Teachers around the country say that student use of artificial intelligence has become so prevalent that to assign writing outside of the classroom is like asking students to cheat. As a result, many teachers are changing the way they teach and assess students because things like book reports, take-home essays and take-home tests are becoming obsolete in the age of AI. “The cheating is off the charts,” says high school English teacher Casey Cuny., a 23-year teaching veteran at Valencia High School in southern California. “It’s the worst I’ve seen in my entire career.” Like many teachers, he is no longer wondering if students will outsource homework to AI. Cuny is not anti-AI. He has started integrating it into his classwork and homework to teach his students AI literacy. He teaches students how to use AI as a study buddy and prompt it to design quizzes for upcoming tests. Cuny sets clear guidelines for his students using a graphic that looks like a traffic light. The red light lists examples of when AI cannot be used: To write a thesis statement or rough draft, to rewrite a paper, to fix mistakes. Green lighted use of AI includes: Asking for feedback after a paper is written, brainstorming ideas for a thesis statement or an outline structure. A yellow light scenario is anytime a student is not sure if it’s OK to use AI, they should ask him. But Cuny is well aware of the challenges that AI poses to student learning and has started taking new precautions. Most writing is now done in class. He monitors student laptop screens from his desktop, using software that allows him to see each screen and also block students from accessing certain sites. Instead of old-fashioned book reports, he assigns projects like podcasting on books or video reviews where students can pair AI research with their own critical thinking. Students say they often use AI just for help with researching, outlining and proofreading but admit it can be hard to know where to draw the line. School policies often vary from one classroom to another. Many schools spent summer break drafting new and more detailed AI policies to provide clarity for both teachers and students, shifting away from moves to ban AI that were issued after ChatGPT launched in late 2022.