AI and uni assessment in 2026: why keeping a copy of your AI chats is smart

What's changing in uni assessment

TEQSA, the national regulator for higher education, has published a resource on reforming assessment in the age of AI. Writing about it in Future Campus in September 2025, Jason Lodge of the University of Queensland put it bluntly: "detecting this use is not viable", and "the focus must shift to systemic assessment redesign".

The resource describes three ways to do that: reform across a whole program, secure tasks within units (an interactive oral or an in-class demonstration, for example), or a mix of both. The same piece notes that TEQSA is moving to a regulatory approach to the risks of AI to academic integrity in 2026.

Why the process matters more now

When detection isn't the answer, assessment looks at how you got there: your drafts, your reasoning, what you can explain out loud. Each uni and each unit sets its own rules on AI, and they differ. Some ask you to declare what you used. Some allow AI for brainstorming but not for writing. Some don't allow it at all.

So the first step is always the same: read your unit outline and do what it says.

What a copy of your chats is good for

If your unit allows AI and you use it, keeping a copy of the chats you used is a simple habit:

• Answering questions about your process. If your tutor asks how you approached a task, it's easier to show than to remember.
• Writing a declaration, if your unit asks for one. You can see exactly what you asked and when.
• Your own revision. The explanation that helped in week 3 is still there in week 12.

Save them as PDF or text, somewhere you control, so they don't disappear with an AI's history settings.

What it isn't

A copy is a record, not proof.

An exported chat shows what was said in the chat. It doesn't prove the work you submitted is yours, and it doesn't make a use of AI acceptable if your unit doesn't allow it. Your drafts, your notes and what you can explain yourself are what count.

Save a chat in one click

Uncook's Export saves a chat as PDF, Markdown or plain text, with your messages and the AI's answers. On the ChatGPT page, click the Uncook icon and pick Export. You can also use it with a supported Claude or Gemini chat open in desktop Chrome.

Export is free, and it doesn't count as a task.

Questions people ask

My uni gives us ChatGPT Edu. Does Export work there? Uncook warns you and reads only with your agreement. It shows a warning before reading an institutional chat; continue only if your university and course rules allow you to send it. This is not permission from your university.

Should I edit the chat before I save it? No. If you keep a copy as a record, keep it as it was.