How 94% of fake AI exam submissions went undetected and passed a UK Psychology degree

Since the COVID pandemic accelerated reliance on unsupervised ‘take-home exams’, the education system has found itself with a fundamental problem -- one which has only been exacerbated by the recent rise in easily-accessible AI tools like ChatGPT. And new research shows just how great the scale and impact of the problem is for the education system and Early Careers teams alike.
Dr Peter Scarfe, Associate Professor, and Dr Etienne Roesch, Professor of Applied Statistics & Cognitive Science, both at the University of Reading, are two of the minds behind a recent groundbreaking study which proved just how easy it is for students to not only use AI in exams but to outperform real students. And most importantly -- evade AI detection in the process.
Join Robert, Peter and Etienne for the first episode of our new season of the TA Disruptors podcast on the impact of the AI-enabled candidate on recruitment. Our guests dive into:
💡 The details behind the study in which 94% of fake, ChatGPT-generated submissions for five modules in a BSc Psychology degree went completely undetected (and performed half a grade higher than the average student) -- even with simple copy-paste answers and no advanced prompting
🤖​ Why detecting AI usage is notoriously difficult and what this means for universities, Early Careers teams, and hiring managers when it comes to ensuring their assessment process is fair, accurate, and maintains its integrity
🎓 Why reverting to traditional invigilated exams or proctored assessments isn’t a sustainable solution -- and how universities are already ahead of employers in rethinking their assessment process to embrace AI rather than treating it as a threat.
🧠 What these findings mean for talent acquisition: as graduates increasingly rely on AI to boost their results, how should recruiters and hiring managers adapt their processes to evaluate candidate capabilities fairly?
🔮 The broader implications of AI for education and recruitment, and how we can expect advances in tech to reshape the future of work and learning forever
If you want to understand just how difficult it is to detect AI, both from a human perspective and also a software perspective, and just how severed the implications are for the world of Talent Acquisition and Early Careers recruitment, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
We promise this will be the most valuable podcast episode you listen to this week.
And don’t forget to hit ‘subscribe’ to be sure not to miss more episodes of the TA Disruptors podcast.
Thanks for listening, and here are some helpful links:
Connect with Robert on LinkedIn:
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Connect with Peter on LinkedIn:
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Connect with Etienne on LinkedIn:
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Download new research on the state of the AI-enabled candidate in 2024-25:
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Talent acquisition is changing faster than it ever has before. ChatGPT and other GenAI tools are literally turning the selection process on its head. This podcast is designed for disruptive Talent Acquisition leaders who want to get ahead. For the innovators, the movers and shakers, and the TA leaders who will survive and thrive in this new era by moving quickly to future-proof their recruitment processes. Even when you’re feeling overworked and overwhelmed, we’ll help you keep up with the latest ideas from the industry’s brightest innovators and the freshest need-to-know data from new research. TA Disruptors has got you covered.
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