GoKawiilThe days when cheating students were handing in bespoke products written by the greatest artisans in the cheating industry are clearly over.
Spare a Thought for the Kenyan Essay Writers Who Used to Help Students Cheat Before AI
Why This Matters
Generative AI has gutted a niche gig economy: the Kenyan contract writers who once ghostwrote essays for students abroad. It's a concrete, human example of how quickly AI can wipe out a category of online freelance work, and a reminder that academic-integrity problems didn't start with chatbots.
Key Takeaways
- Kenya's essay-mill writers, long a fixture of the contract-cheating trade, are losing work to chatbots that produce essays instantly and for free.
- The shift shows AI displacing digital gig labor in the Global South before it disrupts higher-paid knowledge work.
- Student cheating predates AI; the technology mainly changed who (or what) gets paid to do it.
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