HEPI 2026 Survey: 12% of University Students Include AI-Generated Text in Assessed Work, Four Times More Than in 2024

My take: The annual HEPI report on generative AI in UK university students confirms what many educators already sensed: AI use in academic work is not a passing trend, it is the new normal. 95% of students use AI in some form, 94% use it for assessed work, and 12% now directly include AI-generated text in their submissions. In 2025 that figure was 8%; in 2024, just 3%.

For educators and institutions, these numbers mean that AI policies designed a year ago are already outdated. The conversation is no longer whether students use AI but how institutions design their standards around that reality. For students and professionals in training, learning to use AI effectively and honestly is today as important as mastering course content.

The detail most worth watching is not the overall usage rate (95%) but the pace of growth in direct use within assessed work: from 3% to 12% in two years. The trajectory is more informative than the single data point. Has your institution or company already updated its work standards to incorporate honest AI use?