We Cannot Choose to Become Idiots: The AI Cheating Scandal Roiling Brown University

What happened

Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano discovered that 40 of 86 students scored a perfect 100 on a take-home midterm, with a class average of 96 versus a historical range of 65–80 on a harder-than-usual exam. He ordered an in-person final; the average fell to 48.

Context and impact

The case is being called the largest AI-cheating scandal in Ivy League history. Serrano allowed a take-home exam following a December campus shooting when several students expressed anxiety. Of 27 students who skipped the final, 22 had scored 100 on the midterm. Brown University faces criticism for a weak response.

Details

• 40 of 86 students: perfect 100 on take-home exam
• Class average: 96 (vs. historical 65-80; exam was intentionally harder)
• In-person final average: 48/100
• 22 of 27 absent students had scored 100 on the midterm
• Some answers contained passages identical to ChatGPT outputs