A young man is serious: a button camera, a transmitter in his shoe, an AI and a mini headset are supposed to give him access to university. But now he is in prison. What happened? The accusations and the story behind them.
Who cheated and what? The events covered by Arstechnica take place in the southwest of Turkey, in the province of Isparta. A male candidate for university admission took the compulsory entrance exam called TYT. Without passing this exam, there is no way to get into a Turkish university.
It is not an alleged fraud, but an art project that is the originator of hundreds of USB sticks protruding from walls:
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How did he allegedly cheat? These are the allegations: During the exam, the university applicant wore a miniature camera disguised as a button on his shirt. This camera transmitted a video recording of the exam questions and possible answers to a cell phone via a transmitter in the sole of the shoe, whereupon an AI received the recording. It analyzed the typeface, recognized the text, looked for the correct answer and whispered it to him through a small earphone in his ear.
What happened? He was caught because he was behaving suspiciously. The technology worked perfectly, but the way he used it got him caught. Unfortunately, it was not reported exactly what behavior got the young man caught. He is now in prison awaiting trial.
We are not experts in Turkish law, but from what we read, it seems that the crime he is accused of carries quite severe penalties, so he could even end up behind bars for some time.
During the course of the investigation, the police also arrested another person who is said to have helped the suspected fraudster. There was apparently a plan B in case the AI failed. According to the information available to us, the second suspect would have taken on the role of the transmitter via cell phone.
The police are apparently impressed by the method – although certainly not by the aim of the fraud. They posted a video, which Mail Online shows you here. In it, they demonstrate how the sophisticated method works.
However, artificial intelligence in all its forms can do much more than just help people commit fraud. Some people are even using it to achieve political success. For example, Steve Endacott, who is running as an extension of an AI to get a seat in the British Parliament. We have written down his story and the AI that supports him here.