Lesson 5 of 5 · about 5 min

Using AI honestly and avoiding over-reliance

When you finish, you can use AI in ways that follow school and workplace rules and that make you stronger, not dependent.

Stuck? Ask the AI tutor

Follow the rules that apply to you

Schools, exam boards, universities and employers have different rules about AI. Some allow it for brainstorming and feedback but not for writing final answers. Some ban it for certain tasks. Some require you to say how you used it. Rules also change over time.

Read your course or workplace policy. If it is unclear, ask your teacher or manager before you use AI on graded or official work. Asking first is never a mistake. Breaking a rule you could have checked can cost you a lot.

Help versus doing it for you

A useful test: after I use AI, can I still do this myself? Using AI to explain a hard idea, quiz you, or give feedback on your draft helps you build skill. Using it to produce the work you are supposed to learn from, and handing that in as yours, skips the learning and is usually dishonest.

Weak: “Write my essay on the water cycle.” Strong: “Here is my outline for an essay on the water cycle. Ask me questions that show where my explanation is thin, and point out unclear sentences. Do not rewrite it for me.” In the strong version, the work and the thinking remain yours.

Be open about your use

When allowed, say how you used AI. A short note such as “I used an AI tool to quiz me and to give feedback on my draft’s clarity” builds trust. Keep your own record of prompts and drafts. If asked how you did the work, you can show it.

Never present AI-written text as entirely your own where this is not allowed, and never copy text you have not read and understood. Also do not trust AI-cited sources without checking them, and do not put other people’s private information into a tool.

Keep your own skills growing

Over-reliance means reaching for the tool before you try. It can leave you unable to think or write without it. Try first, then ask for help. Set some tasks as AI-free practice. Use AI to stretch you, by asking harder questions, not to avoid effort.

A worked example from daily work: Naledi, a community college student in Toronto, decides her rule is: draft first, AI second, final decision mine. She uses AI to find holes in her argument and to practice quiz questions. For one assignment, her instructor requires a written note about AI use, and she provides it. She feels confident because she can explain every line she hands in.

Practice now

  1. Find the AI policy for your school, course or workplace. Write a three-line summary of what is allowed, what is not, and what you need to ask.
  2. Pick one task and do the first attempt without AI. Then ask a tool for feedback only. Write down what you learned from comparing.

Use any AI assistant you have. Do not paste private, client or patient information into it.

Check yourself

1. What should you do if the AI rule for an assignment is unclear?

2. Which use of AI best builds your own skill?

3. What is a sign of over-reliance?

Ask the AI tutor

Ask anything about this lesson, in any language. The tutor is an AI: it can be wrong, and it never needs your personal details.

Take the final exam

AI-drafted. Checked by an automated validator and a separate AI reviewer; a person has not read every lesson. Translations and tutor answers are AI-made. Found a mistake? Tell us. AI can be wrong. General information only, not professional advice. Not affiliated with any AI company named. Current University is not accredited.