I used to think cheating in school was a moral issue.

Now I see it as a design problem.
Welcome to the age of CheatGPT – where students aren’t just finding ways to outsmart their teachers… they’re outsmarting the system itself.
And they’re doing it with tools that are smarter than we’re prepared for.

Let’s be clear… 

This isn’t about lazy students and bad actors (but there might be some of those).
This is about a generation raised on technology that adapts faster than our rules do.
Generative AI is much more than the new paper… the new calculator… the new spellcheck.
It can easily (and effectively) write essays, translate them into three languages, reword it to sound just awkward enough, and even add in a few typos for believability.

How do you compete with that?

You don’t.
You redesign the game.

Here’s what students are actually doing:

• Translation loops to mask AI signatures.
• Asking ChatGPT to write like a struggling 10th grader.
• A/B testing their assignments through AI detectors.
• Chaining tools like QuillBot and Grammarly to layer human-sounding style.
• Submitting AI work by hand to avoid detection.
• Using mobile-only AI apps that leave no school-detectable trail.

Sounds like a Silicon Valley “growth hack” and not a high school essay.

So here’s the real question:

Are we going to keep fighting a cat-and-mouse game with software patches and proctoring tools… or are we finally going to admit that the way we currently learn and test might be the problem?
When the tech is this good, the assignments need to be better.
Oral exams… In-class writing… Collaborative work… Real-world problem solving.
If it’s easy to outsource the thinking, maybe the task wasn’t worth doing in the first place?

And what about AI literacy?

Why are we treating AI like a threat to education instead of a core subject within it?
Reading, writing, math… and now prompting.
Understanding how these tools work – ethically, critically, creatively – should be the new educational imperative.
So, if you’re still thinking that banning Generative AI in schools is the solutuion, ask yourself this:
When calculators were introduced, did we tell kids to stop doing math?
This isn’t about cheating… it’s about changing.

The future will reward those who ask better questions.

Also, check out this article: Columbia Student Kicked Out for Creating AI to Cheat, Raises Millions to Turn It Into a Startup.

This is what Andrew Carter and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

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