American College Students Paid Foreigners To Do Their Homework — Then AI Came Along

Interesting artificial intelligence, college students, higher education, kenya admin September 8, 2026 0 Comments

American College Students Paid Foreigners To Do Their Homework — Then AI Came Along

An interview from the New York Times revealed that even before AI, college students found other creative ways to cheat the system.

A man from Kenya told The New York Times that he built a lucrative business writing thousands of essays for American college students — until AI ruined everything. Now, students admittedly use AI instead. The academic ghostwriter, Teresios Bundi, told the outlet about the first assignment he ever took, which paid $7 and felt like a “lifeline” for the struggling father, according to the Times interview. “I needed the money,” the now 34-year-old Bundi told the Times in the interview. “I could not sleep that night. I was ready to burn the midnight oil.” But with AI, students seem to see it as a much cheaper way to cut corners with regard to completing coursework.

For years, Bundi’s business plan worked well for him and for others in India, the Philippines, and elsewhere. (RELATED: College Costs Surge 10% Higher Than Last Year, New Report Shows)

Kenyans were cashing in on the boom of academic ghostwriting. Estimates suggest that some 40,000 people in the capital city of Nairobi were making money doing homework for others, according to the Times.

“Essay writers drove new Subarus, carried the latest smartphones, and booked exclusive tables at clubs,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: Kai Trump Says She’s Been Sobbing, Hasn’t Eaten For Days During College Transition)

“Mr. Bundi estimates he wrote more than 2,500 essays over the next 12 years, sometimes three a day … Some students gave him their school login information so he could keep up with their assignments,” the report continues.

Now, thanks to the AI revolution in higher education, Bundi has shuttered his business and has struggled to find work ever since, according to the Times.

“At colleges worldwide, students made a simple calculation that has become more pronounced today: Why pay a freelancer in Kenya when ChatGPT could do the job?” the outlet reported.

Nowadays, millions of college students continue to use AI to help with their studies.

So much so that higher education officials are sounding the alarm, according to by The College Board.

Almost three-quarters (74%) of college and university faculty report that students are using AI to write essays or papers, and 67% say students admit to making use of it in order to paraphrase or rewrite content, according to the study.

“Faculty are navigating this critical transition, as AI rapidly expands in higher education,” said Jessica Howell, PhD, vice president of Research at College Board said, according to an official press release.

“This research shows that faculty have serious concerns about AI’s impact on critical thinking, original writing, and academic integrity. Faculty, especially those in writing-intensive courses, are asking important questions about how to preserve core learning goals while preparing students for a world where AI will be part of the workplace.”

Even if students do not have AI write them an entire paper – it has the ability to create an outline – so it varies as to what extent college students rely on it to make the grade.