Students using AI to cheat up 700%, and it's 'just the tip of the iceberg'

By MAGGIE RITCHIE FOR THE SCOTTISH MAIL ON SUNDAY Published: 01:13, 2 March 2025 | Updated: 01:14, 2 March 2025

AI Misuse in Scotland's Universities

Scottish university students were caught using artificial intelligence to cheat in assessments in more than 1,000 academic misconduct cases last year. The shocking figures released by Scottish universities show a 700 per cent rise in the use of AI from 131 incidents in 2022-23 to 1,051 in 2023-24, fuelling growing concerns about the technology.

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs, who obtained the data through freedom of information laws, said the trend was ‘hugely worrying’ and warned that it was likely to be the ‘tip of the iceberg’. While AI can make universities more efficient by tackling administrative tasks in a fraction of the time it would take hard-pressed staff, there are concerns about students using the likes of ChatGPT for plagiarism.

Specific Cases of AI Misuse

Abertay University in Dundee introduced ‘unacceptable AI use’ as a misconduct category in 2023 and last year upheld 342 complaints. Stirling University, which also added a specific AI category to its procedures ahead of 2023-24, has since upheld 200 complaints. Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, dealt with 116 incidents in 2023-24 and 113 cases were upheld at Glasgow Caledonian. The University of Glasgow had 130 reports last year, with 86 resulting in a penalty, although these cases were not necessarily due to AI misuse alone.

AI and Plagiarism

Some Scottish universities such as Stirling University, have added a specific AI category to its procedures ahead of 2023-24. At the University of Edinburgh, 78 students were penalised for academic misconduct involving the misuse of AI last year. Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh upheld 42 cases last year, while there were 38 at the University of St Andrews, 21 at the University of Aberdeen, eight at Strathclyde University and seven at the University of the Highlands and Islands.

AI Misuse: A Growing Concern

Mr Briggs, a Lothian MSP, told The Scotsman : ‘These figures show AI is tearing through universities and causing a significant headache for lecturers. ‘The fact that more than 1,000 cases have been investigated and proven in the space of a year is hugely worrying, and likely only the tip of the iceberg. ‘AI is obviously here to stay and we have to live with it, but universities need support in tackling what is effectively cheating. ‘If Scottish universities are seen as vulnerable to students using AI to replace thinking or hard work of their own, it will be hugely damaging for the sector’s reputation internationally.’

Impact on Universities and their Reputation

A recent focus group for the Scottish Qualifications Authority found that many teachers and lecturers believed there needed to be an overhaul of assessments in schools and colleges as a result of the rise of AI. A survey of 1,000 undergraduates at British universities indicated that there had been an ‘explosive increase’ in the use of generative AI in the last year, with 88 per cent of respondents saying they used tools such as ChatGPT for their assessments, up from 53 per cent in the previous 12 months.

Universities Scotland's Response

A spokesman for Universities Scotland said: ‘Universities will always take cases of academic misconduct seriously in line with their own codes of practice, and this includes students who utilise AI inappropriately to complete their assignments. ‘The use of AI offers both risks and opportunities to universities, and institutions should embrace change as students begin to reach for AI, while recognising it can be prone to errors, should only be used appropriately, and should not be solely relied on for information.’