seniorspectrumnewspaper – A former PhD student is suing the University of Minnesota. Claiming his expulsion over alleged AI use was unfair and part of a broader conspiracy.
Haishan Yang, a 33-year-old doctoral candidate, was working toward his second PhD when the university expelled him in 2024. The decision stemmed from accusations that he used artificial intelligence tools to write his exam essays. However, Yang denies the allegations and argues that his professors targeted him unfairly.
Yang took his preliminary exam remotely while traveling in Morocco during the summer of 2024. The exam, which determines a doctoral student’s eligibility to begin dissertation work, required writing three essays within an eight-hour window. While students were permitted to use notes, reports, and textbooks, AI tools were strictly prohibited.
Professors Cite AI-Like Responses
All four faculty members grading Yang’s exam flagged concerns. Noting that his answers contained terminology and acronyms uncommon in the field but frequently generated by ChatGPT. They also pointed out that several responses appeared unrelated to course content.
Yang argues that these claims are unfounded and maintains that he completed the exam independently. His lawsuit seeks reinstatement and damages, raising questions about how universities regulate AI use in academic settings.
Professors Compare Exam Answers to ChatGPT Responses
The University of Minnesota expelled PhD student Haishan Yang in 2024 after faculty members accused him of using AI to complete his exam. However, Yang is now suing the university. Arguing that the accusations are false and based on unreliable methods of AI detection.
Two instructors ran Yang’s essay questions through ChatGPT and compared the AI-generated responses with his submissions. They concluded that the structure, formatting, and content were nearly identical. Professor Peter Huckfeldt, in a letter to the hearing committee. He wrote that the similarities between Yang’s work and ChatGPT’s output were “extremely unlikely to be coincidental.”
Yang, however, refuted these claims, stating that any resemblance was due to both sources drawing from the same academic reference materials. He also accused the professors of manipulating the ChatGPT responses to make them look more like his own.
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Student Challenges AI Detection Methods
In addition to the AI-related concerns, the university panel criticized Yang’s essays for a lack of citations and inconsistencies in his testimony. However, Yang argues that the methods used to detect AI-generated content are flawed, particularly for students whose first language is not English.
Yang, who speaks Southern Min, a Chinese dialect, claims that AI detection tools often misinterpret writing patterns, unfairly targeting non-native English speakers. His academic advisor, Bryan Dowd, defended him, calling Yang “the best-read student” he had ever encountered. Dowd further noted that, in his 40-year career, he had never seen such hostility directed toward a student.
Yang’s lawsuit aims to challenge the reliability of AI detection in academia and seek reinstatement to the university. The case highlights broader concerns about AI regulation in education and potential biases in academic integrity enforcement.
Student Alleges Retaliation Over Past Financial Dispute
Haishan Yang, a former PhD student at the University of Minnesota, claims his expulsion was the result of ongoing animosity rather than legitimate concerns about AI usage. He argues that tensions began when the university cut off his financial support during his time as a research assistant, citing poor performance and inappropriate behavior. Yang appealed the decision and won, leading the school to reinstate his funding—on the condition that he did not sue.
Despite this resolution, Yang alleges that faculty members continued to pressure him to quit the program. He claims the graduate director explicitly suggested that he should drop out. Now, he believes his expulsion over alleged AI use is an extension of the hostility he faced during his research tenure.
Lawsuit Challenges AI Allegations and Seeks Reinstatement
Yang’s legal battle stems from accusations that he used AI tools to write his exam answers. Faculty members pointed to a past incident in which he submitted a homework assignment with an instruction that read, “rewrite it, make it more casual, like a foreign student write but no AI.” Yang insists he only used AI to check his English, not to generate content, and at the time, he received a warning but no formal punishment.
Following his expulsion, Yang’s appeal was denied by the university, prompting him to file lawsuits at both state and federal levels. He is seeking $575,000 in damages in the federal case and $760,000 in a defamation lawsuit. Additionally, he is demanding that his expulsion be reversed and that the university issue a public apology.
In a notable twist, Yang admitted to using ChatGPT to draft portions of his legal filings, further emphasizing the debate surrounding AI’s role in academic and legal settings.
