University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Mamun Ahmed has said universities in Bangladesh should create clear rules on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used in higher education.
Speaking at “Academic and Research Integrity Conclave 2026” at Brac University on Wednesday, he said policies must explicitly outline where AI can be used, where it is forbidden, and where its use must be declared.
To ensure transparency in AI usage, the UGC chairman recommended introducing an “AI Disclosure Statement.”
He explained that under this policy, institutions must specify which AI tools were used, for what purpose, and how the information collected was verified. In addition, he urged universities to update their assessment methods for the AI age.
Rather than relying solely on AI-detection software, Mamun emphasised evaluating a student’s own learning, thinking, and work process. To achieve this, he suggested methods such as taking oral explanations of work, preserving research drafts and documentation, collecting field data, and solving real-world problems.
The UGC chairman proposed four main steps for universities to combat AI misuse and academic dishonesty.
These measures include setting clear policies on AI usage, prioritising research quality over publication count for promotions, introducing a mandatory course on research integrity and proper citation, and expanding technological capacity to detect plagiarism and AI assistance.
Emphasising quality in promotional criteria, he noted that a single important and high-quality research paper holds greater value than five low-quality ones. He remarked that the push to simply increase publication numbers is creating a “publish or perish” culture.
Taking advantage of this trend, some individuals publish research in low-quality or predatory journals, while others even use AI to generate fake data and information.
To stop these practices, he stressed ensuring effective monitoring and accountability across universities.
He also highlighted the need to prepare students regarding research integrity, suggesting that every student, regardless of discipline, complete a mandatory course on research integrity and proper citation prior to graduation.
Mamun underlined the necessity of creating a uniform national framework to ensure academic and research integrity. He advised including issues such as plagiarism, authorship, data management, ethical approval, conflict of interest, research supervision, and the responsible use of AI within this framework.
Observing that it is not possible to ban AI, the UGC chairman stressed that students and teachers must instead be prepared to use the technology responsibly and ethically. While AI can speed up education and research tasks, it can also provide incorrect information and sources, as well as spread bias.
“Large Language Models cannot take responsibility for an answer. Therefore, we ourselves must take responsibility for the results generated through them,” he noted.
Asserting that technology will make people smarter rather than lazy, he added that research integrity and quality must be ensured to transform Bangladesh into a centre for world-class research.
The event was also addressed by Rasheda K Choudhury, member of the Board of Trustees at Brac University; AFM Yusuf Haider, emeritus professor at Dhaka University; Chaitali Moitra, regional director for South Asia at Turnitin; and Professor Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury, pro-vice chancellor of Brac University.
Vice-chancellors and researchers from various universities were present on the occasion.
