'Please take off your glasses' — teachers push back against AI eyewear cheating at college entrance exam

The Gyeonggi Province Teachers' Labor Union is calling for a stronger institutional response to cheating using AI smart glasses ahead of the 2027 College Scholastic Ability Test, saying individual proctors should not be left to handle the problem on their own.

The union issued a statement Monday saying it is the state's responsibility to ensure that students who have prepared in good faith are not harmed by cheating or operational failures. "It cannot be said that the state has fulfilled that responsibility simply by adding more items for teachers to check every time a new risk emerges," the union said.

The union said any directive to check for AI glasses must come with the time, personnel, judgment procedures and accountability to carry it out. "The limits of a technological response should not be papered over by asking teachers to check with the naked eye, only to then hold individual teachers responsible when something goes undetected or a dispute arises," it said.

The union said proctors already handle student identity verification, exam booklet distribution and in-room supervision, and that adding AI glasses identification on top of those duties would significantly increase their workload. Because AI glasses are difficult to distinguish from ordinary eyewear by appearance alone, the union said the authorities must clearly define who is responsible and what criteria apply when a test-taker refuses to comply or raises an objection. It added that measures are also needed to prevent students wearing ordinary glasses from facing unnecessary suspicion or having their exams disrupted in the process.

The union also said the challenge posed by AI devices is compounded by longstanding problems with how the exam is administered. In a survey conducted after last year's exam, from Nov. 13 to Nov. 17, responding teachers said they had barely enough time for meals and restroom breaks, reported health difficulties and said they found it hard to decline proctor assignments. Some also said that exam-site preparation duties — such as cleaning and broadcast equipment checks — were interfering with their core teaching responsibilities.

The union called on the Ministry of Education, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation and the Gyeonggi Province Office of Education to: secure the time and support staff needed to check for AI devices; cap daily proctor assignments at two exam periods and expand relief staffing; bring allowances in line with actual duties, including pre-exam training and preparation work; provide dedicated cleaning, broadcast and facility personnel; and establish proctor appointment criteria that account for teachers' willingness to participate as well as their health and caregiving circumstances.

The union also plans to conduct a nationwide teacher petition drive for improvements to exam administration together with the National Secondary Teachers' Labor Union through Thursday, after which it will submit the demands and signatures to the Ministry of Education.