As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly accessible, a silent revolution is upending global higher education, with students using AI tools like ChatGPT to complete coursework, exams, and even job application processes. According to a recent in-depth report from New York Magazine’s Intelligencer, academic cheating via AI is rapidly becoming normalized in universities across the United States. The article exposes how students now routinely offload assignments to AI, with some estimating that as much as 80% of their written work is AI-generated. This trend raises serious questions about the authenticity of academic credentials—and the future of learning itself.
The revelations come at a moment when Thai universities, like their counterparts worldwide, are exploring the integration of artificial intelligence in classrooms and grappling with new forms of academic dishonesty. For parents, students, and educators in Thailand, the stakes are high: is the value of a university degree being eroded by technology, and how should institutions respond to this evolving crisis?
The article centers around the experiences of students at prestigious institutions such as Columbia University, where one computer science major candidly described “dumping assignments into ChatGPT and handing in whatever it spit out.” Far from feeling guilty, he considered bypassing coursework as a way to focus on networking and entrepreneurial pursuits, stating, “Most assignments in college are not relevant—they’re hackable by AI, and I just had no interest in doing them.” Such attitudes are not isolated: a staggering survey in early 2023 found that nearly 90% of US college students had used ChatGPT for homework. AI is now tapped for note-taking, essay drafting, research automation, coding, and more.
This new digital cheating epidemic has outpaced teachers’ attempts at regulation. While many universities technically ban AI for unauthorized assignments, enforcement is uneven and ineffective. Some educators have reverted to handwritten “Blue Book” exams or oral assessments, but these are not foolproof and impractical at scale. Even AI detection tools such as Turnitin have proven unreliable, with a 2024 study finding that professors failed to detect 97% of fully AI-written submissions. False positives remain a risk, particularly for neurodivergent students and non-native English speakers—an important consideration for international and local students alike.
Expert perspectives reveal mounting despair among educators. One ethics professor warned, “Massive numbers of students are going to emerge from university with degrees… who are essentially illiterate, both in the literal sense and in the sense of being historically illiterate.” A tech-ethics scholar at Santa Clara University described the situation as an “existential crisis,” with the tradition of higher learning being drastically undermined.
The implications for Thailand are profound. Thai universities have accelerated digital transformation since COVID-19, promoting online learning, digital assessments, and now AI-powered tools. If international trends take hold here, students may be tempted to rely on AI for everything from essays to take-home exams. Already, some local educators have voiced concerns about declining critical-thinking skills and increasing plagiarism—a problem likely to intensify as AI tools become available in Thai language and education platforms (MOE Thailand).
At the heart of the issue is the definition of cheating itself. Is using AI akin to hiring a tutor, consulting a calculator, or using Google Search? Some students rationalize AI use as conceptually similar to getting help, provided the content is reviewed or individualized. But as the Intelligencer report points out, even those who say they are “against cheating” describe elaborate routines of AI-assisted essay writing, simply stopping short of wholesale copying.
The historical and cultural context is pivotal. Thailand’s education system, shaped by rote learning, centralized examinations, and high stakes university entrance tests, is already under pressure to foster creativity and analytical skills. The global AI cheating phenomenon threatens to erode these efforts further, unless a new culture of academic integrity is instilled (Bangkok Post).
Professors worldwide have responded with a patchwork of policies: some allow AI if cited as a source, others permit only conceptual assistance, while a few require students to submit AI interaction logs alongside their work. But most acknowledge enforcement as nearly impossible. As one freshman told the author, “We can’t really imagine living without it [ChatGPT].” Another student pointed out, “College is just how well I can use ChatGPT at this point.”
Teachers are fighting back with creative tactics, such as embedding hidden “Trojan horse” phrases in assignment prompts to catch students who mindlessly copy AI outputs. However, students share tips online for evading both manual inspection and detection algorithms, including paraphrasing, introducing deliberate errors, or laundering responses through multiple AI models.
As for the long-term effects, new research is troubling. Studies cited in the Intelligencer article report that extensive reliance on AI—particularly for cognitive tasks—may erode memory, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities, especially among young learners (Microsoft & Carnegie Mellon). Another study found that higher confidence in AI’s outputs correlates with reduced cognitive effort, fueling concerns of a generation ill-equipped for independent thought.
The business community is taking note. Industry leaders openly question the employability of graduates whose technical or communication skills were acquired (or substituted) by AI engines, not by hard-earned experience. As one computer science lecturer warned students, “If you’re handing in AI work, you’re not actually any different than a human assistant to an AI, and that makes you very easily replaceable.”
From a broader perspective, the crisis exposes a necessary reckoning in global academia. Is university a place for rigorous intellectual growth, or a transactional step towards employment and status? Declining faith in the value of a degree—just over half of US graduates in a Deloitte survey believe their education was worth the cost—suggests the latter. In Thailand, where education is viewed as a vital path to social mobility, this phenomenon poses economic, ethical, and social challenges that demand urgent attention (Deloitte Education Survey).
How should Thai universities adapt? The options are complex. Simply outlawing AI use is likely futile, but unchecked use will devalue academic credentials and erode trust. Some experts advocate integrating AI literacy into the curriculum—teaching students to use AI as a research assistant, not a surrogate thinker, while maintaining clear boundaries for assessment integrity. Others call for a return to in-person evaluation, project-based learning, and oral defense, methods that test original thinking directly.
Historically, Thai academic culture has discouraged open discussion of academic misconduct, but transparency and dialogue are essential. University administrators could involve students in drafting honor codes addressing AI, and faculty should be supported with resources to innovate assessment methods. Parental awareness is also key, as many still equate academic success with rote outcomes, not process or skill development.
One practical recommendation for Thai readers is to reflect on the purpose of university education—not just as a path to a degree but as training for real-world problem solving, creativity, and resilience. Both students and educators should treat AI as a tool, not a crutch, and emphasize the value of authentic effort. Universities must accelerate collaboration with technology partners to design fair, robust assessment systems, encourage AI literacy and critical thinking, and foster a culture of integrity.
A final word: As AI technologies continue their rapid advance, Thailand, like the rest of the world, stands at a crossroads. The choices educational institutions make today will define the skills, values, and societal contributions of tomorrow’s graduates. The AI cheating crisis can be a catalyst for long-overdue reforms—or the start of a decline in educational value. Stakeholders at every level—policy, administration, faculty, parents, and students—must work together to ensure that Thai education in the AI era empowers learners with both technological fluency and enduring human wisdom.
Source: New York Magazine - Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College, Bangkok Post, MOE Thailand, Deloitte Education Survey, Microsoft Research