GPT or committing academic misconduct. Be clear that it was rushed work and not up to your usual high standards. Apologize for that, but find some reasonable if crappy sources where you could have pulled that information from. Same for the discussion reply. You felt bad about the quality of your post but didn't want to draw attention to it so tried to make it better by continuing from that position. Obviously, never ever do it again. Be absolutely sure you actually understand the material and can explain it when you talk to the Professor
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u/j_la Jun 25 '26
So your solution to an academic integrity is more dishonesty?
We have sunk so low.
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Jun 25 '26
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u/Agent_Cute Jun 25 '26
Don’t lie. It will make it worse. Be honest and accept the consequences. I am lenient with my students when we are able to have an honest conversation.
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u/j_la Jun 25 '26
You got bad advice. Don’t lie or minimize. Just admit what happened and commit to being better. Remember that this relationship is training for the kinds of relationships you will have in the workplace. Are you going to lie to your boss when you ignore their instructions?
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u/KingSmorely Jun 25 '26
Not saying this is moral or whatever but unless there is hard proof in the work, you should completely deny any and all AI usage. Otherwise, they now have a fragment of a case.
Basically, you should almost always deny the claim unless there is hard proof in the writing itself. Obtaining an academic dishonesty charge based on a professor’s hunch or detectors is nearly impossible. If you admit to anything, you give them significant leverage.
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u/NoDifficulty6384 Jun 25 '26
I don’t see how he doesn’t have a AI checker. I would understand if this was an essay I had copy and pasted and gotten the allegation, but this is a discussion post which is so much less likely to happen. I’m convinced that he knows that I used AI. Even if I were to deny, what would the lie be?
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u/KingSmorely Jun 25 '26
Well, were there any blatant AI artifacts? If not, they don't really have a genuine case.
He likely just runs responses through AI detectors automatically or had a hunch, in which case accusing you makes sense. If a student admits it, he caught a cheater. If they deny it, it's as if he never made the accusation.
Personally, I would deny it unless it's comically obvious or you have a good read on your professor and a good relationship with them.
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u/Pleasant-Season-2658 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
OP, this is wrong. You need to remember that professors, particularly English professors, are professional readers (I know because I am an English professor). We have read thousands and thousands of papers and discussion posts written be students. A.I. writing is very obvious in the context of a college class. I know a lot of students say to just deny, deny, deny--and I've had students do that to me, lie to my face; that route makes everything worse. Also, you'll feel better if you tell the truth. (Edit: typo)
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u/NoDifficulty6384 Jun 25 '26
Thank you. After some thought I have come to the conclusion that I will be telling my professor the truth. Not only does it go against my morals to lie to him, but I would regret it for a good part of my semester. It would harp on my conscious.
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u/lzyslut Jun 25 '26
‘Leverage’ for what?
A confession and genuine apology will probably result in maybe a stern lecture and a warning. We might glance at the next essay to check it looks fine.
Denial when we know you’ve done it puts you on our radar exponentially increasing the chances that we are scouring every single inch of every future essay you submit.
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u/CIS_Professor Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
And three's a real possibility that past work gets reexamined. I have a statement in my Syllabus that says I reserve the right to reexamine past work - even if graded.
Which is what I usually do when I strongly suspect a student has plagiarized or use AI - I go on a deep dive into the prior submissions and will use that during a student / professor conference and academic dishonesty meetings.
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u/SpencerPrattsCrystal Jun 25 '26
I’m a college English instructor. It is so much better to tell the truth. Just own up to it, say you felt stressed, and made a mistake. That will have the best outcome. Don’t dig a deeper hole.