Written Answer · 2026-08-04 · Parliament 15
Reports from IHLs on Use of AI to Cheat in Examinations
MP Foo Cexiang asked the Minister for Education in a written question whether the Ministry has received reports from any Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) about the use of AI to cheat in examinations. Minister for Education Desmond Lee replied that there have been instances of students using artificial intelligence (AI) tools in ways that contravene the academic integrity policies of the IHLs, including in assessments, and that these cases have been addressed by the IHLs in accordance with their respective disciplinary frameworks and processes. In line with the Ministry of Education's guidance on the responsible use of AI in education, the IHLs regularly review and update their academic integrity policies and corresponding disciplinary frameworks to ensure responsible AI use among students and faculty, and strengthen assessment design so that assessments remain valid measures of students' learning and capabilities. The answer did not disclose the number of cases or which institutions were involved.
Why it matters
MOE confirms that AI-enabled academic misconduct has occurred at IHLs but releases no figures, leaving the response to the disciplinary framework of each institution and to redesigned assessments.
Key Points
- • MOE confirmed there have been instances of students using AI tools in ways that contravene IHLs' academic integrity policies, including in assessments
- • These cases were handled by the IHLs under their own disciplinary frameworks and processes; MOE did not disclose case numbers or institutions
- • In line with MOE's guidance on responsible AI use in education, IHLs regularly review and update their academic integrity policies and disciplinary frameworks
- • IHLs are also strengthening assessment design so that assessments remain valid measures of students' learning and capabilities
MOE acknowledges the problem exists but leaves enforcement with the IHLs: cases are dealt with under each institution's disciplinary framework, with MOE supplying only its guidance on responsible AI use. The emphasis is not on banning AI but on requiring institutions to keep updating academic integrity policies and to redesign assessments so they remain genuine measures of learning in the AI era.
MP Foo Cexiang's concern is the actual extent to which AI tools are being used to cheat in higher-education examinations, and whether MOE is receiving reports from institutions — that is, whether the problem is on the regulator's radar and being tracked systematically.
Singapore's approach to generative AI in higher education is "devolved enforcement plus assessment redesign": MOE sets no national reporting or penalty standard for AI-enabled cheating, but uses its guidance on responsible AI use as the frame within which each IHL updates its own academic integrity policies and redesigns assessments. This matches the Government's wider "use AI well rather than ban it" stance, and implies that national data on AI-related academic misconduct will not be published any time soon.
"There have been instances of students using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in ways that contravene the academic integrity policies of the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), including in assessments."
Participants (2)
- Mr Foo Cexiang
- Desmond Lee
Original Text (English)
SPRS Hansard · Fetched: 2026-09-04
48 Mr Foo Cexiang asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry has received reports from any Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) about the use of AI to cheat in examinations.
Mr Desmond Lee : There have been instances of students using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in ways that contravene the academic integrity policies of the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), including in assessments. These cases have been addressed by the IHLs in accordance with their respective disciplinary frameworks and processes.
In line with the Ministry of Education's guidance on the responsible use of AI in education, the IHLs regularly review and update their academic integrity policies and corresponding disciplinary frameworks to ensure responsible AI use among students and faculty and strengthen assessment design so that they remain valid measures of students' learning and capabilities.