Most conversations about AI ethics for students focus on institutional policy. The more useful version is personal: a few honest questions that keep you on the right side of the line.
"Could I explain this without the AI?"
If you can't explain your own submission without opening ChatGPT, you've outsourced understanding, not just labor. That's the core test.
"Am I disclosing when I'm supposed to?"
Institutions vary wildly on AI-use policy. When in doubt, disclose — a professor who appreciates honesty about tool use is far more common than one who penalizes it.
"Would this be fair if everyone did it?"
Using AI to brainstorm faster is fair — everyone has equal access. Using it to bypass a skill the assignment is specifically trying to build (like writing your own argument) usually isn't.
"Am I checking what it tells me?"
Ethical AI use includes verification. Passing along a hallucinated fact because it sounded confident isn't just a technical mistake — it's a due-diligence failure that AI doesn't excuse.
These questions won't cover every edge case, but they'll keep you honest in the 95% of situations that matter.