Alcorn State University professor catches AI cheating with hidden prompt

History professor Jason Gibson at Alcorn State University in Mississippi embedded an invisible white‑font instruction in a midterm exam. The hidden prompt told any AI used to answer the exam to insert absurd references to Madagascar. When students copied the exam text into ChatGPT and submitted the AI‑generated responses, the nonsense appeared in their papers, exposing the cheating. Of the 35 exams submitted, 32 contained the absurd Madagascar sentences, and those students failed the portion of the test. Gibson allowed appeals; only two students contested the result.

The incident highlights growing concerns about AI‑assisted academic dishonesty and the lengths educators are taking to maintain integrity in coursework.