This Viral AI Pen Didn’t Help Me Cheat

Why It Matters

The failure of the AI pen highlights the gap between hype and functional AI hardware, while underscoring that existing mobile AI tools like ChatGPT pose a more immediate integrity risk for educational institutions.

Summary

The Verge tested a $68.99 "AI Smart Pen" marketed on YouTube as a cheat device that scans printed test questions and returns AI-generated answers. In practice, the pen’s camera often failed to read text, and when it did, the answers were nonsensical or unrelated, rendering the product ineffective for cheating. The device’s bulky form factor and Chinese-language interface further limit its practicality in exam settings. Students report that snapping a photo of a question and using ChatGPT on a phone is a far more reliable method for cheating on hard‑copy exams.