--- title: "Princeton in Shambles Over AI Cheating" description: "Princeton University is shredding a 133-year old rule allowing students to take exams without supervision, all thanks to AI." date: "2026-05-17" modified: "2026-05-17" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/princeton-shambles-ai-cheating" categories: - "Future Society" --- # Princeton in Shambles Over AI Cheating ![A large, dark silhouette of a historic building at Princeton with a central tower, illuminated from within by warm yellow lights. The building is surrounded by tall trees, and the sky above is a vibrant mix of purple, pink, and blue hues, suggesting either dawn or dusk. Street lamps near the building cast a soft glow on the ground.]() *Getty / Futurism* For 133 years, Princeton University allowed students to take their exams without a proctor — a unusual situation resulting from student demands for an "honor code." Now in 2026, that time-honored system is coming to an end, all thanks to a surge of cheating enabled by AI. First reported [by the *Wall Street Journal*](), the Ivy League university made the bombshell decision to scrap the honor system this week, after faculty voted to require in-person proctors starting over the summer. Per a [letter]() penned by Princeton dean Michael Gordin, faculty arrived at the decision after "significant numbers" of both professors and students came forward, "given their perception that cheating on in-class exams has become widespread." Instead of an honor system, professors will now have to watch over student exams and report any deviations from the school's policy on scholarly integrity. Students will still keep some autonomy: violations will be reported to a student-run honor committee to decide any alleged policy breaker's fate, the *WSJ* reports. That news comes amidst a massive rise in cheating across the US, not just in fancy Ivy's, but in [colleges](), [high-schools](), and even [bar exams](). "If the exam is on a laptop, someone can just flip to another window," Princeton senior Nadia Makuc told the *WSJ*. "Or if the exam is in a blue book, it's just people using their phone under their desk or going to the bathroom and using it." Last year, a survey of some [500 Princeton seniors]() found that over 27 percent admitted to cheating with an AI model like ChatGPT, while about half said they knew about a violation of the honor code. If those are the numbers at a vaunted Ivy league, just imagine what conditions are like for the rest of the country. **More on AI:** *[A Major Paper Claiming AI Is Good for Students Just Got Retracted, Which Is Very Bad News for Advocates of AI in the Classroom]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()