Brown University Professor Uncovers Massive AI Cheating Scandal in Economics Course
Professor Roberto Serrano discovered at least 50 students used AI to cheat on a take-home midterm for ECON 1170 at Brown University, after switching formats due to a campus shooting. The class average soared to 96% from a typical 65-80%, with identical ChatGPT-style answers. An in-person final revealed a record-low average of 48 and 19 failures. Brown’s administration initially ignored Serrano’s report, later calling it a wake-up call. This is the largest known AI cheating scandal in the Ivy League.
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Brown University professor sees dramatic grade drop after switching to in-person exam, suspects AI cheating
Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano observed a striking drop in student performance when he switched from a take-home midterm to an in-person final exam, leading him to suspect widespread AI-assisted cheating. The midterm was administered remotely after a campus shooting. When the final was held in person, many previously high-scoring students dropped out, and those who scored in the 90s on the midterm scored in the 50s on the final. A chart of the grade distribution went viral, drawing comments from tech figures including Y Combinator's Paul Graham and Google DeepMind staff. Serrano has received hundreds of emails, mostly from alumni. The university's academic code committee is investigating. Serrano said he will no longer give take-home exams or count homework toward grades, calling the incident a 'wake-up call' for professors to rethink AI policies.
All Content from Business InsiderBrown University Professor Finds Widespread AI Cheating After In-Person Final Exam Reveals Score Discrepancies
Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano suspected widespread AI-assisted cheating on a take-home midterm exam after his class of 86 students scored an unprecedented average of 96%, compared to the historical range of 65-80%. The exam was made take-home due to student anxiety following a campus mass shooting. Serrano noted answers were technically correct but stylistically 'convoluted' and similar to ChatGPT outputs. He announced an in-person final exam, leading 18 students to drop the course and 9 to skip the final. Of the 59 who took the final, only two scored within 10% of their midterm grade, and only one improved. Three students scored zero. Serrano reported the issue to the university's academic code committee, which is now reviewing cases individually. He expressed concern about the normalization of cheating among young minds.
Latest from Tom's HardwareBrown University Professor Suspects AI-Powered Cheating After Take-Home Midterm Scores Plummet in In-Person Final
Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano suspected widespread AI-powered cheating on a take-home midterm exam after his class scored an average of 96%, far exceeding historical averages of 65-80%. He made the final exam in-person, leading 18 of 86 students to drop the course and 9 to skip the final. Of the 59 remaining students, only two scored within 10% of their midterm grade, with just one performing better. Serrano reported the issue to the university's academic code committee, which is now reviewing cases individually. He expressed concern about the societal implications of normalizing cheating among young minds.
Latest from Tom's HardwareBrown University Professor Finds Widespread AI Cheating After In-Person Final Exam Reveals Score Discrepancies
Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano suspected widespread AI-powered cheating on a take-home midterm exam after his class of 86 students scored an average of 96%, far above the historical range of 65-80%. The exam was made take-home due to student anxiety following a campus mass shooting. Serrano noted that answers were technically correct but stylistically 'convoluted' and similar to ChatGPT outputs. He announced an in-person final exam, leading 18 students to drop the course and 9 to skip the final. Of the 59 who took it, only two scored within 10% of their midterm grade, and only one improved. Three students scored zero. Serrano reported the issue to the university's academic code committee, which is now reviewing cases individually. He expressed concern that normalizing cheating threatens societal integrity.
Latest from Tom's HardwareBrown Professor Uncovers Massive AI-Assisted Cheating After Switching to Take-Home Exam Post-Shooting
Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano switched his ECON 1170 midterm to a take-home, closed-book format last spring to ease student trauma after a mass shooting that killed one of his students and wounded two others. Instead of gratitude, he discovered the largest known AI-assisted cheating scandal in the Ivy League. Of 86 students, 40 scored a perfect 100 on the exam, which was intentionally harder than usual, and the class average soared to 96 from a typical 65-80. Graders found identical convoluted reasoning generated by ChatGPT across dozens of exams. Serrano confronted the class, asking why they were at university if they refused to learn. Twenty-seven students dropped the course, 22 of whom had perfect scores. The subsequent in-person final saw only 59 students take it, with a record-low average of 48 and 19 failures. Brown's administration initially ignored Serrano's report, later calling it 'a wake-up call'.
Fortune | FORTUNEAI Cheating Scandal Detected in Brown University Economics Course
Professor Roberto Serrano, a Harrison S. Kravis University Professor of Economics at Brown University, uncovered widespread AI-assisted cheating in his advanced undergraduate mathematical economics course, ECON 1170. He obtained conclusive evidence that at least 50 students cheated on the March midterm exam, making it the largest known academic integrity scandal at Brown and across the Ivy League. Upon reporting the case to high-ranking university officials, Serrano received a cold reception, including silence from the president and no comment from the dean until he escalated the matter to the Academic Code Committee. The incident highlights the growing challenge of AI-driven academic dishonesty at elite U.S. universities and raises questions about institutional responses to such violations.
Marginal REVOLUTIONAI cheating scandal at Brown University shakes elite academics
A major academic integrity scandal has erupted at Brown University, where Professor Roberto Serrano detected widespread AI-assisted cheating in his advanced mathematical economics course (ECON 1170). At least 50 students are implicated in using AI to cheat on the March midterm exam, marking the largest known fraud case at Brown and across the Ivy League. Serrano reported the incident to university leadership, but received a cold reaction, including silence from the president and no comment from the dean until he escalated the case to the Academic Code Committee. The case highlights growing concerns about AI undermining academic integrity at elite US universities.
Marginal REVOLUTIONAI cheating scandal at Brown University in mathematical economics course
A major academic integrity scandal has emerged at Brown University, where Professor Roberto Serrano discovered that at least 50 students cheated using AI on the March midterm exam for ECON 1170, an advanced undergraduate course in mathematical economics. This is reportedly the largest known cheating scandal at Brown and in the entire Ivy League. Professor Serrano reported the incident to Brown's senior officials, including the president and dean, but received a cold reaction, including silence from the president and no comment from the dean until he escalated the case to the Academic Code Committee. The case highlights the growing challenge AI poses to academic integrity at elite universities.
Marginal REVOLUTION