On Saturday, Turkish police arrested and detained a prospective university student who is accused of developing an elaborate scheme to use AI and hidden devices to help him cheat on an important entrance exam, reports Reuters and The Daily Mail.
The unnamed student is reportedly jailed pending trial after the incident, which took place in the southwestern province of Isparta, where the student was caught behaving suspiciously during the TYT. The TYT is a nationally held university aptitude exam that determines a person's eligibility to attend a university in Turkey—and cheating on the high-stakes exam is a serious offense.
According to police reports, the student used a camera disguised as a shirt button, connected to AI software via a "router" (possibly a mistranslation of a cellular modem) hidden in the sole of their shoe. The system worked by scanning the exam questions using the button camera, which then relayed the information to an unnamed AI model. The software generated the correct answers and recited them to the student through an earpiece.
A video released by the Isparta police demonstrated how the cheating system functioned. In the video, a police officer scans a question, and the AI software provides the correct answer through the earpiece.
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Please God, make this next card an ace.
This test which is kind of like SAT on steroids was designed to level the playing field. Highest scores get to pick what school and what faculty they want. This was to enable people from the smaller towns/villages a lucky break to "make it" without it being a financial obstacle.
For most 16-18yr olds the looming exam is the bane of their existence. Similar to Asian cultures, doing well in school, making the family proud, being successful, comparing kids amongst each other in the community etc is the norm. You would attend your normal Highschool classes, then go to the "SAT prep" school after that for a few more hours a day. So between family/societal pressures it can feel overwhelming. People often say getting in to the schools is the hardest part and the rest of the "getting your degree" felt easy.
The other thing that is a shadow looming over you is the mandatory military service that awaits, You get 3 attempts at the exam then you either take what you can get or it's off to the Military for you as a grunt. (univ grads serve as officers). So whether you drop out of HS, you graduate HS and don't go to Uni, or you are a Uni grade, one way or another you WILL serve.
What has spawned from this dichotomy: The private Univ. sector exploded in popularity where the kids who couldn't/wouldn't get the stellar grades but had the means could circumvent the exam and attend Uni.
Over time as the private schools flourished and their pockets grew, they began to poach the better/best Professors, and the once very prestigious Public Uni's started to loose their best and quality declined. After hitting critical mass, the private sector took over, but much like everywhere, with schools that provide a high quality education and others that will "sell" you a degree.