Agents Take Entire Courses On Learners' Behalf Accelerating AI Misuse

IBL News | New York

AI agents are undermining online education by taking courses on learners’ behalf, quickly accelerating cheating to earn certificates.

At many community colleges and globally renowned universities, classes are self-paced with prerecorded lectures, also known as asynchronous. Assignments and tests are submitted digitally.

In fact, half of American college students took at least one class last year, up from about a third in 2019. Sometimes students can earn full degrees online. In other cases, they take individual classes.

To prevent misuse of an unregulated technology, many educators are shifting to oral presentations and handwritten exams in physical classrooms.

Beyond the copy-and-pasting of chatbot-produced essays and problem sets, AI agents can watch lecture videos, take tests, write papers, and even chat with classmates about reading assignments.

This is happening in a context where education leaders are eager to embrace a technology that could reshape the world of work.

In addition, AI detection software can make mistakes, so there is no concrete proof of misconduct. And some administrators, professors fear, do not want to risk losing a paying customer in an era of tightening budgets and shifting demographics.

In tests by The New York Times, none of the three leading AI tools among students — ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grammarly — refused to write a paper on a student’s behalf. Also, AI companies have not prevented agents from logging into learning platforms such as Canvas, Brightspace, and Blackboard, which colleges use to manage online classes.

Experts have warned that more novel forms of AI cheating are emerging. Wearable devices, like glasses, can allow students to request help even while working in a secure web browser. AI avatars can impersonate students over video.

Some institutions are also changing how online assignments are designed, leaning on personal responses that are more difficult for AI to fake.

• The New York Times: AI Agents Are Taking Entire Online Courses for Cheating Students