A Challenge of Rising AI Cheating in Writing Academic Papers

Time Business News

30-07-2025

Do you know? According to a 2023 Stanford University research, 60% of its students admitted to using AI writing tools to write their academic papers. They justified this misbehaviour as a means for their comfort and relaxation.
There was a time when plagiarism was the only misconduct prevalent in the academic world. However, as Artificial Intelligence and its tools rose to popularity, the nature of misconduct is changing.
AI tools have significantly enabled students to generate essays, research papers, and even dissertations with minimal effort.
This relentless use of AI tools has started to raise concerns about academic honesty, integrity, and credibility among educators, institutions, and policymakers.
'AI writing tools blur the line between assistance and cheating', said Dr. Rachel, a professor at an Australian university. 'Students are no longer just copying from sources; they're having entire papers written for them without truly engaging with the material'.
Do you know? During 2023-24, there was a widely known case in the UK highlighting the use of AI writing tools. According to that, some 7,000 students were caught cheating using AI tools. This quantity makes up 5.1 students for every 1,000.
As we remind, the percentage during 2022-2023 was only up from 1.6 cases per 1,000 students, which is why academics are baffled.
However, some experts are saying that this year, the percentage may go even higher to 7.5 cases per 1,000 students.
As AI use continues to rise, the number of cases of traditional plagiarism is continuously dropping.
According to a 2019-20 report, the number of plagiarism cases was 19 per 1,000 students, which dropped to 15.2 in 2023-24, and it is projected to drop further by 8.5 per 1,000 students.
The use of AI in academic writing has raised a new challenge for universities in terms of assessment methods. Although some institutions also advocate for ethical assignment writing services.
'There have always been ways to cheat, but the education sector would have to adapt to AI', said Dr. Peter Scarfe, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Reading. 'The use of AI poses a fundamentally different problem'.
According to a Turnitin report, 22% of submitted papers in 2024 contain AI-generated text.
'I would imagine those caught represent the tip of the iceberg', Dr Scarfe added. 'AI detection is very unlike plagiarism, where you can confirm the copied text'.
Many experts also argue that the facts and figures regarding the use of AI writing tools are not entirely accurate, pointing out that the actual usage can be much higher.
According to a Higher Education Policy Institute survey, around 88% of students used AI for writing their homework tasks and projects.
'However, in a situation where you suspect the use of AI, it is nearly impossible to prove, regardless of the percentage of AI that your AI detector says. This is coupled with not wanting to falsely accuse students', Dr Scarfe further said.
'It is unfeasible to move every single assessment a student takes to in-person simply. Yet at the same time, the sector has to acknowledge that students will be using AI even if asked not to and go undetected'.
'I have also used AI for summarising and brainstorming', said a student named Maria, who recently finished her music degree. 'But the tools had been most useful for people with learning difficulties'.
'One of my friends uses it, not to write any of her essays for her or research anything, but to put in her own points and structure them, ' she added. 'She has dyslexia; she said she really benefits from AI tools'.
James, a student who recently finished his business management degree, said:
'I have used AI to generate ideas and structure my assignments and to suggest references, and most people I know have used the tools to some extent'.
'When I started my university, ChatGPT kind of came along with it. It has always been there for me', he added. 'I don't think many people use AI and then would copy it word for word'.
'I think it's more just generally to help brainstorm and create ideas. Anything I would take from it, I would then rework completely in my ways', he said.
Dr. Thomas Lancaster, a researcher at Imperial College London, said:
'When used well and by a student who knows how to edit the output, AI misuse is very hard to prove. I hope that students are still learning through the process'.
'University-level assessment can sometimes seem pointless to students, even if we as educators have good reason for setting this', he added. 'This comes down to helping students to understand why they are required to complete certain tasks and engaging them more actively in the assessment design process'.
He further added, 'There's often a suggestion that we should use more exams in place of written assessments, but the value of rote learning and retained knowledge continues to decrease every year'.
On the other hand, Jordan Mitchel, a student, supports the use of AI tools, said:
'I often struggle with starting essays and structuring my arguments. AI writing tools have always been a game-changer for me, as they provide instant suggestions, help refine my ideas, and even correct grammar mistakes'.
'If students keep using AI for grammar, structure, and even idea generation, they'll never be able to master these skills themselves', Olivia Martinaz, a student discouraging the use of AI, said. 'One can get the answer, but they can't understand how it works'.
To address the ongoing challenge of AI cheating, many universities are considering adopting AI-detection software.
Not only that, many institutions like the University of Cambridge have completely revised their academic integrity policies amidst the surge of AI cheating, discouraging AI-generated submissions.
However, still, some voices come forward to support AI tools like Dr. Raj Patel, an education technologist at MIT.
'We need to adapt our teaching methods to incorporate AI as a learning aid rather than treating it as the enemy', he said. 'Critical thinking and originality should still be at the core of academic work'.
As the AI has increased academic scrutiny, the rise of dissertation writing services is prevalent, as students demand human-written dissertations, papers, and reports.
According to a 2024 report, the academic writing services market size has increased to $8.5 billion, which is projected to reach $15.5 billion by 2033.
'Professional writing services can be particularly helpful for non-native English speakers. Also, those students who are juggling multiple responsibilities', said Dr. Thomson, a professor of Education.
'They can also provide editing services to improve overall writing quality. They allow learners to focus on research and comprehension rather than just grammar and formatting'.
Well, the AI is here to stay, and its technology won't stop at AI writing tools. It is continuously evolving, learning more and more.
As far as academic integrity and credibility are concerned, educational institutions must adapt accordingly and focus on updating academic policies.
We can't deny the assistance of AI tools for students in learning complex concepts and crafting their academic papers; however, over-reliance on them or their misuse can threaten the foundation of academic honesty and authority.
The goal of writing academic papers should be learning, not just submitting them.
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