Until now, there have been national statistics in Malaysia that conclude that lecturers have a 'hard time detecting' AI assignments. However, a report by Turnitin, which is widely used in Malaysian higher education institutions, estimates that 11% of assignments created contain AI-generated content.Until now, there have been national statistics in Malaysia that conclude that lecturers have a 'hard time detecting' AI assignments. However, a report by Turnitin, which is widely used in Malaysian higher education institutions, estimates that 11% of assignments created contain AI-generated content.

These statistics indicate a significant gap between students’ ability to master AI and institutions’ ability to regulate its use. The uncontrolled use of AI raises serious questions about the authenticity of students’ work. The academic tradition that has long emphasized effort, critical thinking, and honesty is now facing new challenges.

A 2024 Turnitin report revealed that over 22 million student assignments worldwide were identified as containing elements of AI writing. Despite the existence of detection software, its accuracy in identifying the authenticity of writing remains an issue when there are human-generated writings that are flagged or claimed to be AI content.

Associate Professor Dr. Nor Shahniza Kamal Bashah, a lecturer from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), in a report by The Sun in April 2024, also called on the academic community, especially students, to be more ethical in using AI. She stated: “Academics recognize the benefits of using AI because it can enrich the learning process, but if it is used as a shortcut, it is an action that threatens academic integrity. Universities need to emphasize that AI is an assistant, not a replacement. Otherwise, we will produce graduates without an academic identity.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education (KPT) is evaluating specific guidelines to address this issue. These include proposals to require students to attach a declaration of authenticity for assignments and to provide AI literacy training for lecturers.

Implications for Higher Education

Unethical use of AI can have a profound impact on several things. Among them, the quality of graduates will be affected due to the lack of critical and analytical thinking skills in finding solutions to tasks given to them. The tendency to use AI as a shortcut makes them lazy to think, which in turn prevents critical and creative thinking through the higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) approach that was introduced since 2013.

The next effect is that the reputation of a university will be affected if its academic integrity is questioned by outside parties. International recognition of the capabilities of local universities will be tarnished. Ranking bodies such as QS World University Rankings and Times Higher Education (THE) place great emphasis on academic quality and research reputation.

Therefore, if there is a controversy regarding integrity, the evaluation will deteriorate further and affect the ranking position obtained. It also affects research opportunities and collaboration between universities with external parties and makes them increasingly limited. This means that opportunities to obtain international research grants, conduct student mobility programs and industry collaboration are decreasing.

In addition, the subsequent impact has resulted in the digital divide becoming wider, as urban students have better access to technology than rural students. It has also affected rural students' mastery of various types of educational platforms such as AI, which is increasingly gaining public attention due to the limitations of using the latest technology, especially in the field of education.