UniversityNo. of students who received an academic penalty due to the use of AI (2022-2024)Birmingham City University402Leeds Beckett University395Coventry University231Robert Gordon University211University of Hull193Birkbeck, University of London147Leeds Trinity University119University of Lincoln82University of Kent74Abertay University72
For the complete FOI findings, please view here.
The results, from the 80 universities with available data, show that more than four in five (82.5%) have investigated their students for AI cheating.
Students at Birmingham City University have turned to AI the most to cheat, with 402 total instances in the last two academic years. The university suffered the most when artificial intelligence first boomed it seems, with 307 of those instances taking place in 2022/2023.
In comparison, Birmingham Newman University reported zero offenses.
Just behind Birmingham City University is Leeds Beckett University, with 395 penalties being given to cheating students in the last two academic years. 205 of those have come from the most recent academic year of 2023/2024, showing that use of AI to cheat is on the rise in this uni.
Leeds Trinity had significantly less reports of AI cheating, with 119 instances in total, whilst the University of Leeds reported just 7 offenses.
The third biggest cheaters come from Coventry University, who have had 231 academic penalties for using AI to cheat in the last two years.
Rounding off the top 5 is Robert Gordon University with 211 instances of cheating, and University of Hull with 193 penalties being given.
On the other end of the scale, UK universities that reported zero penalties for students using AI to cheat include University of Cambridge, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, University of London, University of Gloucestershire and Royal College of Art.
How to ethically use AI in your studies
Christopher C Cemper on behalf of AIPRM provides comment on the survey findings, and how to ethically use AI in your university studies: “Use AI as a friend or side-kick, not a substitute for writing up your work.
“AI can be a great source for locating academic research, generating ideas and summarising articles, but make sure that when utilising AI tools, you always ensure that the work remains your own and maintain originality. For example, AI can assist with grammar and style of writing, but do not use it to write an entire paper or section of your assignment.“Use AI as a guide to understanding and upgrading your skill set, but make sure to always apply your own critical thinking skills to your work and there remains a human touch. But don’t present AI use as your own work or without proper attribution, or this could land you a hefty penalty for plagiarism
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