Discover this podcast and so much more

Podcasts are free to enjoy without a subscription. We also offer ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more from just $11.99/month.

If AI can do your classwork, why go to college?

UNLIMITED

If AI can do your classwork, why go to college?

FromThe Gray Area with Sean Illing


UNLIMITED

If AI can do your classwork, why go to college?

FromThe Gray Area with Sean Illing

ratings:
Length:
55 minutes
Released:
Jun 30, 2025
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

What’s the point of college if no one’s actually doing the work? It’s not a rhetorical question. In the age of AI, it's incredibly easy for students to offload their assignments. AI tools can write essays, make study guides, and even complete whole assignments.



So what is the point of higher education?

In today’s episode, Sean speaks with journalist James Walsh about his recent article, "Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College." The two discuss how students are using AI to finish their assignments, how colleges are (and aren’t) responding to these challenges, and whether you can learn to think when something else does the thinking for you.

Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)

Guest: James Walsh, features writer for New York magazine's Intelligencer.



Read James’s article: "Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College."



Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Released:
Jun 30, 2025
Format:
Podcast episode