UGC chairman advises universities to formulate AI use policy

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Mamun Ahmed has advised universities to formulate clear policies on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education.

He called for clearly defining in the policy what tasks AI can be used for, where it cannot be used and when users must disclose their use of AI.

The UGC chairman made the remarks while addressing the “Academic and Research Integrity Conclave 2026” at BRAC University in the capital on Wednesday as the chief guest.

To ensure transparency in AI use, Prof Mamun also suggested introducing an “AI Disclosure Statement”.

He said the policy should specify which AI tool was used for what purpose and how the information generated through AI was verified.

At the same time, the UGC chairman called for changes to university assessment systems in the age of AI. Rather than relying solely on AI-detection software, he stressed assessing students’ own learning, thinking and working processes.

He also suggested introducing methods such as asking students to explain their work orally, preserving research drafts and documents, collecting data in the field and assessing their ability to solve real-world problems.

To tackle AI-related academic misconduct, Prof Mamun proposed four measures for universities – formulating clear policies on AI use; giving greater importance to the quality rather than the number of research publications in promotions; introducing mandatory courses on research integrity and proper citation; and enhancing technological capacity to detect plagiarism and AI-assisted work in research.

The UGC chairman also called for preparing students for research integrity. Regardless of their academic discipline, every student should complete a mandatory course on research integrity and proper citation before graduation, he suggested.

“Technology should make us smarter, not lazier,” he said.

To transform Bangladesh into a centre for world-class research, he said, research integrity and quality must be ensured.

BRAC University Board of Trustees member Rasheda K Chowdhury, Dhaka University Emeritus Professor AFM Yusuf Haider, Turnitin South Asia Director Chaitali Mitra and BRAC University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury also spoke at the event.