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

Dubai: A master's student has lost the legal battle to overturn his dismissal from university over academic misconduct in his thesis, after Dubai's Court of Cassation rejected his appeal and Dh100,000 compensation claim.

The court upheld the university's decision to dismiss the student and ordered him to pay legal costs and Dh2,000 in lawyers' fees. It also ruled that he would lose his appeal security deposit.

The Court of Cassation issued its ruling on October 29.

The student had enrolled in a master’s programme in international dispute resolution law, completed his coursework and examinations, and reached the thesis stage before the university initiated disciplinary proceedings.

On December 7, 2023, the university's academic integrity officer emailed the student, alleging that his thesis was not his own work.

An investigation report dated February 8, 2024, submitted by an investigator from Birmingham Law School to the Faculty Conduct Committee, concluded that the student had used artificial intelligence to generate parts of his thesis and had copied and pasted material without properly acknowledging the sources.

The committee subsequently dismissed him from the programme. His internal appeal against the decision was also rejected.

The student then filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the university's decision and its academic consequences. He asked to be reinstated, allowed to complete and submit his thesis, and awarded his master's degree. He also sought Dh100,000 in compensation for material and moral damages.

The Court of First Instance dismissed his case on February 10, 2025. The Court of Appeal later appointed an expert and upheld the dismissal on July 30, 2026.

In his final appeal, the student argued that AI-detection software was unreliable and could not provide conclusive evidence of misconduct. He also challenged the expert's findings, arguing that the expert had gone beyond the scope of the assignment by examining the thesis content and its legal references.

He further argued that the university's decision was excessive and that a lesser disciplinary measure should have been imposed.

However, the Court of Cassation found that concerns over the reliability of AI-detection tools did not invalidate the other evidence of academic misconduct.

The expert had identified problems beyond the alleged use of AI, including fabricated or inaccurate legal references and judicial rulings that did not exist or had been incorrectly presented. The court considered these findings sufficient to support the conclusion that academic misconduct had occurred.

It also rejected the argument that the expert had exceeded the scope of the assignment, ruling that examining the thesis content and verifying its legal references were relevant to assessing the work's integrity.

The court further explained that a claim for compensation requires proof of wrongdoing, actual damage and a direct causal link between them. As the university's disciplinary decision was lawful, the student had not established the wrongdoing required to justify compensation.

The Court of Cassation therefore rejected the appeal and upheld the previous judgments.

AI use in academic research is not misconduct, UAE expert explains

Using artificial intelligence in academic research is not academic misconduct, but submitting unverified AI-generated information, including fabricated references and fictitious court judgments, can undermine academic integrity, a UAE legal expert has warned.

Dr Ammar Ali, a legal consultant specialising in AI governance , said the key issue was not whether researchers used AI, but whether they took responsibility for checking the accuracy of its output.

Researchers who rely on AI-generated material without verification risk compromising the credibility of their work, particularly when it contains non-existent academic sources or inaccurate legal references.

Universities must establish clear AI policies

Under Article 16, Clause 9, of Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2025 on Higher Education and Scientific Research, higher education institutions in the UAE are required to uphold institutional governance, transparency and disclosure.

These obligations include managing risks, protecting academic integrity and ensuring the quality of decision-making.

Dr Ali said universities' responsibilities extend beyond identifying academic violations and imposing disciplinary penalties. They must also introduce clear, proactive policies governing the responsible use of AI in research and education.

These policies should specify students' and researchers' obligations and establish procedures for checking the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated content.

The aim, he said, should be to encourage technological innovation without compromising academic standards, while ensuring that disciplinary procedures are fair and penalties proportionate to the seriousness of any violation.

UNESCO calls for human oversight

The need for human supervision is also highlighted in UNESCO's 2023 guidance on generative AI in education and research.

Dr Ali pointed to sections 4.2 and 4.3, which address the protection of human agency and the monitoring and validation of generative AI systems. The guidance stresses the importance of verifying the reliability and suitability of AI tools for educational and research purposes.

The European commission's 2022 ethical guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence and data in teaching and learning identify four fundamental principles: human agency, fairness, humanity and justified choice.

Human agency is particularly important because it ensures that people retain control over decisions and remain accountable when using AI systems.

Researchers remain responsible for their work

Dr Ali said researchers must not treat AI-generated information as automatically reliable or allow technology to replace independent thinking and human judgement.

This is particularly important when preparing scientific research, assessing academic work and making decisions that could affect academic outcomes.

The principles also reinforce the importance of transparency, accountability, human oversight and data protection.

He stressed that responsibility must be shared between researchers and educational institutions. Researchers must verify the accuracy of information and references, while universities must establish clear rules for AI use and ensure fair investigations when academic violations are suspected.

Any disciplinary action must also be proportionate to the nature and seriousness of the violation.

"AI governance in education does not mean restricting innovation. It means ensuring that AI is used in a way that protects academic integrity and reinforces human responsibility for scientific outputs," Dr Ali said.