Recently, I used ChatGPT while working on an assignment to help generate ideas and
rewrite a few paragraphs. At the time, I thought I was just improving my work and didn’t
think much of it. Later on, I realized that my use of AI might have crossed the line into
academic misconduct. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming really popular in
academics for things like research and writing, but it’s easy to unintentionally misuse
them. In this reflection, I’ll talk about what I’ve learned about using AI responsibly, how I
misused it without realizing, and what I plan to do in the future to avoid similar
mistakes.
When I first started using ChatGPT, I thought it would save me time and help polish up
my writing. I used it to rewrite some sections of my assignment, thinking that
paraphrasing entire paragraphs would make the work sound better. But I’ve since
learned that just because the words are diIerent doesn’t mean the ideas are my own.
Even if you change the wording, if the idea comes from AI and you don’t change it
enough, it can still count as plagiarism.
I also learned that academic misconduct isn’t always intentional. At the time, I didn’t
know that by using AI-generated content without fully reworking it, I was submitting
work that wasn’t completely mine. The module on academic integrity made me realize
that it’s not just about copying text but about making sure the ideas are original and
showing that you’ve done the work to learn from it.
For my last assignment, I used ChatGPT to rewrite three paragraphs because I wasn’t
happy with how they sounded. Instead of working through the ideas myself, I just pasted
what ChatGPT generated and thought it was fine. I didn’t think of it as cheating, just as
improving the clarity of my writing. But looking back, I understand that I skipped part of
the learning process by doing that. Even though I didn’t mean to cheat, I was submitting
something that didn’t fully reflect my own thinking. I should’ve either acknowledged the
help from ChatGPT or taken more time to rewrite it in my own way.
Moving forward, I’m going to be more careful about how I use AI tools like ChatGPT. I’ll
use it to brainstorm or get ideas, but the final version of my work will be in my own
words. If I use it for wording or paraphrasing, I’ll make sure I change it enough so that it’s
really my own work. I also now understand that I should cite ChatGPT if it helped me
with the content, just like I would with any other source.
In addition, I need to work on my time management so I’m not depending on AI too
much. I’ll try to start my assignments earlier and leave more time for reviewing my work,
making sure it’s in my own words. If I’m ever confused about how to use AI for my
schoolwork, I’ll reach out for help to make sure I’m doing it right.
This whole experience showed me that, while AI tools like ChatGPT can be useful, they
can also cause issues if not used the right way. I now understand the risks better and
will make sure to use AI responsibly from now on. I’ll be honest about when I use it and
make sure my work reflects my own eIorts, keeping within the rules of academic
integrity.
