Two London universities kicked out students for cheating with artificial intelligence in the last academic year, according to new data.
Both University College London (UCL) and Imperial College London expelled students during the 2024-25 academic year, according to data released under the Freedom of Information Act.
It comes amid a sharp rise in AI-related cheating, with cases across the country tripling compared to the previous academic year.
More than 2,000 undergraduates at Russell Group universities were punished for misusing generative AI tools in 2024-25, compared to around 700 in 2023-24, data collected by The Times shows.
The rise in cases has intensified fears that universities are struggling to contain the spread of AI-assisted cheating, with the University of Glasgow and the University of Leeds also expelling students out last year.
Despite the increase, some academics claim that the cheating rate may be significantly higher, with modern AI models capable of producing more sophisticated answers.
One professor from a Russell Group university has warned that most students were likely using AI in some capacity, with only the most “egregious” cases being detected.
The professor said that they repeatedly saw evidence of AI use, including leaving “insert name here” at the bottom of AI-generated emails and an essay listing Michelangelo as the author of a book on the Kurds in 2017.
The professor added: “Formatting errors are usually also signs of copying and pasting. Quotation marks changing, different fonts, page numbers in referencing not adding up or just being wrong - those are the obvious signs. Sadly, I’m sure the more devious students know this and edit accordingly.”
The Russell Group, which represents Britain’s top research-intensive universities, said that the increase may be a result of better reporting.
Hollie Chandler, director of policy at the group, said that the number of students caught using AI “represents a very small proportion of the student population”.
However, seven of the 24 Russell Group universities admitted that they did not record AI-related disciplinary investigations, despite a commitment to “consistency” from Russell Group vice-chancellors in 2023.
The growth of AI is forcing universities to reconsider longstanding teaching practices, with Princeton University dropping a 133-year commitment to holding exams without invigilators last week.
Concerns had emerged that the Ivy League institution’s honour code could no longer be relied on to uphold academic integrity.
A recent survey showed that 12 per cent of British students admitted copying AI-generated text directly into assessments - a rise from 3 per cent in 2023.
The Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) survey also found that 94 per cent said they used AI tools to help with assessed work, ranging from note-taking and revision support to drafting essays.
Rose Stephenson, Hepi’s director of policy and strategy, said AI use had become “pervasive”.
She said: “At least some students are using AI to complete their assessments rather than engaging in the process.
“If this practice isn’t being identified, this generates a sense of unfairness with other students - who know it is happening - diminishes the value that the student using AI gains from the learning process and risks undermining the value of a degree.”
British universities generally permit the reasonable use of chatbots by students, and many choose not to use AI detection software because the technology is widely viewed as unreliable.
Students themselves have acknowledged that AI use remains widespread even in courses where it is formally banned.
An undergraduate at Durham University said that some of their modules completely prohibited AI use but estimated that at least half their classmates used it regardless.
They said: “I don’t know how the universities that punished hundreds of people even prove AI misuse. If you tell them you didn’t use it, how are they ever meant to prove that?”
