Gadgets & Workspaces · Story 7

Take-No-Prisoners Professor Will Fail Any Student Who Uses AI

A professor publicly states they will fail any student caught using AI for coursework, with the reported phrase: 'I get paid the same whether I pass you or fail you.' The story garnered significant attention on r/technology, with over 15,000 upvotes and nearly 1,900 comments reflecting strong debate about AI detection methods and academic integrity standards.

The split between proponents of strict anti-AI enforcement and those pointing out the practical and ethical flaws in detection approaches reflects a broader struggle over academic integrity standards as generative AI use among students rapidly increases.

Key details

• A university professor has publicly declared they will fail any student caught using AI in their coursework, asserting they are paid the same regardless of pass or fail rates.
• The story originated from a Reddit post on r/technology which received over 15,200 upvotes and generated nearly 1,900 comments.
• Top commenters questioned how professors could reliably detect AI use, citing a past incident where ChatGPT itself falsely confirmed it wrote a student's essay when asked by a teacher.
• One commenter claimed to be teaching at a Canadian law school and estimated at least 40% of their students used AI for final papers, identifiable by an unusual shared topic and thesis that was not covered in class.
• Suggestions to combat AI use include returning to handwritten, in-person essay exams.

Discussion angles

• A top comment questioned the reliability of AI text checkers, recalling an incident where a teacher asked ChatGPT if it wrote a student's essay, and ChatGPT answered 'yes', leading to the student being failed.
• One user proposed returning to handwritten, in-person essay exams as the simplest way to prevent AI cheating.
• A comment argued that using AI is simply a form of cheating, and professors have always had the authority to fail students for it.
• Another user expressed that calling the professor 'take-no-prisoners' highlights how low academic integrity standards have fallen, with one commenter saying 'Education as we have known it is finished.'
• A commenter teaching at a Canadian law school reported detecting AI use in roughly 40% of final papers, noting students all chose the same unusual topic and thesis not covered in class.