Universities struggle to detect students using AI

Universities in Fiji can no longer reliably detect when students use artificial intelligence (AI) to complete assignments, research papers and theses, Parliament heard yesterday.

Higher Education Commission director Eci Naisele told the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence that plagiarism and integrity-checking systems used by the country's three universities were no longer effectively identifying AI-generated content.

"There are some check systems that universities currently have, but they are no longer performing their function in verifying the credibility of a paper, research project or thesis submission," he said.

Dr Naisele made the comments while presenting the Commission's submission on the Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance, commonly known as the Veitacini Treaty.

He said the challenge extended across all levels of tertiary education, from undergraduate studies to Master's and PhD programmes.

As a result, supervisors and lecturers were increasingly relying on one-on-one interviews with students to determine whether submitted work reflected their actual knowledge and abilities.

"If there is a huge difference between what is submitted and the lecturer's, faculty member's or supervisor's understanding of the student's ability, then there must be suspicion," he said.

Dr Naisele said the Commission had engaged an artificial intelligence expert to help Fiji's three universities respond to the growing challenge. It has also re-established a Vice-Chancellors' Forum to allow institutions to share experiences and develop common approaches.

He said the issue had become more pressing as digital transformation accelerated under the Veitacini Treaty.

"The world has shifted. AI is very much the buzzword," he said.

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