New guidance on student expectations around generative AI argues that the current classroom moment requires balancing AI innovation with academic integrity and pedagogical control. The article describes how widespread AI adoption is prompting academic leadership to ask how to provide students with tools they will use while ensuring the tools align with faculty-selected content and integrity norms. Rather than pushing a blanket restriction approach, the piece argues for purpose-built classroom AI support, emphasizing transparency and constraints tied to learning goals. It also points to evidence that many students are not yet advanced AI users—often using AI for grammar and formatting instead of deeper concept mastery. The discussion frames the challenge as a mismatch between student expectations that AI should be part of coursework and an operational reality where students may still lack expertise in using AI appropriately for academic work. For faculty and academic administrators, the immediate impact is on policy design, tool adoption decisions, and assignment structures—shaping how institutions update academic integrity frameworks without ignoring students’ actual behavior.