South Korea has filed its first criminal case involving AI-powered smart glasses allegedly used to cheat on a national licensing exam.
The landmark case, first reported by the Korea JoongAng Daily, has prompted authorities to tighten scrutiny of wearable AI devices after several similar incidents surfaced during qualification and English language exams earlier this year.
The alleged cheating attempt occurred at a testing center in Gwangju in May, where an exam supervisor reportedly noticed a light coming from a candidate's smart glasses and became suspicious.
During questioning, the suspect admitted he had developed an AI application specifically for the glasses.
“I developed an AI application that works with the smart glasses and wanted to see whether it could generate correct answers in a real exam,” he reportedly told investigators.
Prosecutors charged the man with violating South Korea's National Technical Qualifications Act, which governs the country's licensing and certification exams.
Authorities also caught two other men allegedly attempting to use AI smart glasses during separate qualification exams in Seoul and Mokpo, while three more candidates were found using the devices during English language tests between May and June.
The series of incidents has prompted officials to consider adding AI smart glasses to the list of banned exam items, alongside stricter penalties and enhanced screening measures to detect discreet AI-assisted cheating devices.
The case follows a growing number of AI cheating incidents this year, including a company uncovering 28 employees using AI during internal exams and reports of students in China using rented AI smart glasses to cheat on school tests.