Brown Committee Urges AI Code Changes as 75% of 105 Faculty Fear Cheating
Updated
Updated · Inside Higher Ed · Jul 8
Brown Committee Urges AI Code Changes as 75% of 105 Faculty Fear Cheating
2 articles · Updated · Inside Higher Ed · Jul 8
Summary
Brown’s generative AI committee on Tuesday recommended revising undergraduate and graduate academic codes to explicitly address misuse, attribution, “your own words” standards and other GenAI-era integrity questions.
The report drew on feedback from 105 faculty members, with three-quarters saying they worry about students using AI to cheat, matching a 2025 national survey of college professors.
It also urged faculty to de-emphasize punishment and avoid overly restrictive AI rules, arguing detection is not 100% reliable and that open dialogue will be needed as norms evolve.
The recommendations landed as economics professor Roberto Serrano said suspected AI cheating in his 86-student class drove him to void a take-home midterm after the in-person final average fell to 48.6% and 19 students failed.
After a campus tragedy led to mass AI cheating, is academic integrity obsolete?
If AI can ace a university exam, what is the true purpose of a degree?
57% of U.S. College Students Use AI Weekly: Brown University’s Struggle with Mass Cheating, Policy Reform, and the Erosion of Academic Integrity in the AI Era
Overview
In July 2026, Brown University responded to the growing challenges of generative AI in education by taking proactive steps rather than relying only on punishment. The university began engaging with AI’s impact through new courses and open discussions among professors and students. Brown’s leadership, including the provost, encouraged ongoing dialogue to monitor AI’s evolution and find ways to use it to improve learning and research. The university emphasized building AI literacy, helping students and faculty adapt to new tools while maintaining academic integrity. This approach reflects Brown’s commitment to thoughtful adaptation in the face of rapid technological change.