New guidance on the use of AI in thesis work

Guidance for the use of AI in thesis work at the bachelor’s and master’s level has been published. The guidance applies to everyone involved in thesis work, particularly to students, thesis advisors and supervisors, language teachers, and thesis seminar teachers.

The guidance comes into force as follows:

• 19 October 2026 (start of Period 2): master’s theses whose topic the student has applied for approval on or after this date
• 1 January 2027: bachelor’s theses started in connection with bachelor’s seminars that begin on or after this date.
• 1 August 2027 (start of academic year 2027–2028): all theses submitted on or after this date must contain the AI disclosure statement. The additional documentation can be requested only if the student and supervisor have agreed on this earlier, and the documentation can be required starting from the day of the agreement only.

The change that this guidance brings compared to current practices is that

1. students must agree beforehand with their thesis supervisor on how AI is used in the thesis work (this agreement can be updated as the work progresses),
2. students must document all AI use in the thesis process, and
3. students must include an AI disclosure statement in the thesis. Example statements will be provided in Aalto University’s LaTeX and Word thesis template that students can tailor to their needs. The thesis supervisor should verify that the statement aligns with the agreed AI use and the above-mentioned student’s documentation.

The thesis supervisor may already ask their students to agree on and document their use of AI in the thesis work ahead of the guidance taking effect for all students.

Link to guidance: Guidance for the use of AI in thesis work at the bachelor’s and master’s level

If you have questions: students, contact your supervisor; supervisors, send your question to myteachingsupport (at] aalto.fi