Artificial intelligence has led to a dramatic increase in fake degrees and academic fraud, experts have warned, urging countries to improve global cooperation and adopt new technologies to verify qualifications.
The global “fake degree industry” has grown into a US$22 billion (£16 billion) business as demand for higher education has risen, Unesco chief of section for higher education Noah Sobe told a webinar on 8 July.
“Technology, which can also be our friend, does make it easier, in other instances, to profit from and to propagate illegitimate information and false credentials,” Sobe added.
He pointed to the role of Unesco’s Global Convention on Higher Education in tackling the issue. The convention, which now has more than 40 state parties, encourages governments to adopt measures to eradicate fraudulent higher education qualifications through international cooperation.
Joanne Duklas, executive director of the Groningen Declaration Network, said the scale and complexity of credential fraud had changed dramatically in recent years.
