AI policy for a corporate finance course, with examples

Sample AI syllabus policies for corporate finance courses at three levels of use, with clauses for valuation problems, spreadsheets and cases.

Short answer: most of a corporate finance course is numerical problems (time value of money, bond and stock valuation, NPV, cost of capital) plus spreadsheet models and cases. Current AI tools handle the standard problems well and can build a working spreadsheet on request. Your policy should say which practice students must do themselves, how they show the setup behind a number, and where AI help is fine. Pick one of the three policies below, then add the finance-specific clauses that fit your course.

What makes corporate finance different

  • Standard problems are now easy for AI. A 2025 benchmark gave three OpenAI models 1,560 questions from CFA Institute mock exams. On the Corporate Issuers topic at Level I, the strongest model answered 95.65% correctly without any extra material, and both reasoning models answered more than 88% of calculation questions correctly (Yao et al., 2025). These are professional exam questions, not your problem sets, but they cover the same tools.
  • Older models were weak on calculations, newer ones less so. In the same study, GPT-4o answered 44.7% of calculation questions correctly against 79.5% of conceptual ones. If your sense of what AI can do comes from trying an older model, it is likely out of date.
  • The spreadsheet hides the reasoning. Much of the work happens in a spreadsheet. A model that produces a number does not show whether the student chose the cash flows, the discount rate and the timing, or understands what happens when an assumption changes.

Three sample policies

Copy the one closest to your course and edit the bracketed parts.

1. No generative AI on graded work

Generative AI tools (for example ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot), including AI features built into spreadsheet software, may not be used on problem sets, spreadsheet assignments, cases or exams in this course. Setting up and solving valuation problems yourself is how you learn corporate finance, and these tools skip that practice. You may use the textbook, lecture notes, [a financial calculator / spreadsheet software without AI features], classmates [if allowed] and office hours. If you are unsure whether something is allowed, ask before you submit.

2. AI for studying, not for submitted work

You may use generative AI tools to study: to explain a concept such as why we discount cash flows or how leverage affects the cost of equity, to create extra practice problems, or to check your understanding after you have attempted a problem. You may not use them to produce answers, spreadsheet models or written analysis that you submit. Your submitted work should show the setup: the cash flows, their timing, the rate and the formula or function you used. If you used an AI tool while studying for an assignment, add one sentence at the end saying how.

3. AI allowed with disclosure

On [problem sets / the valuation project / cases], you may use generative AI tools if you disclose it. For each assignment, list the tool, what you used it for and the key prompts. You are responsible for every number you submit: check the cash flows, the timing and the discount rate, and make sure your spreadsheet is built from formulas you can explain, not pasted values. Your recommendation and its reasoning must be in your own words. AI tools may not be used on [quizzes / exams], where you show your understanding on your own.

Clauses worth adding for corporate finance

  • Show the setup, not just the answer. “Answers without the setup (a timeline of cash flows, the rate used and the formula or function) will not receive full credit, whether or not AI was used.”
  • Live formulas in spreadsheets. Require that submitted spreadsheets use formulas linked to labeled inputs, so you can change an assumption and see the model respond. Hard-coded numbers tell you little about who built the model.
  • Explain-your-model check. “I may ask you to walk me through your model or change one assumption in front of me. If you cannot, that part of the work may receive no credit.”
  • What to disclose. Ask for three things: the tool, how it was used, and how the student checked or changed the output. One of the example statements from Tufts’ teaching center asks for an acknowledgment that covers all three (Tufts CELT).

Write yours in a few minutes

The free AI policy generator asks a few questions about your course and assessments and produces a policy you can paste into your syllabus.

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