Why and how to construct an AI declaration  

Educators are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape where Generative AI is becoming part of everyday learning. The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) Student Generative AI Survey 2025 found that 88% of respondents had used GenAI for assessments, up 35% from 2024. Students employ AI tools and services to brainstorm, summarise, translate and draft assignments, but without clear guidance, usage can be inconsistent, ineffective, or even academically risky.  

Higher education institutions have rapidly developed AI engagement strategies. The University of Southampton’s policy is to cautiously encourage use of AI to support study. In this way, students may employ GenAI tools but should never claim that submitted work that has been created or part-created by GenAI is purely their own. While policies vary by faculty, programme and module, the necessity to disclose GenAI use is clear. But how can we as educators engage with this? How can we enable our students to use GenAI tools effectively? And how can we set clear boundaries?  

Using an AI declaration 

An AI Declaration is a document which defines the boundaries of where and how GenAI can be used, it can help students understand what’s acceptable, what’s not, and how to employ technology responsibly.  

Employing an AI Declaration can: 

• Set clear student expectations.  
• Promote appropriate, transparent and reflective usage.
• Encourage academic responsibility and good conduct. 
• Allow educators to understand how students engage with GenAI. 

A useful starting point when thinking about creating an AI Declaration, is to think about how much AI might be used in your assessment. Various assessment scales have been produced to assist in this – see this one created by Perkins et al, 2024, from the GenAI working group site. Examples of assessment scales used at our university vary across faculties. The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences employs a simple, standardised assessment tier system with a menu of AI declaration formats while the Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a module-specific system. Despite differences, these approaches share core elements. Declarations include:  

• A statement declaring whether the student has or has not used GenAI.  
• Confirmation that the student is aware of and has followed Russell Group and University of Southampton policy on GenAI usage. 
• In the case of usage, details of which GenAI was employed, how it was used, and which part of their assignment this relates to (depending on the assessment, this may be general or include full chat logs).  

Writing a declaration means acknowledging the student perspective and the challenges they may face while completing their task. When planning, we must ask what our students need, what actions they might take, and how we can guide them toward effective, appropriate and reflective outcomes. 

Bite-sized task 

In this task you will consider your students’ needs within the context of a specific assignment and start building a framework for an AI declaration which will help them engage with GenAI in a responsible and transparent way.  

Step 1 – Learn 

Start off by checking the University of Southampton and your faculty guidance on GenAI usage in assessment. Is there a declaration template that you can use? You can find University of Southampton guidance on the Generative AI Working Group page and links to work going on around UoS. 

Step 2 – Do 

Pick an activity Pick an assessment or brief that you give to your students. It doesn’t matter if you already integrate GenAI into this or whether this is something you’d like to consider for the future. Read through the task and consider its goals and requirements. What do you need your students to gain from this exercise? What are your expectations? For example: 

• Does it require students to work with online platforms or tools? 
• What are the learning outcomes of this task?  
• Does the activity include student collaboration or is it independent?  
• Is the task completed in person or is it submitted online? 
• Does it require references? 
• Could student engagement with Generative AI in the development of their submission be repeated or would it be one off?

Next, consider the teaching and marking requirements of the activity. What details might you need as a tutor or marker? For example:  

• Is there an anonymity requirement when this task is marked?  
• Draft your Declaration   

Each of these aspects will define the way you write your declaration. To begin, you will want to include the module title, date and assignment details. You may choose to include a space for the student’s name or a series of check boxes if the marking process is anonymous.  

You may also want to include the following phrases: 

• I declare that I have used Generative AI tools in the creation of my submission for the [Module Name] Assessment in accordance with University of Southampton Generative AI policies and the guidelines clarified by the module leader and teaching staff of the [Module Name] module.  
• In accordance with the Russell Group and University of Southampton Generative AI Policies which state that “all work submitted for assessment should be [the student’s] own”, I declare that I have used Generative AI with the same criticality I would any other academic source. I have considered and addressed the advantages and disadvantages of Generative AI in my usage of such tools and resulting information.  

In the case that you wish to include a Prompt Diary or Chat Log you may want to include a phrase like that below.  

• I have employed a Prompt Diary which documents all the usages of Generative AI involved in the development of my Assessment and have included this document in [location].  

Step 3 – Reflect  

Now shift your perspective. Take a few minutes to read through your assignment and your draft declaration as a student. Is it clear?  Is there anything that confuses you? Do you think you will have the skills to undertake and document this task? You could even run your draft through Microsoft Copilot asking the platform to view it from a student perspective.  

Take some time to reflect on your declaration draft and how a student might engage with it. What comes up? Were you clear enough with your framework and expectations?  Consider if any additions or changes are needed for your students to engage with GenAI tools and services in an ethical, appropriate and transparent way.  

Further links 

HEPI Student Generative AI Survey 2025 https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/HEPI-Policy-Note-61-1.pdf  

University of Southampton: Using GenAI in Your Studies (https://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/governance/regulations-policies/policies/using-gen-ai-during-your-studies)   

FEPS Generative AI in Assessment: Setting Your Assessment Tier https://sotonac.sharepoint.com/sites/FEPSGenAI/SitePages/Staff.aspx  

FEPS GenAI Declaration Form Evidence September 2024 https://documentcloud.adobe.com/spodintegration/index.html#  

Full article: ‘Where’s the line? It’s an absurd line’: towards a framework for acceptable uses of AI in assessment 

© 2025. This work is openly licensed via CC BY-NC-SA