DCU published a position statement on AI tools in March 2025 and describes it as living and evolving. Whether you may use AI in an assessment is decided by academic staff through assessment design. Here is what that means (checked October 2026).
See how Esmond worksDCU's Teaching Enhancement Unit page on AI in teaching, learning and assessment sets out the University's position statement and a decision tree that staff use to design AI in or out of an assessment. The page refers to the national HEA framework and the NAIN guidelines.
The page describes two directions. A "design out" approach "aims to make assessments harder for students to complete with unauthorized use of GenAI." A "design in" approach "allows the authorized use of GenAI in students' assessment", for example in brainstorming before the task or in critiquing an AI-generated text against a rubric.
For students, the key line is about declaring: "When designing in, students should be clearly advised as to how they should declare the use of any GenAI." So if your dissertation or project allows AI, your module should also tell you how to declare it. If it does not say, ask before you rely on a guess.
DCU states: "We do not employ GenAI detectors, due to the high number of false positives and other concerns" set out in its position statement. Integrity is handled through how assessments are designed, not through a detection score. That makes the brief for your own assessment the document that matters most.
Esmond evaluates; it does not write. You upload your own draft and get comments in the margin plus a report that shows where your argument, method or use of sources is weaker, and why. It does not write or rewrite your text: it points to the weak spot and gives a direction for revising it. Where a comment includes an example, it illustrates a principle; the sentence you submit is one you write yourself.
DCU has no connection with Esmond and has not endorsed it. Be straight with yourself: Esmond works with language models, so using it is a form of AI use. Rules on AI differ per university, programme, module and assignment. Check your module or programme handbook before you upload, and if it is unclear, ask your supervisor or module coordinator and declare the use if your institution asks you to.
This page summarises what the institution publishes, with links to the source. It is not legal advice and not a ruling on your assignment: what your programme, module or supervisor sets always comes first.
No. Esmond is independent. DCU has no connection with Esmond and has not endorsed it.
Official page, checked October 2026. Read the full text at the source.
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