00:00 Intro
00:13 Smart glasses appear in college essay exams... Swapped out once the test begins
01:15 Trying on AI glasses: "The answer is number 3"
02:09 "Do not bring them at all," but can it be stopped?
03:51 Will half-track students be penalized if they wear AI glasses for the CSAT?
05:23 Rapidly advancing AI glasses deepen education authorities' concerns

The CSAT is just a month away. While test-takers are busy with final preparations, there are people who are just as busy as the students right now: CSAT proctors and education authorities.

1. Smart glasses appear in college essay exams... Swapped out once the test begins
The reason education authorities are on high alert is because of AI smart glasses. On October 10, Yonsei University's Sinchon Campus held its essay exam for the recruitment of incoming freshmen for the 2027 academic year, where a test-taker wearing AI glasses was caught. This student reportedly wore regular glasses at first, and then swapped them for AI glasses once the exam started. Yonsei University disqualified the student. A similar incident occurred at the University of Seoul. On October 3, during the natural sciences essay exam held at the University of Seoul, a test-taker wearing AI smart glasses was caught. A proctor, growing suspicious of unusually thick frames compared to regular glasses, requested verification and found them to be AI glasses. This test-taker also initially wore regular glasses. The University of Seoul disqualified the student and took measures to ban them from applying to all admissions processes for the next three years.

2. Trying on AI glasses: "The answer is number 3"
I also tried solving a test wearing AI glasses. Wearing glasses equipped with Meta AI, I solved English section questions from the CSAT held two years ago. Just a few seconds after asking for help with problem-solving, it gave me the exact answer.

[Let's try solving a CSAT question. Hey Meta, what is the answer to question number 19?]
[The answer to question number 19 is number 3.]

Of course, the glasses I wore had conspicuously thick frames, and small miniature equipment mounted on the frame was visible, so it was immediately obvious that they were AI glasses. The problem is that AI glasses with thin frames are being released. AI glasses with thin frames and no camera lenses are coming out, and it is genuinely difficult to distinguish them with the naked eye.

3. "Do not bring them at all," but can it be stopped?
How can cheating using AI glasses in the CSAT be prevented? First, the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation has designated AI glasses as items prohibited from being brought into test sites. They instruct students not to bring them into the testing venue at all. If caught wearing AI glasses during the CSAT, it will be considered cheating regardless of whether the function was actually used. Consequently, students will be barred from taking not only this year's CSAT but also next year's. Furthermore, even if the AI glasses are not worn, bringing them into the testing room and failing to submit them to a proctor will also be considered cheating, and refusing a proctor's request to inspect glasses may likewise be deemed cheating. Although education authorities have established various guidelines to prevent cheating, the crux of the matter is whether bringing in AI glasses can be blocked in the first place. For one, metal detectors cannot distinguish between regular glasses and AI glasses at all. While radio wave detectors can be used, they easily react to radio waves outside the testing venue, making it difficult to immediately identify a cheating test-taker on the spot. In addition, because results vary depending on the surrounding environment of the testing site, the Ministry of Education's stance is that utilizing radio wave detectors is practically difficult. In the end, it leaves the matter in the realm of post-exam monitoring rather than active prevention.

[Cho Kyo-joo / Minister of Education (October 7, Parliamentary Audit): Smart glasses are a newly emerging threat factor. If they are discovered, we intend to strip qualifications not only for this year's CSAT but also extend it for a year, meaning through next year.]

4. Will half-track students be penalized if they wear AI glasses for the CSAT?
Because there are so many cases of people getting caught wearing and taking exams with AI glasses, questions like these naturally arise. Now, first, what happens if a half-track student currently attending university is caught wearing AI glasses while taking this CSAT? Since they are already attending university, the concern is whether they might attempt cheating with the mindset of "if I get caught, so be it, and if I don't, I'm lucky." While cheating on the CSAT is naturally deemed an offense and restricts taking the CSAT, this sanction does not immediately carry over to their university. According to the Higher Education Act, sanctions against CSAT cheaters apply only to the CSAT, so disciplinary action at the level of the university the student belongs to is not automatically executed, it is said. However, because this half-track student is already attending college, a restriction on taking the CSAT poses no significant penalty to them. Now, second, will the test-takers who were caught wearing AI glasses at Yonsei University and the University of Seoul face disadvantages in admissions processes at other universities? The Ministry of Education's answer is "No." This is because sanctions against cheaters in university-specific exams apply only to that respective university. The system is structured so that information on who committed cheating and what kind of cheating was performed is not shared between universities. In other words, a student caught cheating at Yonsei University or the University of Seoul can apply for and pass admissions at another university and happily go about their college life.

5. Rapidly advancing AI glasses deepen education authorities' concerns
Cheating in entrance exams or college tests utilizing AI glasses is not something happening only in Korea. In 2024, a student was caught cheating using smart glasses during Waseda University's entrance exam in Japan. The student reportedly cheated by photographing the exam paper with AI glasses and sending it outside to receive answers. Cheating using smart glasses was also caught during the final exams at South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Multiple instances—not just one—were uncovered, prompting the school to announce that bringing in various electronic devices such as smartwatches and micro-earphones, let alone smart glasses, will result in a failing grade of zero. Meanwhile, bringing all forms of smart glasses into SAT testing sites in the United States is currently prohibited. While cheating used to take place by writing answers on the palm with a ballpoint pen or secretly slipping a textbook into a drawer under the desk to take a quick glance, it has now transformed into wearing glasses and asking AI. With the advancement speed of AI glasses outpacing various detection technologies and monitoring methods, this is why education authorities are deepening their concerns.

(Reported by Jo Yoon-ha | Produced by Shin Hee-sub | Video by Choi Ho-bin, Lee Byung-joo | Video Editing by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News)