Too many university students in England can use artificial intelligence to complete assessments without staff finding out, sometimes in minutes, the higher education regulator has warned, the BBC reported. The Office for Students said "a significant proportion" of assessments are unsupervised and many can be completed to a high standard with AI. That posed a "significant risk" to their credibility, the regulator said, adding that closed-book and practical exams were the most effective forms of assessment. Universities UK said many institutions had "made substantial changes" to make assessments "AI-proof." Universities that do not meet OfS quality standards could be banned from charging increased tuition fees or have caps imposed on student numbers, under proposals now out for consultation.

The research, from the OfS and Advance HE, a charity that awards teaching excellence, drew on the views of 244 higher education staff and 91 students from at least 127 universities. It found that a significant share of assessments were in "unsupervised, non-controlled formats where AI can be accessed," including coursework and remote online exams, which were rolled out widely during Covid. Research from Swansea University last year suggested 93 UK universities still use remote exams in some form. The report concluded it was "frequently possible" for students to use AI "in ways that cannot be reliably detected." The OfS said it had heard of students completing entire assessments within minutes with AI and receiving similar grades to those who had not. Some staff were getting lots of assignments that looked the same and did not think their institution's assessments were "fit for purpose."

Josh Fleming, the OfS director of strategy and delivery, said there were "fantastic" examples of universities seizing opportunities presented by AI, but there should be "far greater use of AI-free assessment." "It also presents a generational risk to the system as it stands, threatening to undermine students' learning and institutions' ability to assess them," he said. The report called AI literacy important, and said some institutions clearly tell students where AI can and cannot be used, but that there was "an urgent need" to keep remote assessments valid. "If it becomes possible to complete an assessment using AI without the knowledge and skills being tested, the assessment should be replaced," it said.

Universities UK, which represents more than 140 institutions, said universities were adding more in-person exams, presentations, vivas, and assessments that integrate AI in a controlled way. "Different subjects will require different approaches," a spokesperson said. Lewis Wilson of the National Union of Students argued that AI was exposing "traditional" methods, including essay questions, that students and staff "have long said is not fit for purpose," and called for assessments co-designed with students. The verified warning is about unsupervised work and detection limits, not a claim that every degree is now worthless.