Over 600 Konkuk University students to retake midterm after AI cheating allegations

More than 600 students enrolled in an online liberal arts course at Konkuk University will have to retake their midterm exam after allegations emerged that some used AI to cheat. The controversy began when a student posted online claiming to have used AI-generated answers to score 99 points on the test.

According to Konkuk University, the professor in charge voided the midterm — held online Monday — after finding evidence of cheating, including the use of AI, and decided to hold a retake.

In a notice to students, the professor said the results showed that "the fairness and discriminatory power of the exam were not sufficiently secured due to cheating by some students, including the use of AI," adding that a midterm retake would be held.

Students will now sit the retake in person on Dec. 14, the same day as the final exam. The course is an online Korean-language liberal arts class with more than 600 enrolled students.

The controversy originated with a post on Konkuk University's online community forum, in which a student described using AI-provided answers during the exam and receiving a score of 99.

The professor determined that cheating by some students made it impossible to guarantee the fairness of the exam for all, and decided to require the entire class to retake it.

The case highlights the difficulty of detecting generative AI use during remote assessments. Observers note that online exams give students easy access to outside materials and AI tools, underscoring the need for separate oversight measures to ensure fair evaluation.