AI sends A grades into overdrive

"“We have a C student who is now an A student,” Chirikov tells Axios, citing data from grades given between 2018 and 2025 at a Texas research university. Since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, “excellent” grades rose by 30% in classes where AI is useful, such as English composition and coding. In classes where it's not - like sculpture and lab-based courses - grades remained flat."

"“I don't want to single out one university, just because I believe it's not specific to that particular university. It's something that's happening across the higher ed sector.” He also says he chose the university because its grade distribution data is publicly available. Chirikov didn't name the university used in the study, but says that it's a “selective” school with over 50,000 students across all major academic disciplines."

"Excellent grades have been on the rise since the early 2000s, but Chirikov found that classes that place more weight on homework assignments than on in-class exams see higher rates of grade inflation. That pattern suggested that unsupervised work is getting an AI-assisted boost, he says. Another issue with the grading scale is that faculty are sometimes incentivized to “grade more leniently” as student evaluations of their work are often tied to a professor being promoted, Chirikov says."

"“There are many cases when students can select easier courses and get easier A's, and their GPA will be higher. And I think AI just exacerbates the existing trends,” Chirikov says. Regardless, professors have already been getting crafty to crack down on A"

Excellent grades rose by about 30% in classes where AI can be used effectively, including English composition and coding, after the release of ChatGPT in 2022. Grades remained flat in courses where AI use is less applicable, such as sculpture and lab-based classes. Excellent grades had been increasing since the early 2000s, with higher inflation in classes that weight homework more than in-class exams. This pattern suggests AI-assisted unsupervised work boosts performance. Faculty may also grade more leniently because promotion and student evaluations can be tied to teaching outcomes. There is no single solution to stop AI-driven GPA inflation, and students can already choose easier courses for higher grades.

Read at Axios