
A university student told me recently they were dragged in front of a tribunal, accused of using ChatGPT to write an essay.
Their defence was simple:
“Yes, in part I did. But that required a high level of skill, knowing how to ask the right questions, designing the right prompts, understanding how to apply the answers critically, and applying judgment to the responses. Isn’t that what higher education is supposed to teach us? Isn’t that a skill worth recognising, even applauding?”
Apparently, the tribunal didn’t agree. They rejected the defence outright.
And honestly? That’s a problem.
We’re living in a world where the ability to ask the right questions, interrogate information, and apply judgment is becoming just as valuable as memorising content or referencing theory.
These are the skills employers look for, not whether someone wrote every single word themselves, but whether they can think critically, adapt quickly, and solve complex problems.
In business, in research, in an industry, the ability to leverage AI effectively is not cheating. It’s competence. It’s the new literacy. Yet many universities are still clinging to outdated notions of “academic integrity”, punishing students for using tools that the real world expects them to master.
As a company that works closely with leading employers, Acuity Consultants sees it every day: businesses aren’t hiring people for their ability to churn out 5,000 words from scratch.
They’re hiring for curiosity. For critical thinking. For judgment. They’re hiring people who can interrogate data, synthesise insights, and apply knowledge with or without AI.
That’s what drives value in the workplace. And it’s exactly the skillset today’s students are trying to build when they experiment with tools like ChatGPT.
Universities should be leading the way in teaching and assessing these skills, not penalising them. Because in the workplace, those who know how to leverage AI responsibly and intelligently are the ones who will thrive.
The future of learning is not about banning the tools of progress. It’s about teaching the wisdom to use them well.
If academia keeps policing yesterday’s skills, it risks making itself irrelevant to tomorrow’s world.
It’s time to stop fighting the tools and start teaching the mindset.