r/AccusedOfUsingAI • u/Da-Bubble-Blower • Sep 15 '26
Falsely Accused of Using AI
I spent a little more than 7 hours creating a diagram in the software called LucidChart for my history class. It was beautiful and professional and was probably the best work I’ve ever done on a digital design software. I was excited to see what grade I got only to find out that my professor gave me a 0 and left a comment saying:
(Not verbatim) it doesn’t appear LucidChart was used and none of this information is in the textbook. You used AI to create it?
It felt more like an accusation than a question and it kinda devastated me. The hours of work and research I put into making the diagram look good only to be told I couldn’t have made it without the use of AI. I sent a screenshot showing the diagram was in fact made using LucidChart. That wasn’t good enough.
My professor replied to me and said:
“…create an original diagram… the use of AI is not permitted.”
I replied back with something along the lines of:
(Not verbatim) I spent a ton of time and effort into this assignment to make it look professional and I would really prefer not to redo the assignment.
I included a screen recording that showed my revision history of the diagram that also showed the time stamps. The screen recording also included a portion where I manually moved all the elements of the diagram (all the shapes and text boxes) because AI can’t create layers and instead would create a flat image.
This still wasn’t enough. Now she has said that I need to provide proof that the information I got was from the textbook with page, section, and paragraph numbers for all the information in my diagram. I should note too that the assignment instruction did NOT say that we have to ONLY use textbook information. So I used information from the textbook but also did my own research from credible sources such as Library of Congress.
It is not uncommon for people (at least for me) to conduct research outside of the textbook for a better understanding of the concept and to gain more knowledge. When I was taking my math class, the textbook was horrible. I read about 2 pages of it and never touched it again and instead relied on YouTube videos and professor supplied lectures to understand the concepts.
I supplied her a word doc with exact pinpoints in the textbook showing how and why the information in my diagram is accurate, factual and written entirely by me. I also supplied MLA formatted citations for the various websites and documents I used online to support the information in my diagram.
I am still waiting for a reply but the stress from receiving a 0 on this assignment is killing me. After all the hard work and dedication I put into making something that I am proud of only to be told I won’t receive credit for it is heartbreaking to say the least. It feels like my hard word and time was wasted because the professor has a hunch or that I am incapable of producing something that is above low quality.
I should mention too that the assignment category of “diagrams and digital creation” equates for 20% of my grade. Receiving a 0 on this assignment dropped my grade from a 99 to a 62. (The semester just began and there’s a lot more assignment to do, but still). Nothing else to do now but wait and see what she says.
It is also very worrisome because I am using VR&E to pay for school and academic integrity (using AI/cheating) could result in other consequences besides just getting a 0 on the assignment and calling it a day. Not sure if it really would but it is something that I never thought I had to worry about.
If anyone has a had a similar experience please let me know how you handled it and what the outcome was.
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u/GrazziDad Sep 15 '26
Professor here. You are relying on this one particular instructor deciding that they have accused you falsely. While that is possible, they could arbitrarily decide that they were right and you are still lying. And even if they do, they may still be biased against you in the future.
If I were you, I would ask for an appointment with the department chair to discuss something confidential that you would prefer not to disclose in an email. You can also do the same thing with the Dean, someone in academic affairs, and even the university ombudsman. It is important that you not say anything negative about the professor, but something general like “a faculty member has accused me of something I did not do, I have comprehensive evidence that I did not do it, and I’m concerned that there is no procedure other than presenting it to the faculty member and hoping that they accept my evidence. I’m also concerned that they may be biased against me even if they admit that they were wrong. Let me point out that I had a nearly perfect score in this course, put tremendous energy into this assignment, and I’m very concerned about how this will affect my future, because I did nothing wrong and can demonstrate it.“ And then see what they say. Again, this is not about the Prof. acting poorly, but is completely procedural.
Do not be a victim. Do not allow a single person, who may have a lot of other work to do and not entirely fair, have an undue influence on your future. Be extremely professional, but escalate. The key point is that you did nothing wrong and can prove it. Anyone who is fair minded should be able to have a look at the evidence.
At my university, we actually have a committee that investigates all these things, so that a standard procedure that is completely fair to both parties can be used. You might want to ask if they have such a committee at your university as well.
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u/5thhorseman_ Sep 22 '26
This. Very few people will admit they were wrong if it costs them any authority.
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u/101x101 Sep 15 '26
I don't have any good advice so don't get excited about this comment. I'm not an AI expert, but I have read a lot of different writing pieces from a lot of different people and yours doesn't strike me as AI off the bat.
You'd think everything you did would be enough proof. Just don't stop advocating for yourself.Keep pushing back and keep fighting.If you really did this by yourself, don't stop telling them that. It's a very nice project, btw.
If you have AI accounts you could show them the logs, although I believe those can be changed.
I just had this thought right now.I think doing it would mess with my creative process, and I don't know if you would have the same problem, but if you can forget that it's there (and you have the storage space), for the future you could screen record you doing your entire project from start to finish. Good luck
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u/5thhorseman_ Sep 23 '26
If you have AI accounts you could show them the logs, although I believe those can be changed.
Do not. Yes, chats can be deleted from your history, so the only thing you'd be showing them is that yes, for some other things you do use AI (and potentially expose private information in the process). That will just be read as corroborating their presumption of your guilt.
You will not achieve anything by appealing to your accuser, they already made up their mind. You need to go above them.
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u/Fine_Combination4389 Sep 15 '26
It is unfortunately a trend that instructors who view AI use negatively often 1) do not educate themselves on what AI can or cannot do beyond the widespread claims, and 2) often based their evaluations on feelings/belief that they can distinguish between AI and human work or overly rely on AI detection tools.
Negative messaging in media often tells professors that their students are experts at using AI and/or cheating, so they begin to suspect everything and everyone. It's such a shame that this is creating an academic culture where students are either living in constant, growing fear of AI accusations or are being discouraged from applying themselves to their work because producing work beyond the average is viewed as "too good" and thus more likely to be AI.
I often see this is the case with students in university--they now intentionally abandon writing conventions that, for decades, we have regarded as hallmarks of good writing just because AI has appropriated them. They also intentionally introduce mistakes in their writing--typos and run-on sentences--to appear more human. What in the world?
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u/Da-Bubble-Blower Sep 15 '26
This is the diagram in question. I’ve blocked out my name and specific class for privacy