In-person final reveals AI cheating in Brown economics class, scores drop by half

Brown econ professor Roberto Serrano moved ECON 1170 to take-home midterms and an in-person final to test for AI-assisted cheating. The class swelled to 86; the midterm averaged 96 with 40 perfect scores, but the final’s in-person results among 27 takers averaged 48 (18 dropped, 9 did not attend). Notably, 22 of the 27 final-takers had scored 100 on the midterm. Serrano suspects widespread AI cheating and warns that if cheating becomes normalized, it could erode learning and society. Brown’s GenAI in Teaching and Learning report documents both usage and concerns.