Yes — transparency about using AI in a live session builds trust rather than undermining it, and it models exactly the skill your students are there to develop. A brief, confident acknowledgment is all it takes.
The Transparency Question Has a Clear Answer
Some educators worry that admitting they used AI to answer a question will make them look less knowledgeable or less authoritative. The opposite is usually true. Students who watch you use AI well — quickly, accurately, and with clear judgment about when to trust it — learn something valuable that a perfectly rehearsed answer would never teach them. You are not hiding a limitation; you are demonstrating a skill.
The educators who get into trouble with AI transparency are not the ones who acknowledge it openly. They are the ones who try to present AI-generated content as purely their own and then get caught out when a student asks a follow-up question they cannot answer without the tool.
How to Acknowledge AI Naturally in a Live Session
You do not need a formal disclosure or a lengthy explanation. A one-sentence acknowledgment is enough: “Let me check Claude on that to make sure I give you the most accurate answer” or “I am going to pull up a quick AI-generated example for you — one second.” These phrases are natural, professional, and completely normalise AI as part of your facilitation toolkit.
If you show AI on screen while using it — which is often the most valuable approach — narrate what you are doing: “I am prompting Claude with the specific context of your business so the example is actually relevant to you, not just generic.” That narration is itself a teaching moment. Students see what a good prompt looks like, how quickly a useful response comes back, and how you evaluate and apply it. That demonstration is worth more than most planned curriculum.
What This Means for Educators
Your students are learning to use AI in their own teaching businesses. Watching you use it transparently, confidently, and effectively is one of the most direct ways to teach that skill. Hiding the tool undermines both your credibility and their learning. Showing it openly — with judgment and narration — reinforces your authority as someone who genuinely knows how to work with AI, not just talk about it.
The Simple Rule
Acknowledge AI use briefly and confidently, then move on. “Let me grab a better example with Claude — here we go.” One sentence, no apology. Your students will respect it.