Cheating on exams with AI has never been so discreet. In China, students are using smart glasses equipped with artificial intelligence to display answers directly on their lenses, in real time. The device looks like an ordinary pair of glasses. No supervisor makes the difference. Some students even transformed their equipment into a source of income, by renting it to their classmates on the day of the tests.
Connected glasses allow you to cheat on exams with AI almost undetectably
Cheating on exams with AI is based on a simple principle here. The glasses scan the questions asked on the exam sheet and display the answers generated by a language model directly on the integrated glass. The student controls the device via a small remote control in the shape of a ring, invisible in the hand. Thus, he navigates between the questions without looking up from his copy. A student identified under the pseudonym Vivian uses her Rokid glasses to answer English and mathematics questions during her university exams. She also started renting her equipment to other students to make her investment profitable.
These glasses exist under several brands, including Rokid and Quark, marketed in China. They are equipped with cameras, discreet speakers and, for certain models, a small augmented reality screen integrated into the glass. To avoid purchasing, students turn to renting on second-hand platforms. Prices range from 40 to 80 yuan per day, or around 5 to 11 euros, depending on the model.
Cheating on exams with AI produces measurable results, researchers show
The performances obtained thanks to this process are not anecdotal. Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology connected Rokid glasses to an advanced language model, then had a student wear them during a final exam in a course taken by more than 100 students. According to an article in Rest of World, the tester received a score of 92.5 out of 100, placing him among the top five in his class. At the same time, the same research team is developing tools to help teachers detect these devices during tests.
This result illustrates how far technology has progressed. The first models of connected glasses struggled to process complex information in real time. However, the integration of large language models has changed the situation. From then on, any academic subject becomes accessible to anyone wearing these glasses, as long as the questions are readable by the integrated camera.
Institutions begin to respond to the rise in exam cheating with AI
Chinese educational authorities have begun to take stock of the problem. Major national exams, such as the gaokao (university entrance exam) and civil service exams, now explicitly ban smart glasses in exam rooms. However, the majority of teachers do not yet recognize these devices on a daily basis. Visually, a Rokid or Quark model is difficult to distinguish from a classic pair of glasses.
However, the technical limitations of the device are hampering its massive adoption. Connected glasses weigh up to 50 grams, twice as much as an ordinary frame. Their battery runs out in a few hours and requires frequent recharging throughout the day. Additionally, overheating is a real problem in summer. These constraints do not prevent the market from growing, driven by Chinese government subsidies and the arrival of new players like Xiaomi and Alibaba. The question is no longer whether educational establishments will have to adapt to this technology, but how quickly.
