Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2026
267. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether universities have been asked to report on the prevalence of generative AI use among students and staff; the risks have been identified for academic integrity and research quality; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35521/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department takes the potential threat that artificial intelligence (AI) may pose to academic integrity very seriously.
Academic integrity is a matter for individual higher education institutions in the first instance, with the support of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
QQI established the National Academic Integrity Network (NAIN) in 2019. The NAIN is a peer-led network that supports institutions to address the challenges of academic misconduct, including those exacerbated by AI tools.
To assist institutions, learners, and staff in supporting academic integrity, the NAIN has developed Academic Integrity Guidelines, and also Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Guidelines for Educators.
The aim of these Guidelines is to enable an understanding of what AI can and cannot offer, in this way ensuring an ethical basis for the use of AI tools, helping students to build their own self-awareness and knowledge, and avoiding breaches of academic integrity.
The Higher Education Authority leads on policy development on the use of Generative AI with regards to teaching and learning in higher education settings. In December 2025, the HEA published Generative AI in Higher Education Teaching & Learning: Policy Framework, a new national framework to guide the responsible, values-based adoption of generative artificial intelligence in Irish higher education.
The Policy Framework regards exam and assessment integrity as a core academic value that must be actively protected in an environment where generative AI is increasingly embedded. It recognises that AI has disrupted long-standing assumptions about authorship and written assessment, while making clear that students remain fully responsible for all work they submit.
The framework calls on each higher education institution to develop its own policies and procedures, aligned with shared national principles. It emphasises that integrity is best upheld through clarity, transparency, and appropriate assessment design, rather than through prohibition or surveillance.
The policy cautions against reliance on AI detection tools, noting their unreliability and stating that they should not be treated as determinative evidence of misconduct. It encourages institutions to redesign assessment to prioritise authentic engagement, learning process, and human judgement, including the use of oral assessment as a safeguard where appropriate. Overall, the HEA frames assessment integrity as a pedagogical and governance responsibility for institutions themselves, grounded in fairness, proportionality, academic freedom, and natural justice for students. The framework also calls for sustained reform of assessment practices to ensure that qualifications remain credible and trustworthy in the context of widespread use of generative AI tools.
