Generative AI presents challenges to students, lecturers and assessors. How do we prepare students for working life and educate them in the responsible use of AI? How can they be assessed in a way that accurately reflects their own knowledge and intellectual ability and upholds academic integrity?

One solution is to return to written tests in examination rooms. Another is to use authentic assessment, testing not only what the students knows but also how that knowledge is applied.

In the simulation students are tasked with critically evaluating an AI-generated ESG Strategy, comparing it to the one developed for the client by the consulting team. This is in response to the client’s request to justify the uniqueness of their expertise and the value of their services.

The exercise enables students to recognise the value and limitations of AI. It also reminds them of the reality that awaits them in business, especially in consulting, where clients may question the value of AI-generated advice and expertise.

In SustainabilitySim, using simulated content not recognised by AI can help ensure that the students are producing their own ideas and analysis. Other approaches and measures are needed too, e.g., open questions, answers that require students to draw on personal experience, and regular in-simulation submissions of work for ongoing assessment.

The resource helps prepare students for the world of work and the use of artificial intelligence whilst reminding them that one form of AI is paramount: academic integrity.