‘I shouldn't be saying this’: Library-based student confessions about AI, cheating, and academic integrity

Advancing technologies means academic misconduct has been reshaped, none more so than the widespread introduction of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in higher education. Debates around how students' use as a form of plagiarism and cheating, or legitimate learning tool support, remain unresolved. This study leverages narrative identity theory and examines how students define cheating in relation to GenAI, how they describe their own AI use, and how they navigate uncertainty around academic integrity. Interviews with thirty students suggest that intention, effort, fairness, fear of false accusation, and changing patterns of help-seeking shape how students interpret responsible AI use. These findings suggest opportunities for academic libraries to support AI literacy, clarify institutional expectations, and provide low-stakes spaces for ethical exploration.