My professor mentioned in class that the university runs all submissions through detection software. My friend at the same university says his professor told him they don’t scan anything unless a paper looks suspicious.
Both of them are probably right. That’s the weird thing. There’s no consistent policy at the class level even if there’s a policy at the institutional level.
I’m not asking because I want to cheat. I’m asking because I genuinely don’t know what standards I’m being held to. Like if I use AI to help me organize my ideas and then write the actual paper myself, is that going to flag? Is it going to matter? I have no idea.
The uncertainty is actually stressful. A clear ‘yes we scan everything’ or ‘no we don’t’ would be easier to work with than the current situation where nobody actually knows.
Has anyone figured out how to get a straight answer from their institution on this?
This is a policy communication failure more than a policy problem. Clear policies only work if they’re communicated consistently. What you’re experiencing is the downstream effect of institutions rolling out policies faster than they can implement them coherently. Not your fault. Still your problem to navigate.
Asking your professor directly is usually the most efficient path. ‘I want to make sure I understand the AI use policy for this course specifically’ is a reasonable question that most instructors will answer clearly. It also signals that you’re engaging with the policy seriously, which is its own kind of protection.
The question to ask your institution directly is: what does ‘unauthorized AI use’ mean at the course level and who decides? The answer is almost always ‘the instructor decides for their course.’ Which means your professor’s scan policy and your friend’s professor’s no-scan policy are both legitimate. Two different courses, two different standards.
The use case you described, AI for organizing ideas, writing the paper yourself, is the kind of thing many institutions still don’t have clear guidance on. Policies often focus on ‘AI-generated text’ without defining where the line is for AI-assisted thinking. That ambiguity is a real problem and your frustration is completely reasonable.
The inconsistency is real and it’s not something students should have to navigate by guessing. The practical advice I give is: assume everything is being scanned, not because that’s true everywhere, but because it removes the guesswork and protects you regardless of what the actual policy is. It’s not a great situation, I know.