Egypt Issues Guidelines on Use of AI in Higher Education, Research

Egypt’s Supreme Council of Universities has issued a new edition of its official “Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education and Scientific Research”. (View or download the manual here.)

In a statement, the council said the guide outlines the strategic and regulatory framework, ethical principles and controls, areas of application in higher education, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in scientific research, risk management, as well as recommendations and implementation policies.

The council approved the guide during its session on 30 September 2025, marking the first regulatory reference of its kind in Egyptian universities. The manual aims to govern the use of smart technologies and ensure their ethical and safe application in education and research.

In his remarks on the occasion, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education Ayman Ashour stated, “The release of this guide comes at a pivotal moment, as we witness the widespread integration of AI across lecture halls, research centres, and scientific laboratories. Through this guide, we seek to establish a clear framework that ensures the ethical, responsible, and effective use of these technologies—enhancing the quality of education and scientific research, and positioning Egypt among the leading nations in this field.”

He added, “I urge all universities to adopt this guide as both a regulatory and practical reference, serving as a foundation for strengthening the capabilities of our academic institutions in alignment with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2025–2030.”

Egypt’s National AI Strategy seeks to raise the contribution of smart technologies to 7.7 percent of GDP by 2030 and produce more than 30,000 specialists in the field. It also connects the digital transformation plan for universities with the Smart Campus initiative, which aims to digitise academic and administrative services and integrate databases between universities and the Ministry of Higher Education.

An Auxiliary Tool, Not a Replacement for Humans

Building on two earlier editions, the new guidelines encompass a strategic and regulatory framework, ethical principles, and implementation policies, along with detailed chapters on academic and research applications, risk management, and the establishment of AI ethics committees within universities.

The manual defines AI as an auxiliary tool rather than a substitute for humans and outlines five key principles:

• Transparency: Mandatory disclosure of the use of any intelligent tool in teaching or research, including its name, version, purpose, and the extent of human involvement.
• Accountability: The researcher or faculty member bears full responsibility for the results or outputs produced through artificial intelligence.
• Academic Integrity: Prevention of plagiarism by using detection tools such as Turnitin and iThenticate to monitor AI-generated content.
• Privacy and Data Protection: Compliance with the Egyptian Personal Data Protection Law to safeguard personal and institutional data.
• Ethical Education: Integration of AI ethics into university curricula and the training of faculty and students on the responsible use of these technologies, as outlined in the guide.

Applying AI in Education

The guide identifies seven main areas for applying AI within Egyptian universities. They are:

• Personalised and Adaptive Learning: Designing educational content tailored to each student’s abilities and learning pace.
• Interactive and Blended Learning: Utilising virtual classrooms and smart analytics to enhance engagement and flexibility.
• Automated Test Preparation and Assessment: Employing intelligent tools to evaluate student performance in real time.
• Support for People with Special Needs: Providing text-to-speech, simultaneous translation, and other accessibility solutions.
• Quality Assurance: Using AI to monitor and ensure academic quality in line with national accreditation standards.
• Research Data Analysis: Developing AI-based tools to aid in designing and analysing scientific studies.
• Smart Administration: Managing classrooms, lecture scheduling, and attendance tracking through automated systems.

Scientific Research and Artificial Intelligence

Mostafa Rifat, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Universities, stated that universities’ adherence to the guide’s principles “will constitute a vital step toward achieving the safe and purposeful use of AI technologies, ensuring equal academic opportunities, and preserving the integrity of the educational process”.

The manual differentiates between permitted uses—such as linguistic editing or data organisation—and prohibited uses, including generating research results or creating fake scientific images. It further underscores the importance of disclosing any use of smart tools throughout all stages of scientific publishing, in line with the standards of leading international publishers such as Nature, Elsevier, and Springer.

AI Ethics

The guide mandates the establishment of permanent AI ethics committees within universities, composed of experts in law, computer science, and scientific research. These committees are tasked with reviewing AI-based projects before implementation, evaluating their ethical and social impacts, and issuing regular follow-up reports.

Additionally, the guide introduces a national risk management framework that classifies intelligent systems according to their level of risk and adopts hybrid assessment models designed to balance human judgment with technological outcomes.

Implementation Plan

The guide outlines an implementation plan that requires universities to establish written internal policies governing the use of AI, develop national training programmes for faculty members and researchers, and set periodic performance indicators to measure compliance.

It also calls for expanding international partnerships in smart education and applied research, as well as channeling funding toward research projects with national impact in key sectors such as health, energy, and the environment.