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3 clusters · 21 sources · 19 days · First seen · Last updated

Categories: TECHNOLOGY

AI cheating scandals in US colleges

Entities: Jason Gibson · Alcorn State University · Mississippi

Overview

The February‑July 2026 wave of AI‑assisted academic dishonesty began with Brown University’s take‑home economics midterm, where average scores surged to 96 % before a proctored final dropped to 48.6 %. The episode highlighted how unsupervised AI use can inflate grades while supervised testing suppresses performance.

The trend continued later in July at Alcorn State University. History professor Dr. Jason Gibson inserted an invisible white‑font instruction into a midterm on the Industrial Revolution, directing any AI that processed the prompt to insert the word “Madagascar” nonsensically. Of the 35 exams submitted, 32 contained the absurd insertion, revealing that the students had copied the prompt into a generative‑AI tool without reviewing the output. Those students failed the affected portion of the test; only two appealed the decision. Gibson’s detection method underscores the growing difficulty colleges face in spotting AI‑generated work and the push for clearer institutional policies on generative‑AI use.

Timeline

  1. 1 day ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 6 sources
    Alcorn State University professor catches AI cheating with hidden prompt

    Alcorn State history professor Jason Gibson used a hidden AI prompt to trap cheating, exposing 32 of 35 students with absurd Madagascar references in their exams.

  2. 4 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 6 sources
    Alcorn State professor spots AI cheating with hidden “Madagascar” prompt

    Alcorn State professor Dr. Jason Gibson trapped AI‑using students with a hidden “Madagascar” instruction, exposing widespread cheating on a midterm and highlighting broader concerns about AI plagiarism in U.S.

  3. 20 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 10 sources
    Brown University AI Cheating Scandal Triggers Grade Collapse in In‑Person Finals

    Brown professor Roberto Serrano exposed massive AI cheating on a take‑home exam (96% average). After switching to a proctored final, grades fell to 48.6%, sparking calls for stricter university action.

Sources

au.pcmag.com · bright.nl · canaltech.com.br · conservativedailynews.com · dailydot.com · drinkhand.com · ediscoverytoday.com · editorialge.com · es.gizmodo.com · eveningreport.nz · freerepublic.com · ithome.com · news.co.za · nflmemes.com · noticiasdemalaga.es · portalrbv.com.br · rdmonline.com.br · the-decoder.com · theroot.com · tnh1.com.br · uk.pcmag.com