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 →
ProctorU threatens UC Santa Barbara faculty over privacy criticism
ProctorU, an online proctoring service, sent a legal threat letter to the University of California Santa Barbara faculty association after the association expressed concerns about ProctorU's data privacy policies. The letter, from ProctorU's lawyer, invoked defamation, copyright, and trademark claims, and was copied to state and federal prosecutors. The faculty association had asked the university to reconsider its relationship with ProctorU due to concerns about student data sharing.
- Company involved
- ProctorU
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ProctorU data breach exposes 444,000 user records
ProctorU, an online exam proctoring service, confirmed a data breach after a threat actor leaked a database of user records on a hacker forum. The database contained email addresses, names, addresses, phone numbers, and hashed passwords for approximately 444,000 users, including students from universities such as UCLA, Princeton, and Harvard, as well as U.S. military members. ProctorU stated that the breach involved records from 2014 and that they are investigating the incident.
- Company involved
- ProctorU
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctortrack data breach exposed student data from online proctoring
Proctortrack, an online proctoring service used by universities, suffered a data breach in September 2020 when its source code was leaked online. An analysis by Consumer Reports found that the code contained hard-coded passwords and exposed the names and email addresses of over 150 students. The company acknowledged the leak but said no harm resulted. Students had been required to use the software, which performed facial recognition and recorded video during exams.
- Company involved
- Proctortrack
- AI system involved
- Proctortrack
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Proctorio's exam proctoring system allows human agents to review student feeds despite privacy claims
A security researcher analyzed Proctorio's Chrome extension and found evidence that the system allows human agents to review students' room scans and live ID checks, contrary to Proctorio's claims that only professors can access recordings. The system flags students based on behavioral metrics and can terminate exams. The researcher also raised concerns about discrimination against low-income students and privacy violations.
- Company involved
- Proctorio
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
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 →
Student flagged by ProctorU for reading aloud during exam
A college student, Dana Jo, was flagged by ProctorU test proctoring software for talking during an exam, which she says was reading a question aloud. Her professor initially gave her a zero and placed an academic infraction on her record, jeopardizing her scholarships. After reviewing a video recording, the professor apologized, reinstated her grade, and removed the infraction. ProctorU's CEO stated that the incident highlights the importance of video recordings for review.
- Company involved
- University (not named)
- AI system involved
- ProctorU
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Wisconsin’s dropout prediction algorithm labels students high risk with racial bias
Wisconsin’s Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS) uses machine learning to predict middle school students' likelihood of graduating on time, relying on factors including race and income. The Markup found the algorithm frequently mislabels students, with a higher false alarm rate for Black and Hispanic students. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has not informed schools of the racial disparities and continues to use the system.
- Company involved
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
- AI system involved
- Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS)
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 →
Facial recognition trialled in Australian schools to mark attendance
Five Australian schools are trialling a facial recognition system from LoopLearn to automate student attendance. The system scans students' faces and sends attendance data to an app. Privacy experts have raised concerns about data security and surveillance. The Victorian government previously tried to stop the trial due to privacy risks.
- Company involved
- Clarendon College
- AI system involved
- LoopLearn
10 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 →
UW-Madison disables Honorlock after skin tone recognition failure
The University of Wisconsin-Madison disabled the exam pause feature of its Honorlock anti-cheating software in March 2021 after three students complained that the software failed to recognize their darker skin tones and paused their exams. The software, used since online classes began, automatically pauses exams when it cannot detect facial features. Honorlock denied the issue was related to skin tone, attributing it to students looking away from their webcams. The university responded by disabling the feature.
- Company involved
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- AI system involved
- Honorlock
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 →
Dartmouth Medical School charges 17 students with cheating based on tracking system.
Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine charged 17 students with cheating on remote exams during the pandemic. The charges were based on secret tracking of student activity on the learning management system. Critics say the system is prone to errors and inappropriate for monitoring students.
- Company involved
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Buona Scuola algorithm mistakenly assigned thousands of teachers in Italy
In 2016, the Buona Scuola algorithm, used by the Italian Ministry of Education, mistakenly assigned thousands of teachers to wrong professional destinations based on mobility rankings. The system was later discontinued. The incident is reported in the Automating Society Report 2020.
- Company involved
- Italian Ministry of Education
- AI system involved
- Buona Scuola algorithm
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 →
South Korea's AI textbook program rolled back after complaints
South Korea's Ministry of Education launched AI-powered digital textbooks in March 2025 for math, English, and computer science. Students, teachers, and parents complained about technical problems, inaccuracies, and data privacy risks. After four months, the textbooks were stripped of official status and made optional. The program was criticized for being rushed and insufficiently tested.
- Company involved
- South Korean Ministry of Education
- AI system involved
- AI-powered textbooks
7 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 →
Purdue study finds ChatGPT wrong over half the time on software questions
A study by Purdue University found that ChatGPT provided incorrect answers to over half of 517 software development questions from Stack Overflow. Despite the errors, 34% of users preferred ChatGPT's answers over human responses. The study warns that relying on ChatGPT for coding could jeopardize programmers' professional reputations.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
9 source articles · read the reporting →
UIUC students petition to stop Proctorio exam proctoring over privacy concerns
A petition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) alleges that Proctorio, an online exam proctoring system, violates student privacy by accessing websites, downloads, screen content, and app settings. The petition claims the terms of service allow monitoring by 'any other means necessary', which students find unsettling. The petition, created on September 30, 2020, gathered 1,087 supporters but does not report any specific incident of harm. It calls on UIUC to discontinue use of Proctorio in favour of alternatives.
- Company involved
- UIUC
- AI system involved
- Proctorio
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Bloomberg test finds racial bias in OpenAI's GPT for resume ranking
Bloomberg News conducted an experiment using GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 to rank equally qualified resumes with names associated with different races and genders. The test found that resumes with names distinct to Black Americans were least likely to be ranked as top candidates, indicating systematic bias. OpenAI responded that businesses can mitigate bias through fine-tuning and that it prohibits using GPT for automated hiring decisions.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- GPT-3.5
5 source articles · read the reporting →
ChatGPT use linked to memory loss and procrastination in students
A study published in the International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education surveyed hundreds of university students in Pakistan and found that those who relied more on ChatGPT reported increased procrastination, memory loss, and lower GPAs. The researchers attribute this to the chatbot making schoolwork too easy, reducing students' cognitive effort. The study's lead author warned of a "dark side" to excessive generative AI usage.
- Company involved
- National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
4 source articles · read the reporting →
