The ChatGPT era prompts a boom in A-graded coursework
TL;DR
Since ChatGPT launched in 2022, top grades have surged in AI-friendly subjects: a UC Berkeley study finds “excellent” marks up 30% in English composition and coding classes, while sculpture and lab courses see no shift. The striking part isn’t A-minus students bumping to A-plus — it’s C-students suddenly landing on A-level. Universities worry that diplomas may increasingly reflect AI fluency rather than actual subject knowledge.
Nauti's Take
Telling that AI is actually lifting many students from C to A — that could democratize education more strongly. The catch: if diplomas only show how well someone wields AI, degrees lose value as a qualification signal.
Universities should redesign assessment formats, instead of banning AI outright or quietly ignoring it.
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