High-tech smart devices and AI-enabled tools are posing a growing threat to the integrity of exams, according to Ofqual Chief Regulator Sir Ian Bauckham, who warned regulators must “move really fast” to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology.
Speaking on Ofqual’s new podcast series, Bauckham highlighted concerns around the increasing sophistication of devices including smart glasses, hidden earpieces and AI tools that could be used to gain unfair advantages during exams. Ofqual data also found that mobile phones and smart devices accounted for 44.3 per cent of all student malpractice cases during the summer 2025 exam series.
The warnings come as education becomes increasingly digitalised, with schools integrating more online learning tools and AI technologies into classrooms and coursework.
Recent research from the Digital Poverty Alliance into media literacy and digital education supports this, as they found young people from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to rely on AI tools without the skills to use them safely, while only one in four parents believe their child has received any form of media literacy education in school.
Additional findings showed teachers often feel underprepared to support pupils in increasingly complex online environments, while the report concluded that the challenge is no longer simply who has access to technology, but who understands it and can use it responsibly.
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance commented: “Technology has huge potential to improve education and widen opportunity, but as learning becomes increasingly digital, we must also address the risks that come with unequal access and insufficient regulation.
The warning from Ofqual reflects a growing challenge: students with access to advanced AI tools and connected devices may gain unfair advantages, while those without reliable technology or digital skills risk falling further behind.
Our recent research into media literacy found that young people from lower-income backgrounds are more likely to rely on AI tools without the skills to use them safely, while only one in four parents believe their child has received any form of media literacy education in school. The issue is no longer simply who has technology, but who understands it and can use it responsibly.
Digital learning should create opportunity, not deepen inequality or undermine trust in education. Government, schools and regulators must now work together to establish clearer safeguards, stronger media literacy education and fair standards around AI use before these issues spiral further out of control.”
