Used AI on an assignment? Keep a clean record of the conversation

Why "how did you use AI?" is a common question now

Teachers know AI is everywhere in school. In a Pew Research Center survey of US teens run in fall 2025, 59% said they think using AI to cheat happens at least somewhat often at their school. Many classes respond with clear rules: what's allowed, what isn't, and sometimes a short note on how you used it.

It's reaching college applications too. According to NBC News, a Cornell spokesperson said that beginning in fall 2027, applicants will have to disclose any support they received while completing their application, including the use of AI technology.

Rules differ from class to class and school to school. So the first step is always the same: read the assignment's rules and follow them.

What a good record looks like

• The chats you actually used, saved as they were. Don't edit them.
• Saved when you used them, not the night before it's due.
• Kept somewhere you control, as PDF or text, so they don't depend on an AI's history settings.
• Short notes of your own: what you kept from the chat, what you changed, what you rejected.

If you're asked, you can show the chat and explain your choices, instead of reconstructing them.

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.

What a record isn't

A record is not proof.

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

Questions people ask

Do I have to disclose my AI use? That depends on your teacher, your school or the college you're applying to. Check the rules, and ask if they aren't clear.

Can't I just share a link to the chat? You can, if the rules allow it. But a link depends on the chat staying in your account, and on its share settings. A PDF is yours to keep.

Should I clean up the chat before I save it? No. A record is only useful if it's what really happened.