Nigerian Dietitian Stripped of UK License After NHS Panel Detects AI-Generated Interview Answers
A Nigerian dietitian practicing in the United Kingdom has faced severe professional consequences after a tribunal determined she utilized artificial intelligence to craft responses during a remote job interview with the National Health Service. The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service concluded that Aiwanehi Aigbokhaevbo acted dishonestly, leading to her removal from the professional register and an 18-month suspension pending appeal.
Remote Interview Raises Suspicion Over Polished Responses
The incident occurred during a Microsoft Teams interview for a dietitian position at Royal Surrey County Hospital. According to tribunal documents, while Aigbokhaevbo answered personal questions with confidence, her demeanor shifted noticeably when clinical questions were posed. Panel members observed frequent hesitations, requests for repetition, and a pattern where she would slowly repeat questions before delivering exceptionally detailed and fluent answers.
The tribunal noted: "After much hesitation and repetition of the questions, she would then articulate with great fluency a model answer." Interviewers grew suspicious as her responses appeared overly polished and advanced for the role, prompting one panel member to later test the same questions on ChatGPT and discover striking similarities.
Behavioral Cues and Case Study Submission Reinforce Concerns
Further raising red flags, panelists observed Aigbokhaevbo's eyes moving from side to side during the interview, suggesting she might have been reading from another screen. The tribunal concluded she was likely typing interview questions into an AI tool and reading generated responses in real time.
Following the interview, Aigbokhaevbo was asked to complete a clinical case study within 45 minutes. The submission was described by the panel as "too detailed and perfect," reinforcing their belief that artificial intelligence had been employed once again. This perfection contrasted sharply with her hesitant interview performance on clinical matters.
Defense Arguments Rejected by Tribunal
During the hearing, Aigbokhaevbo denied all allegations of misconduct. She explained her habit of repeating questions as a "reflex" to better understand them and attributed occasional delays to needing time to process questions properly. She also claimed her glances away from the camera were due to checking her internet connection stability.
The tribunal rejected these explanations, finding her account inconsistent and noting she displayed no remorse for her actions. More critically, the panel determined she failed to grasp the seriousness of her misconduct and its potential implications for professional standards and patient safety.
Broader Implications for Professional Recruitment and Trust
The tribunal emphasized that cheating in professional recruitment settings could severely damage trust in hiring processes, create gaps in professional competence, and potentially endanger patient welfare. By using AI to generate responses, Aigbokhaevbo circumvented the assessment of her genuine clinical knowledge and judgment.
In its final ruling, the tribunal stated she had acted dishonestly and could not be trusted to maintain professional standards. The decision to strike her from the register reflects the seriousness with which regulatory bodies view attempts to deceive during professional assessments, particularly in healthcare fields where patient safety is paramount.
Related AI Ethics Development in Nigerian Context
This case emerges alongside growing discussions about AI ethics in professional and academic settings. In a separate incident reported recently, a Nigerian student expressed surprise when ChatGPT refused to provide direct answers to exam questions, instead offering to review general concepts due to concerns about academic dishonesty during live testing.
These developments highlight increasing awareness about the ethical boundaries of AI assistance in assessment contexts, whether in professional licensing interviews or academic examinations. As artificial intelligence tools become more sophisticated and accessible, regulatory bodies and educational institutions face new challenges in maintaining integrity in evaluation processes.
