Person on laptop holding light bulb with human head and the word “AI” depicted on it

Examination Regulations

Legal aspects of AI in teaching
Person on laptop holding light bulb with human head and the word “AI” depicted on it
Illustration: Adobe Stock

Current legal situation

Even though examination regulations do not yet explicitly regulate or separately sanction the use of ChatGPT and other bots (hereinafter referred to as “ChatGPT” or “AI”) by students during examinations, such use is currently not permitted at our university from an examination law perspective.

Examiners currently have two options for dealing with the use of AI in examinations:

  1. Enabling the use of AI in exams. In this case, the examiner must specifically allow AI as an aid. Students must then indicate the use of, for example, ChatGPT for the exam.
  2. No permission to use ChatGPT or other AI applications. As mentioned above, this complies with the current legal regulations. Since unauthorized use cannot be proven retrospectively, it is recommended that tests be carried out in advance to identify potential opportunities for deception and prevent cheating.

Frequently asked questions about AI and exams can be found on the pages about digital examinations.

Adjustment of the Declaration of Academic Integrity for AI in term papers and theses

In light of the possibility of using AI tools in seminar papers or theses, it became necessary to update the Declaration of Academic Integrity (Eigenständigkeitserklärung). This was done by the members of the “AI in Teaching” working group in consultation with the legal department and initially excludes the use of generative AI tools.

However, in an additional Declaration of Permitted Resources (Freigabeerklärung), which can be adapted by the examiner, the use of AI tools may be permitted under specified conditions and with specific documentation requirements. Both documents can be downloaded from Hanfried de.

The Declaration of Permitted Resources (Freigabeerklärung) is a template and does not need to be filed with the written work. Approval of permitted AI tools can also be granted outside of the declaration. However, decisions regarding approval and the options available should be made in advance and students should be informed of these in writing. In case of doubt, students must prove that and to what extent the use of AI has been approved by the examiners. If there is no declaration of approval, any use of AI (in conclusion from the approval options) is not permitted.

Here you can find further information on the Declaration of Academic Integrity (in German) de.

Contact person for questions regarding examination regulations
Anja Milas
Universitätshauptgebäude, Room 3.59
Fürstengraben 1
07743 Jena Google Maps site planExternal link