With the rise of agentic models, why stop at using chatbots to look up answers? Some students are directing AI agents to “take” entire online courses for them, letting the software run in the background while they focus on better uses of their time, like doomscrolling on their phone or gaming.
The New York Times unpacked the trend in a recent story, and it’s a testament to how extreme AI-enabled cheating has become, but also of the perils of getting an education in a virtual environment instead of a physical one. Professors can’t rely on supervised exams and oral presentations in online courses like they’re starting to shift to in-person ones.
Since everything is behind the screen, students can ask an AI agent to log into learning platforms like Canvas and Blackboard and complete quizzes for then, watch lecture videos, write papers, and even pose as the student and participate in discussions, a type of assignment in which they’re expected to chat with classmates and sometimes the professor about assigned reading.
AI companies are doing little to stop this.
