What happens if the committee finds AI in the dissertation?
On January 6, 2025, updated rules for awarding scientific degrees came into force in Kazakhstan. Now, state universities are required to check not only the originality of the dissertation, but also the presence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the text.
Many scientists are concerned about: What happens if AI is found in their dissertation?
What consequences can this entail? We tell you about it in our article.
What happens if AI is found?
If the inspection reveals that:
The dissertation (or part of it) was written using a neural network (for example, ChatGPT);
AI was used without direction or permission;
AI Used to Disguise Plagiarism —
⛔ Protection is blocked, the work is removed from consideration, and the author may refuse to award a degree.
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What happens if AI is discovered in an already defended dissertation?
1. The work is removed from consideration.
The dissertation council stops considering it.
Your protection is automatic is postponed or cancelled, the work is returned for revision or rejected entirely.
2. You are not allowed to defend yourself.
The commission records violation of academic ethics, because using AI without notification = forgery.
You lose the right to defend your dissertation this academic year (and sometimes the next).
3. It is possible that the degree will be refused.
If the fact of using AI is already revealed after defense, it is considered serious violation:
The academic degree is cancelled;
The information is transferred to government agencies;
The author ends up on the list of “unreliable applicants,” and re-defending the thesis becomes extremely difficult.
Why is this serious?
The new rules are strictly written because:
neural networks are widely used for text generation;
The state wants to eliminate “automatic” dissertations and preserve the scientific value of the work.
Universities are required to comply with these standards, and violators are simply cut off at the stage of admission to defense.
Result:
Even if you simply "edited" the text using ChatGPT, and the check reveals this, without reference and permission - this may result in the cancellation of the entire dissertation.
When is AI allowed?
AI allowed to use, but only if observed three conditions:
1. Pre-approval.
AI can be applied only after receiving written consent:
scientific supervisor (or consultant);
Ethics Commission of the OVPO (organization of higher and postgraduate education).
Without these two approvals, any use of AI is considered a violation.
2. Where can AI be used?
AI is only allowed auxiliary, For example:
for the analysis of large data sets (Big Data);
for building statistical models;
to search for patterns;
for processing questionnaires or social surveys;
when working with open databases (Scopus, PubMed, etc.).
Generating text, writing paragraphs, formulating conclusions are prohibited.
3. Mandatory reference to AI.
If AI was used - even minimally - it was necessary:
indicate this in the text of the dissertation (in the methodology, notes or appendices);
describe, how exactly and at what stage it was applied;
provide a link to a specific tool (ChatGPT, Google Bard, etc.);
explain, how the reliability of the results was checked.
Registration - according to the rules of your university.
Example of acceptable use:
The author used GPT-4 to pre-classify questionnaires from 500 respondents. Then manually cross-checked and verified the findings. The AI was approved by a consultant, described in the Methodology section, references are provided.
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Conclusion
The emergence of AI in the scientific community has opened up new opportunities, but also created serious challenges. It is no longer enough to simply avoid plagiarism; it is important to clearly indicate how and why neural networks were used.
The new rules in Kazakhstan are a signal to rethink scientific integrity. Ignorance of the regulations is no longer an excuse: even a minor violation can lead to the dissertation being withdrawn or the degree being revoked.
Therefore, every step – from writing to execution – requires special care, transparency and understanding of the consequences.
