Genio Launches AI Policy Template as Student AI Usage Surges to 92% While Institutional Guidance Lags
Free template addresses critical gap as nine in 10 students worry about breaking AI rules due to unclear institutional policies
Genio, a provider of learning tools that significantly improve student success, announced the release of a comprehensive AI Policy Template to help higher education institutions develop clear, consistent guidelines for artificial intelligence use in academic settings. The launch comes as new data reveals that student AI adoption has surged to 92% in 2025, up dramatically from 66% in 2024, while 91% of learners remain concerned about inadvertently violating institutional rules due to ambiguous or inconsistent AI guidance.
The free template addresses a critical challenge facing higher education: the disconnect between rapidly increasing student AI usage and institutional preparedness. Despite nearly universal student adoption of AI tools, the vast majority of learners report that current guidance from their institutions is either lacking, unclear, or applied inconsistently across departments and courses.
The absence of clear, institution-wide AI policies leaves both educators and students uncertain about appropriate usage, creating potential for academic misconduct. Additionally, without standardized guidelines, different departments and instructors apply varying standards, creating confusion and potential unfairness. And, looking ahead, the lack of structured AI guidance fails to equip learners with the responsible AI skills increasingly essential in today’s job market.
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The AI Policy Template provides institutions with a document education professionals can download to create their own:
- Clear frameworks for defining appropriate AI tool usage across academic disciplines;
- Guidelines for maintaining academic integrity while embracing technological advancement;
- Strategies for reducing the digital divide rather than expanding it;
- Protections for both educators and learners through consistent policy application; and
- Structured approaches to teaching responsible AI usage as a critical workforce skill.
The template emphasizes what Genio calls “productive friction,” a balanced approach that neither prohibits AI use nor allows unrestricted access, but instead creates structured guidelines that support learning while maintaining academic rigor. This approach recognizes that AI literacy is becoming as essential as traditional digital literacy skills.
For institutions facing the dual pressures of enrollment challenges and the need to prepare students for an AI-integrated workforce, the template offers a practical starting point for policy development. The resource is designed to be adapted to individual institutional needs, policies, and applicable legal requirements.
“AI has fundamentally changed how students approach their academic studies, but institutions have been caught off-guard by the speed of adoption,” said Josh Nesbitt, CTO at Genio. “Students want to use AI responsibly, but they need clear guidance on what this really means in practice. Our template provides institutions with a framework that maintains academic integrity while preparing students for an AI-driven workforce. The goal isn’t to prohibit AI use, but to create productive friction that ensures students develop critical thinking skills alongside AI fluency.”
The AI Policy Template is available for immediate download. The template is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Institutions should adapt the template in accordance with their own policies, protocols, and applicable laws.
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