Professor's invisible prompt trap catches 32/35 students cheating with AI
A university professor caught 32 out of 35 students cheating on a midterm by embedding invisible, nonsensical instructions in the assignment prompt that AI models blindly followed. The students who used AI to generate their answers were identified by the inclusion of these bizarre, hallucinated references.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the growing tension between academic integrity and the widespread adoption of generative AI in educational settings.
Add TechSpot Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust . Facepalm: Modern problems require modern solutions – according to the meme. In this case, the issue is students using AI to cheat on assignments. The solution, used to great effect by one professor, was to hide a white-colored font in the assignment prompt telling the AI to talk nonsense about an unrelated subject.
In an online discussion post, Alcorn State University history professor Dr. Jason Gibson posed a question that represented part of his students' midterm. It was about the Industrial Revolution, but knowing how many students now rely solely on artificial intelligence for their answers, he secretly embedded instructions telling the AI to include information about Madagascar in a way that makes no sense.
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