Brown University professor suspected AI cheating, ordered an in-person final exam, and scores fell 50%. Here's what this scandal teaches us about AI in education.

## The Story of Roberto Serrano — The Blind Economist Who Uncovered the Truth Spring 2026. Brown University economics professor Roberto Serrano — a blind economist, Harvard graduate — stands at a crossroads that shook the entire academic world. His ECON 1170 students' midterm average was 96/100, with 40 students scoring a perfect 100. ## Background: The Campus Shooting In December 2025, a gunman attacked Brown's campus and killed two people, including someone who had recently introduced herself to Serrano. Shaken, Serrano decided to offer take-home exams for Spring 2026. ## Midterm Results: Perfect Scores Enrollment jumped from a typical 8-17 students to 86. The midterm average was 96/100. 40 students scored perfect 100. Serrano noticed answers had a "very convoluted style." When he ran the questions through ChatGPT, results were nearly identical. ## The In-Person Final Serrano announced an in-person final: "I am not declaring the midterm void for now. I am going to give the class a chance to prove me wrong." 18 students immediately dropped the course. 9 more didn't show for the final. Of those 27, 22 had scored perfect 100 on the midterm. Among those who took the test, the average score plunged from 96 to 48. ## "We Cannot Choose to Become Idiots" Serrano was horrified. "We cannot choose to become idiots," he said — referencing society choosing willful ignorance. A Princeton survey found 29.9% of students admitted to AI cheating on at least one exam. ## Lessons for Georgia This scandal highlights urgent questions for Georgian universities: How are they adapting to AI? Are current exam systems vulnerable?

Brown University's AI Cheating Scandal: Perfect Scores, 27 Dropouts — When AI Put Education to the Test