The state of AI adoption at the University of Queensland
The University of Queensland operates a two-option assessment framework: 'Cannot use AI' (in-person, AI prohibited) or 'Can use AI' (permitted with referencing of each instance of use). Course coordinators may combine both options across multi-part assessments. The framework sits within the institution-wide Lead through Learning (2025-2027) plan, partnering five faculties with the DVC Academic portfolio.
From Semester 2 2025, UQ disabled Turnitin's AI writing indicator entirely, citing a shift to a 'more secure assessment approach where the assessment task is completed in-person.' Microsoft Copilot Chat is the institutionally recommended generative AI tool; UQ does not hold an institutional ChatGPT licence.
Institutional position
UQ's two-option assessment framework is structurally simpler than Sydney's two-lane (open vs secure) or UWA's three-tier scheme. Option 1 ('Cannot use AI') applies to assessments completed in-person; Option 2 ('Can use AI') permits AI and machine-translation tools on the condition that students 'clearly reference each instance of use.'[1]
The framework operates under the Lead through Learning (2025-2027) AI in Education Action Plan, a whole-of-university strategy partnering five faculties with the DVC Academic portfolio, with learning designers embedded in faculties for three years. The plan's two stated goals are 'preparing students for responsible AI use' and 'maintaining the integrity of the learning process'.[2]
UQ's Academic Integrity policy classifies misuse of AI as plagiarism: 'At UQ, the use of AI outputs without attribution and not following teaching staff directions is a form of plagiarism and constitutes academic misconduct.'[3]
On detection, UQ's library guidance is unequivocal: 'From semester 2, 2025 UQ is no longer using any AI detection tools. The Turnitin AI detection tool in Learn.UQ has been disabled.' The stated rationale is a deliberate shift toward in-person assessment over detection-based enforcement.[4]
DVC (Academic) Professor Kris Ryan has framed the institutional position: 'The ongoing advances in Generative AI technologies present both opportunities and challenges for teaching and assessment. While protecting academic integrity is critical, we also acknowledge the increasing prevalence of AI in our everyday lives, making it critical for us to help students to understand its ethical and effective use.'[5]
Bloom at UQ
Bloom runs on Microsoft Azure OpenAI under enterprise data handling, the same model infrastructure UQ already provides through its institutionally recommended Microsoft Copilot Chat. Prompts and responses are not used to train base models, and Bloom sits inside the same Microsoft 365 vendor relationship UQ already operates against.[6]
Bloom can be deployed at UQ in a day, with course-specific material ingestion and coordinator-controlled student access. No new procurement, no new vendor security review, and no engineering integration is required.
AI tools at UQ
UQ's institutional GenAI stack is a Microsoft Copilot Chat enterprise rollout plus Adobe and LinkedIn Learning AI products available through the institutional licences students already have.
Microsoft Copilot Chat
Described by UQ as 'the recommended tool at UQ': included with the Microsoft 365 licence, available to all UQ staff and students aged 18+, runs on GPT-4, with data not used to train AI models. Microsoft 365 Copilot Premium is also available for staff at $45 per staff per month. Academic Title Holders are excluded due to a Microsoft licence restriction.[6]
ChatGPT
UQ does not hold an institutional ChatGPT licence: 'UQ currently does not have a licence for ChatGPT.'[6]
Adobe and LinkedIn Learning AI products
Adobe Creative Cloud (including Adobe Express and Firefly) and LinkedIn Learning AI Coaching and Role Play are available through UQ's existing institutional licences.[6]
AI research at UQ
The UQ AI Collaboratory was founded in 2021 and is directed by Professor Shazia Sadiq. It brings together computer science, engineering, business and social sciences researchers under a single institutional banner.[7]
The UQ AI Research Network, also convened by Sadiq, launched in September 2023 during UQ Research and Innovation Week with more than 100 interdisciplinary researchers. Sadiq is also Director of the ARC Industry Transformation Training Centre on Information Resilience (CIRES, 2020-2025).[8]
Sources
- 1.Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, UQ, UQ's rules for using AI in assessment (May 2025)
- 2.Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation, UQ, Lead Through Learning (2025-2027)
- 3.my.UQ, Academic integrity and student conduct
- 4.UQ Library, AI for assessment (AI Student Hub)
- 5.TEQSA, Partnering for change: Ethical gen AI use and ensuring integrity in assessment transformation
- 6.UQ Library, AI access and training (AI Student Hub)
- 7.University of Queensland, UQ AI Collaboratory
- 8.University of Queensland, UQ AI Research Network Launches (September 2023)
If we've got something wrong. This page reflects publicly available information as of 1 May 2026. If you work at UQ and there is something we should correct, please get in touch.