UMass Amherst established a formal university policy on the use of generative AI in academic work. The default rule is that using AI to do your academic work for you counts as cheating — unless the instructor of a specific course explicitly says otherwise. The policy took effect Fall 2025 and was developed by a faculty task force that studied the issue throughout 2023–2024.

The Faculty Senate convened a Joint Task Force on Generative Artificial Intelligence in Academics in AY 2023–2024, which established three guiding principles: the university supports thoughtful use of new technologies; human-to-human interaction remains central to education; and AI must not reduce equitable access, infringe on academic freedom, or compromise privacy or due process. The revised Academic Integrity Policy (effective Fall 2025) formally defines cheating to include "use of unauthorized materials, including generative AI tools, unless explicitly permitted by the instructor." Notably, the university formally discourages the use of AI detection tools — including Turnitin's AI detector — stating they are not reliable for determining academic dishonesty and that they disproportionately flag writing by non-native English speakers.