Schools Scramble Over AI Cheating Surge

Universities, schools react to student use of generative AI programs including ChatGPT. AI cheating is the hottest new subject in schools: s...

Universities, schools react to student use of generative AI programs including ChatGPT.

AI cheating is the hottest new subject in schools: students use ChatGPT to write papers and even generate apology emails, while professors scramble to respond to an influx of suspiciously polished assignments. Accidental plagiarism and falsely flagged essays are flooding faculty inboxes, and no one can quite agree on how to police the bots.

According to a recent report by Axios, many universities are now rushing to update their academic integrity policies. Some institutions are adopting AI detection software like Turnitin's AI writing detector, though its accuracy is still debated.

Others are taking a more proactive approach. Schools such as Stanford and Harvard are experimenting with teaching students how to responsibly use AI tools, rather than banning them outright.

Yet in many classrooms, chaos still reigns. Teachers report students turning in essays with machine-like structure, generic phrasing, or even AI disclaimers still embedded at the bottom. And when accused of cheating, some students have responded by generating AI-written apologies — creating a bizarre feedback loop of machine-assisted remorse.

As generative AI rapidly evolves, schools face tough questions: Should AI be embraced as a learning tool or banned as a threat? How do you prove authorship in the age of automation? And what does "original work" really mean when machines can mimic thought?

For now, educators and students alike are navigating uncharted territory, with policies, norms, and expectations shifting by the semester. In the AI era, learning isn't just about answers — it's about asking the right questions.