An economics professor at Brown University, Roberto Serrano, uncovered apparent large-scale AI cheating in his course ECON 1170 after introducing take-home exams for the spring 2026 semester. The case matters because it offers a rare, concrete glimpse into how widely generative AI may be substituting for genuine learning at elite universities, echoing wider concerns as institutions struggle to respond to students' routine use of tools such as ChatGPT.

After a fatal shooting on campus in December 2025 left him shaken, Serrano allowed take-home midterm and final exams, prompting enrolment to jump from his usual maximum of 30 to 86 students. The March midterm produced an average of 96 out of 100, with 40 perfect scores, far above the historical 65–80 range, and answers he found stylistically "convoluted" matched ChatGPT's output. When he announced the final would be in person, 18 students dropped the course and nine skipped the exam; of those 27, 22 had scored 100 on the midterm. The final's average fell to 48. Serrano, who is blind, has publicised the case via El País and Inside Higher Ed, criticising what he calls a tepid response from Brown administrators, while a university report notes most students use AI tools regularly yet worry about the effect on their own cognition.