Teachers find no value in SAS EVAAS system in Southwest School District
A study examined the SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS®) used by the Southwest School District (SSD) to evaluate teacher effectiveness for high-stakes consequences. Teachers reported that the system produced inconsistent results, was biased by student factors, and reduced morale and collaboration. The study found that teachers did not use the data formatively as intended, and unintended consequences included heightened pressure and teaching to the test.
- Company involved
- Southwest School District (SSD)
- AI system involved
- SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS®)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Durham Police uses Experian Mosaic data in HART AI risk tool
Durham Constabulary developed the Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART), a machine learning algorithm that assesses the recidivism risk of offenders. The tool uses 34 data categories including criminal history, age, gender and two types of postcode, one sourced from Experian's Mosaic marketing segmentation system. Big Brother Watch alleges that using such commercial consumer behaviour data to inform custody decisions risks prejudice and disproportionate targeting of deprived neighbourhoods. The force has stated it is refreshing the model with an aim to remove one of the postcode predictors.
- Company involved
- Durham Constabulary
- AI system involved
- Harm Assessment Risk Tool (HART)
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Australian education ministers scrap NAPLAN robot marking
The Education Council decided not to use automated essay scoring for NAPLAN writing tests, dropping a proposal by ACARA to have computers mark English tasks. Teachers' unions had campaigned against the plan, and an academic warned that the software would reward verbose gibberish and could not assess creativity. The decision was made in December 2017 and announced in January 2018.
- Company involved
- Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Intel and Class Technologies face criticism over emotion-detecting AI for students
Intel partnered with Class Technologies to use an AI system that analyses student emotions during Zoom classes to provide insights to teachers. Critics, including educator Todd Richmond, argued that facial expressions are not reliable indicators of internal states and that the system amounts to pseudoscience. The article reports these criticisms as allegations, not as proven fact. No specific incident of harm or regulatory action is reported.
- Company involved
- Intel
- AI system involved
- Class Technologies face-reading AI
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Beijing school uses Hanwang emotion recognition system to monitor student behaviour
Niulanshan First Secondary School in Beijing has installed Hanwang Technology's Classroom Care System, which photographs students every second and analyses their facial expressions and behaviour. The system sends weekly reports to teachers and parents, and one student was described as low participation in English class despite being recorded as focused 94% of the time. The school has been highlighted in a report by Article 19, which says such emotion recognition tools rely on junk science and risk eroding privacy and human rights.
- Company involved
- Niulanshan First Secondary School
- AI system involved
- Classroom Care System
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AMS algorithm lacks transparency and may discriminate against job seekers
The Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) uses an algorithm to classify job seekers into categories A, B, and C, determining their access to benefits and training. Scientists from TU Wien, WU Wien, and University of Vienna have criticised the algorithm for lacking transparency, as only two of 96 model variants have been published. They allege that the system may discriminate against women and people with migration background, and that job seekers are not informed about how the algorithm works or given a chance to appeal.
- Company involved
- AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice Österreich)
- AI system involved
- AMS-Algorithmus
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Educational Testing Service's E-rater algorithm biases essay scores against minority students
The Educational Testing Service's E-rater algorithm, used to grade essays on the GRE and other standardized tests, has been found to systematically give higher scores to students from mainland China and lower scores to African American students compared to human graders. The bias stems from the algorithm's reliance on surface-level metrics like vocabulary and sentence length, which disadvantage certain groups. Despite studies dating back to 1999, the bias persists, and in many states, only a small percentage of essays are reviewed by humans.
- Company involved
- Educational Testing Service
- AI system involved
- E-rater
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Cense exposed 2.5 million records of auto accident victims online
On July 7, 2020, a security researcher discovered 2.5 million records containing personal and medical data of auto accident victims exposed online. The records, belonging to New York-based AI company Cense, included names, insurance policy numbers, claim numbers, and medical diagnosis notes. The data was labeled as staging data, possibly intended for temporary storage before being loaded into an AI system. After the researcher sent a responsible disclosure notice, Cense restricted public access to the database.
- Company involved
- Cense
- AI system involved
- Cense
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Barclays pilot of Sapience monitoring software causes employee stress
Barclays introduced a pilot of employee monitoring software from Sapience in its product control department at Canary Wharf. The system monitors computer activity and admonishes staff if they are not deemed active enough, recording breaks as "unaccounted activity". Employees reported significant stress and worry about taking breaks. Barclays acknowledged the pilot and said it would listen to feedback.
- Company involved
- Barclays
- AI system involved
- Sapience employee monitoring software
10 source articles · read the reporting →
NSW Education Standards Authority used AI-generated image in HSC English exam without disclosure
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) used an AI-generated image as a stimulus in the 2024 HSC English exam without disclosing its origin. The image, created by Florian Schroeder using OpenAI's ChatGPT and Dall-E 2, was published on Medium in July 2023. Students suspected AI use due to irregularities in the image, and NESA initially declined to confirm. After the Sydney Morning Herald confirmed the image was AI-generated, NESA stated that students would be marked on their response to the question, not the image's origin.
- Company involved
- NSW Education Standards Authority
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT and Dall-E 2
6 source articles · read the reporting →
SQA exam algorithm disproportionately downgraded poorer pupils, report finds
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) used an algorithm to moderate 2020 exam results after COVID-19 cancelled exams. The algorithm disproportionately downgraded students from disadvantaged backgrounds, leading to a public outcry and a government U-turn. An independent report criticised the SQA and Scottish Government for failing to properly assess the equality impacts and for not making the algorithm available for analysis. The SQA has expressed no regret over the moderation approach.
- Company involved
- Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Titus Henderson files civil rights lawsuit against COMPAS
Titus Henderson, a prisoner, filed a civil rights lawsuit against COMPAS and other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin on July 16, 2018. The lawsuit alleges discrimination related to the use of the COMPAS risk assessment tool. The case is ongoing.
- AI system involved
- COMPAS
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Middle schooler beats Edgenuity grading algorithm to get perfect score
A seventh-grade student in the Los Angeles Unified School District received a failing grade on a history assignment graded by Edgenuity's automated scoring algorithm. With help from his mother, a history professor, he reverse-engineered the algorithm by writing a paragraph with relevant keywords and a jumble of words, earning a perfect score. The incident highlights concerns about the accuracy and fairness of automated grading systems in education.
- Company involved
- Los Angeles Unified School District
- AI system involved
- Edgenuity
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ExamSoft failure during Michigan Bar Exam
On July 28, 2020, ExamSoft's software platform failed during the Michigan Bar Exam, preventing some test takers from completing the exam. ExamSoft posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) with the hashtag #MichiganBarExam, but critics noted the company deleted and reposted the statement multiple times, allegedly to hide negative comments. The incident affected a group of examinees and caused disruption to their ability to take the exam.
- Company involved
- ExamSoft
- AI system involved
- ExamSoft platform
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Nevada's AI grad score model cuts funding for low-income students
Nevada replaced its income-based school funding formula with a machine learning model developed by Infinite Campus that generates a 'grad score' for each student. The model reduced the number of students eligible for supplemental funding from 288,000 to 63,000, disproportionately affecting low-income students. Critics argue the model lacks transparency and de-emphasizes economic status, potentially leaving many high-poverty schools underfunded.
- Company involved
- Nevada Department of Education
- AI system involved
- Grad score model
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Qoves facial assessment tool ranks journalist's attractiveness and suggests procedures
Tate Ryan-Mosley, a journalist at MIT Technology Review, used Qoves Studio's AI facial assessment tool, which automatically scored her face and listed perceived flaws such as smile lines and under-eye bags. The tool recommended skin-care products and paid surgical consultation reports. She also tried Megvii's Face++ beauty-scoring system, which gave her two percentage attractiveness scores. The article raises concerns that such algorithms are inaccurate, biased and not transparently used by social media platforms.
- Company involved
- Qoves Studio
- AI system involved
- Facial Assessment Tool
9 source articles · read the reporting →
California bar exam facial recognition system fails to verify Arab-American student's identity
Ahmed Alamri, an Arab-American law student, was unable to register for the practice California bar exam because ExamSoft's facial recognition system repeatedly failed to recognize his face, citing poor lighting. Alamri attempted to verify his identity over 75 times in different rooms and lighting conditions without success. He and other students filed an emergency petition with the California Supreme Court, alleging that the system discriminates against people of color. The incident highlights concerns about bias in facial recognition technology used for exam proctoring.
- Company involved
- California State Bar
- AI system involved
- ExamSoft
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Cleveland State University's room scan requirement ruled unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled that Cleveland State University's requirement for a student to undergo a 360-degree room scan before an online exam was an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. The student, enrolled at the public university, was told shortly before the exam that he would need to scan his private space. The court found that the university's justifications did not outweigh the privacy protections of the home. No final judgment or injunction has been issued yet.
- Company involved
- Cleveland State University
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Retorio AI personality test swayed by candidate appearance in BR experiment
Bayerischer Rundfunk journalists conducted experiments with Retorio's AI video interview analysis tool. The AI, which assesses personality traits from short videos, produced different scores when the same actress changed her appearance (glasses, headscarf, wig) or the video background and lighting were altered. The start-up Retorio acknowledged that the AI considers external image, similar to a human interviewer. Experts warned that such software could perpetuate stereotypes and unfairly affect job candidates.
- AI system involved
- Retorio AI
10 source articles · read the reporting →
CBSE introduces facial recognition system for students to access digital documents
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has introduced a facial recognition system for Class 10 and 12 students to access their digital academic documents. A live image of the student is compared with the photograph on their CBSE admit card and, if the match succeeds, the certificate is emailed to them. The facility is available on Digi Locker for 2020 records and is expected to help foreign students and those unable to open a Digi Locker account.
- Company involved
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
- AI system involved
- Facial Recognition System
10 source articles · read the reporting →
DCPS used allegedly false test scores in teacher value-added evaluations
The District of Columbia Public Schools used student test scores from schools under investigation for cheating in value-added calculations for teacher evaluations. More than 200 teachers were terminated based on these evaluations. Teachers can appeal their ratings to the chancellor, but decisions will not be made before the next school year. The school system removes affected scores only when cheating is confirmed.
- Company involved
- District of Columbia Public Schools
- AI system involved
- value-added model
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Answer.AI tests Devin and reports 14 failures in 20 tasks
Answer.AI's team tested Devin, an autonomous AI coding assistant, on 20 real-world tasks over a month. Devin succeeded in only 3 tasks, failed 14, and was inconclusive in 3. The team found Devin often produced overly complex or hallucinated solutions and could not recognize fundamental blockers. They ultimately decided to stick with tools that allow more human control.
- AI system involved
- Devin
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Cigna StressWaves Test found unreliable and invalid in independent study
A study published in Scientific Reports evaluated the Cigna StressWaves Test (CSWT), an AI tool that claims to assess psychological stress from speech. The study found that the CSWT had poor test-retest reliability and poor validity compared to the Perceived Stress Scale. The authors warned that widespread availability of the tool could lead to misleading results and negative consequences for users making healthcare decisions. Cigna has not publicly responded to the findings.
- Company involved
- Cigna
- AI system involved
- Cigna StressWaves Test
4 source articles · read the reporting →
State Bar of California admits using AI to develop bar exam questions
The State Bar of California admitted that it used artificial intelligence to develop multiple-choice questions for the February 2025 bar exam. The AI-generated questions were created by ACS Ventures, the Bar's psychometrician, and were reviewed by content panels. Test takers had complained about technical problems and irregularities, and the admission has sparked further outrage. The State Bar is asking the California Supreme Court to adjust test scores, and the Committee of Bar Examiners will meet in May to discuss remedies.
- Company involved
- State Bar of California
7 source articles · read the reporting →
