Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of undergraduates using generative artificial intelligence for completing assignments.

Universities are independent and autonomous bodies responsible for decisions including course content and teaching and assessment. As such, they are responsible for designing and implementing their own policies and approaches to the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Universities and colleges rightly have policies in place to identify and respond to cheating in assessment. The consequences for students can be severe, including removal from their course. With the support of the Academic Integrity Advisory Group, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education has developed an Academic Integrity Charter, which sets out key guiding principles to support academic integrity policy development and practice in UK higher education. Over 200 institutions have pledged to implement the Charter’s principles and commitments, working with staff and students to promote academic integrity and take action against academic misconduct.

The sector is developing guidelines for ethical and responsible use of generative AI for staff and students. In July 2023 the Russell Group published a set of principles, developed in partnership with educational experts, recognising the risks of AI and committing its members to helping staff and students become leaders in an increasingly AI-enabled world.