Instructors incorporating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) use into course assignments are encountering students who conscientiously object to the use of this technology. Although the ultimate decision of how to handle such objections will be made on a case-by-case basis, it is important for instructors to recognize that student resistance to this technology can stem from many legitimate concerns, including ethical objections, privacy issues, accessibility issues, implications of AI use for skill development, environmental concerns, and negative prior experiences. Rather than simply insisting on student compliance, it is possible to navigate such situations in ways that preserves both the learning objectives of assignments and students’ sense of autonomy.

Here are some suggestions for your response should you encounter student resistance to AI use in assignments.

1. Begin by considering whether AI use is necessary for students to achieve the learning objective that the assignment is supporting. If AI literacy is not itself a core objective of the assignment:
   • Offer a structured Opt-Out policy. This frames AI use on the assignment as a choice, not a requirement. 
   • Offer an alternative, non-AI, path to the same learning. This could be as simple as supplying an alternative set of instructions for completion of the assignment without AI, or it may involve a separate assignment.
   • Offering alternative paths may also include alternative assessment guidelines or alternative requirements, but equity should be maintained.
     
2. If AI literacy IS a core learning objective for the assignment and you have not already done so, explain to the student your rationale for including use of GAI in the assignment. This is especially important when development of AI literacy is a core learning objective for the assignment. For example, for many careers, AI literacy is becoming part of expected workplace skills.  In such cases, logic dictates that those who are familiar with AI systems and queries are more likely to get the jobs than those who are not. When students understand why they are being asked to complete a task in a particular way, it can soften resistance and increase buy in. If the student still objects to the AI use, continue to #3 below.
    
3. Ask the student to explain their objections to AI use. It is easier to find a solution when one better understands the nature of problem. This dialog shifts the student’s perspective of your goal in the conversation from enforcing compliance to attempting to understand their perspective, allowing them to feel seen, heard, and valued.
    
   It is important from the student perspective that you accept the validity of their concerns. Ask the student to explain their objections to AI use. It is easier to find a solution when one better understands the nature of problem. This dialog shifts the student’s perspective of your goal in the conversation from enforcing compliance to attempting to understand their perspective, allowing them to feel seen, heard, and valued.
    
   It is important from the student perspective that you accept the validity of their concerns. 
    
4. Once you are aware of the specific objections to the technology, work toward establishing common factual understanding that might affect the students’ concerns. Some concerns may stem from misinformation or misunderstanding. Changing the framing may help to eliminate the student’s concerns. Please note the following examples:
    
   • If the student is concerned with their own data privacy, they may be lacking accurate information on the operational constraints of Microsoft Copilot (UWSP’s approved AI chatbot). You should explain the siloed contract that prevents Microsoft from using your inputs and outputs to train their systems when you access Copilot as a UWSP student while signed in to MS360. In other words, use of Copilot will not affect their privacy.
      
   • If the student is concerned that their intellectual skills will be compromised by allowing AI to think for them, with reference to what the assignment is asking them to do, point out the differences between these three uses:
     • Using AI instead of learning: Allowing AI to generate content and ideas for you.
     • Learning with AI: Using AI to support learning by using it to check the accuracy of your understanding, simplify material that is beyond your current ability to understand, check grammar, format documents and references, or make suggestions for improving your clarity.
     • Learning about AI:: Understanding how to use AI, as well as its capabilities and limitations.
       
   • If the student is concerned about energy and water use, ask them to investigate one of the following sites with you. What Uses More, Epoch Energy Use, or Surfshark. Each of these sites breaks down energy use and compares how much generative AI searches consume compared to other common activities and electricity uses. Although this technology uses a great deal of energy per minute, most tasks don’t take very long. Compared to other activities, including completing work the old-fashioned way (e.g. making an animated video, which takes many hours of high CPU and GPU engagement) energy use is often not as great as people assume.
   • If the student’s concerns with AI are more ethical—related to data centers, environmental impact, cost to human jobs, copyright infringement in AI training, the looming threat of uncontrollable general AI, and similar matters, move on to #5.
     
5. If additional information doesn’t limit the students’ concerns, offer an alternative assignment or modification to the assignment that will still allow the student to achieve the desired learning. Please consider the following:
   • If the learning goal of the assignment is to learn to critique AI output and improve it, would the student be willing to use the AI output generated by another student (thereby adding no additional AI use to what is already occurring, but gaining the workplace skill)?
   • If the learning goal is to expose students to AI, ask if the student could accept using AI once in the class to try it, without endorsing it or committing to long-term use.
6. If the goal of AI use is to elevate student performance, it is important that students recognize that not using AI, though their choice, may result in a lower overall score. Alert the student to the grading standards, and ensure that they have an understanding that more work may be required on their part to meet the indicated goals.

Following these procedures may help you navigate conflicts with students over AI use in assignments. However, it is best if you can avoid the conflicts to start with. CITL offers suggestions on how to cocreate your course AI policy with your students to help improve their buy-in. Please see:

GAI policy Co-creation Facilitator Guide

GAI Policy Template