Dubai court upholds student's dismissal over AI-written thesis

A master's student in Dubai has lost his legal challenge against his university's decision to dismiss him for academic misconduct, following the Court of Cassation's rejection of his appeal and compensation claim. The court confirmed the university's decision to dismiss the student and order him to pay Dh100,000 in compensation.

The student had been accused of using artificial intelligence to generate parts of his thesis and copying without proper attribution. The university's disciplinary panel concluded that the student had committed misconduct, leading to his dismissal. The student had sought to be reinstated, complete his thesis, and receive his degree, as well as compensation for material and moral damages.

However, the Court of Cassation found that the concerns over AI-detection tools' reliability did not invalidate the other evidence of academic misconduct. The court also ruled that the expert examining the thesis had not exceeded the scope of the assignment and that the university's decision was lawful. UAE legal expert Dr. Ammar Ali highlighted the importance of verifying the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated information in academic research, warning that researchers who rely on unverified AI-generated material without proper citation risk compromising the credibility of their work.