Perfect homework, blank stares: Why colleges are turning to oral exams to combat AI

Perfect homework, blank stares: Why colleges are turning to oral exams to combat AI 1 of 5 | Student Surya Newa is silhouetted while using an oral AI agent during class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 2 of 5 | Student Brian Dai uses an oral AI agent during class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 3 of 5 | Professor Panos Ipeirotis speaks to students about an AI oral agent they’ll be using for their final exam at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 4 of 5 | Professor Panos Ipeirotis speaks with an oral AI agent during his class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 5 of 5 | Professor Panos Ipeirotis uses an oral AI agent during his class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) 1 of 5 Student Surya Newa is silhouetted while using an oral AI agent during class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 5 Student Brian Dai uses an oral AI agent during class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 5 Professor Panos Ipeirotis speaks to students about an AI oral agent they’ll be using for their final exam at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 5 Professor Panos Ipeirotis speaks with an oral AI agent during his class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 5 Professor Panos Ipeirotis uses an oral AI agent during his class at NYU Stern School of Business, March 4, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] The assignment involves no laptop, no chatbot and no technology of any kind. In fact, there’s no pen or paper, either.Instead, students in Chris Schaffer’s biomedical engineering class at Cornell University are required to speak directly to an instructor in what he calls an “oral defense.”It’s a testing method as old as Socrates and making a comeback in the AI age. A growing number of college professors say they are turning to oral exams, and combining a variety of old-fashioned and cutting-edge techniques, to help address a crisis in higher education.“You won’t be able to AI your way through an oral exam,” says Schaffer, who introduced the oral defense last semester. Educators are no longer naively wondering if students will use generative AI to do their homework for them. A big question now is how to determine what students are actually learning. College instructors across the U.S. are noticing troubling new trends as generative artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated. Take-home essays and other written assignments are coming back perfect. But when students are asked to explain their work, they can’t. The long-term impact of AI use on critical thinking remains to be seen, but educators worry students increasingly see the hard work of thinking as optional. Gecker is an Associated Press reporter covering education with a focus on social media and youth mental health.