Smart glasses, now with cheating features
Smart glasses have spent the last few years trying on different identities. Some are meant to record your day, some replace headphones, and some are stuffed with AI tools for cooking, travel, and whatever else the companies can plausibly call a lifestyle upgrade. Along the way, they have also raised familiar privacy concerns, especially when people are filmed without realizing it. In some cases, the worry is that human reviewers may end up seeing private footage. Charming stuff.
In China, the problem has taken a more academic turn. Students are reportedly using smart glasses to get answers during school tests.
Rent them, wear them, pass the test
According to a report by Rest of World, students have been renting AI glasses to cheat on exams, including English and math tests. One university student in Hebei, identified by the pseudonym Vivian, told the outlet, “Any subject that I may fail at.”
Vivian said she has used Rokid AI glasses for more than one purpose. Besides helping with schoolwork, she also used them to scan clothing price tags and check whether items were cheaper elsewhere. She has also rented the glasses out to other students who wanted an advantage on tests.
The rental business has apparently grown into something larger than a side hustle. Rest of World reported that one businessman has rented out pairs to more than 1,000 people over the past four months.
Why it keeps working
The glasses are banned from major exams, but teachers do not always check for them closely. That leaves room for students to bring the devices in and use AI to surface answers while the test is underway.
As with a lot of tech-enabled cheating, the fix is not especially mysterious. It would probably take a broader crackdown to stop it consistently. The gadgets may be sleek, but the scheme is as old as school itself: find a shortcut, hope nobody notices.
