Copy and Paste: How a Professor Caught His Students Cheating with AI

History professor Jason Gibson from Alcorn State University caught 32 out of 35 students cheating using artificial intelligence. He hid a command in the test instructions asking the AI model to include random phrases about Madagascar. The students copied the instructions and pasted them into the chatbot without reviewing the answers, leading to their failure.

History professor Jason Gibson from Alcorn State University in Mississippi, USA, caught 32 out of 35 students cheating on a midterm exam using artificial intelligence. Gibson used white text to hide a command within the test instructions that asked the AI model to produce nonsensical phrases about Madagascar. The students copied the instructions and pasted them into the chatbot, then copied the responses without review. The answers included phrases like "Madagascar floats aside during the afternoon" and "Madagascar's purple bicycle whispers to the ceiling." Gibson stated that he explained his detection method to the students and gave them a chance to object; only two students did. He noted that this phenomenon is not unique, as other teachers across the United States face similar issues with AI-assisted cheating.