Your university does NOT have clear AI policies yet. Here is how to use AI without jeopardizing your defense

[Duckduck]

I surveyed 5 universities. Zero have definitive, granular policies on generative AI for dissertations .

The Gray Area:

• Red Line: Generating entire paragraphs of results/discussion and copy-pasting.
• Green Light: Brainstorming counterarguments. Summarizing dense papers (then verifying). Debugging code. Improving sentence flow in your own writing.
• Debated: AI-generated literature reviews. Is it synthesis or plagiarism laundering?

My Rule: If you wouldn't put your name on it as the sole author, don't put it in your dissertation. The tool is an assistant. You are the principal investigator.

Disclosure Statement: Include one. "I used [Tool] for [specific purpose: editing, code debugging, idea generation]. All analysis and final text are my own." Transparency > perfection.