Panos Ipeirotis unveils AI-powered oral exam to address generative AI cheating

12 articles · Updated · Fortune · Apr 23

The NYU Stern professor's tool uses a voice-cloned chatbot to quiz students remotely, with grading also assisted by AI. Students log in from home and are questioned about group projects.
Feedback from students was mixed, noting the chatbot's human-like voice but awkward conversation flow. Ipeirotis plans to expand the AI oral exam to all his future classes.
Oral assessments are rising at universities like Cornell and Penn, as educators nationwide seek alternatives to written assignments amid concerns that generative AI use erodes students' critical thinking and learning skills.

If an AI chatbot can now conduct final exams, what human roles remain for professors in the university of tomorrow?

While universities focus on cheating, are they ignoring AI's deeper impact on student mental health and well-being?

How can employers trust new hires' skills when their academic work may have been produced by AI?

Are oral exams a real cure for AI's impact on learning, or just a temporary fix for a deeper problem?

As oral exams return, how will universities ensure fair assessment for students with social anxiety or communication disorders?