AI Cheating Prompts Princeton to Scrap Honor System, Return to Proctored Tests

Access to AI on smartphones makes cheating easy, and social media doxing deters students from reporting peer misconduct, the dean of faculty said.
AI Cheating Prompts Princeton to Scrap Honor System, Return to Proctored Tests
Nassau Hall at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., on Oct. 8, 2024. Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo
|Updated:
0:00

Since 1893, students at one of the world’s most prestigious universities have taken exams in a relaxed environment, without professors lurking about the room to ensure no talking or wandering eyes.

The honor system that preserved the arrangement is no more, however. On July 1, Princeton University will return to proctored in-class assessments. A seemingly ancient practice has been recalled to counter changing norms and increasing student reliance on artificial intelligence (AI), according to campus documents.

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Aaron Gifford
Aaron Gifford
Author
Aaron Gifford has written for several daily newspapers, magazines, and specialty publications and also served as a federal background investigator and Medicare fraud analyst. He graduated from the University at Buffalo and is based in Upstate New York.