A fraudulent AI glasses service with three-day rental and upgrade instructions that are clearly priced
Author: Southern Metropolis Daily
With a pair of glasses, you can take pictures and search questions with a touch of the lens. The answers are projected on the lens in the form of subtitles, visible only to the wearer... AI smart glasses are becoming an “test artifact” in the eyes of some students.
Recently, South China Agricultural University reported that students used AI glasses to cheat in the final exam, which attracted widespread attention. An investigation by reporters from Southern Metropolis Daily and the Nandu Big Data Research Institute found that platform rental merchants put up “silent search” signs and even provided “special upgrade” services, and indicated that more than 300 glasses were rented out by college students during the final week of the term; on social platforms, many students exchanged experiences of cheating using AI glasses.
After renting and testing, the Nandu reporter discovered that AI glasses can indeed silently search questions. Technological development brings efficiency improvements, and the associated misuse of technology. How to prevent and fill management gaps as soon as possible is even more worth thinking about.
The new favorite of cheating is spreading:
College students post to exchange exam experiences
This semester, college student Kobayashi “passed” the higher mathematics exam with the help of a pair of AI smart glasses.
These glasses went on sale in September 2025 at a price of 3,299 yuan, and are equipped with four major AI models. The eyeglass frame has a built-in miniature camera, which is equipped with functions such as taking photos to search and solve questions. After large model analysis, the answers are projected directly onto the lens in the form of subtitles, and only the wearer can see them.
On social platforms, many students posted about their experiences using AI glasses to take the exam. Observations showed that some college students used AI glasses to take the final exam, while others successfully passed the primary and secondary school teacher qualification exam. The Nandu reporter contacted Kobayashi through the comment section. He told the reporter that he spent 300 yuan to rent these glasses before the exam, and after the rental period ended, he simply bought one because he had other tests to deal with. In order to improve the accuracy of the search questions, he also spent money specifically to buy a set of “training instructions” on a second-hand platform.
Many students posted on social media to share their experiences using AI glasses to take the exam.
Another user, Xiao Li, explained the details of the usage process to reporters. In order to evade surveillance, he used a matching operating ring to operate the glasses. “Otherwise, you can only touch the glasses with both hands, which is too obvious in the exam room.” In order to cope with the inspection by the procurator, he also prepared a pair of ordinary thick-legged black-rimmed glasses similar to AI glasses.
There were also people who didn't get through the situation. Xiao Zhang shared his experience of being discovered to cheat using AI glasses in the comments section. Due to “not much learning,” Xiao Zhang spent nearly 400 yuan to rent glasses and a matching ring to cope with the exam. He discovered that the lenses reflect green light easily, so he deliberately wore a hat to block the light. According to his recollection, the teacher at the exam room watched him for a long time, then walked over and asked him to hand over his glasses.
The reporter noticed that in the comments section where they exchanged experiences of cheating with AI glasses, several students also said that if they cheat with AI glasses, they will face far heavier disciplinary sanctions than the department itself.
A cheat plan with a clear price:
More than 300 AI glasses are sold out
Since AI glasses are usually expensive, many students choose to rent them. An investigation by the Nandu reporter found that AI glasses from brands such as Lucky can be rented directly on shopping platforms, and some stores even directly list “test only” in the product title. A second-hand trading platform has also published a large amount of no-deposit rental information for AI glasses, and many use “silent search” and “silent search” as selling points to attract students. Meanwhile, there are also quite a few accounts that rent AI glasses on short video platforms. Browsing revealed that the AI glasses rented out for the search and answer function are mainly two models, Rocky Rokid Glasses and the Qianwen Quark AI Glasses S1, in addition to smart glasses from brands such as Inmo and Halliday.
Rental information on AI glasses on a second-hand platform.
A complete commercial promotion chain has been formed around the use of AI glasses to cheat. Not only are renters familiar with how to use AI glasses to cheat, but they also actively sell a complete set of “solutions” to renters.
For different test scenarios and needs, merchants will recommend corresponding models. Whether it is a paper test paper or a computer test, whether you only need to display a copy on the lens or search online, there are corresponding products to choose from.
A merchant recommended different brands and models of AI glasses for different test scenarios.
When the Nandu reporter consulted a merchant as a renter, the other party took the initiative to explain that the rental glasses would be equipped with a “blackout sticker” to cover the warning lights that would light up during shooting, and even recommended renting an operating ring at a higher price, which is “more convenient to use.” On shopping platforms, a large number of merchants publicly sell such blackout stickers, claiming that they can “block and not affect shooting.”
Another merchant revealed more business details to reporters. He said that the final exam season is the peak rental season, and all of the 300 Lucky glasses on hand are out of stock. “Basically, people who rent machines are college students to search for questions.” Glasses can be rented for three days. The rent is 350 yuan. At the end of June and the beginning of July, the price was even raised to 500 yuan in some regions, and it is still difficult to find a single machine. The merchant also suggested to the reporter that due to strong rental demand during the exam season, it may not be possible to get the expiration date, so it is better to buy out the glasses directly at 3,200 yuan and recycle them at 30% off the original price after use, which is more cost-effective than renting repeatedly.
According to him, this batch of machines has undergone a “special upgrade” for searching and answering questions on an official basis: the signal is more stable, they are not frequently disconnected and reconnected, can download third-party software, and are also equipped with smart rings and blackout stickers. The merchant said that the accuracy of the answers in the original official version was average, and “after adjustments made by our special instructions, it can be greatly improved.” These “training instructions” can also be purchased on second-hand platforms, and the price ranges from 5 yuan to 69 yuan.
As a student, the Nandu reporter leased a Rocky AI glasses on a second-hand platform to conduct actual testing. These glasses use a built-in AI assistant to take photos and search questions, but the flaws are also obvious: the glasses look like ordinary black-framed glasses, but the frame is thicker and heavier overall. When searching for questions, although you can use shortcuts to let the AI assistant automatically execute pre-set instructions to take pictures and search questions, the response speed is slow, and it is also easy to mistouch.
Lucky AI glasses and control ring rented by the reporter.
When the reporter used the glasses to test advanced mathematics and English level 4 topics, he discovered that the indicator light on the frame would light up during the shooting process and be covered by a normal sticker, and the glasses immediately indicated that the camera was not working properly. In addition, the imaging quality of eyeglass cameras is average, and answers to some questions are inconsistent due to unclear identification errors due to unclear shooting errors. Furthermore, the lens also reflects an obvious blue-green light leak at a specific angle. The reporter covered it up by lowering the brightness according to the “strategy” shared by the cheating students, and the projected text then became difficult to see clearly.
Challenges to academic integrity:
Technology monitoring goes hand in hand with education promotion
AI glasses fraud is no longer an isolated case; it is a real problem that is spreading around the world. In May 2026, two TOEIC tests in South Korea discovered one after another that candidates used AI glasses to cheat. The results of those involved were annulled and banned for 4 years. In the UK, the head of England's testing authority publicly warned in June 2026 that devices such as AI glasses and smart headsets are being used to cheat, and that the methods are becoming increasingly covert.
Professor Zhang Jun and Professor Meng Zili of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology conducted an experiment that sparked widespread discussion: using AI glasses equipped with a large model to complete the final university exam paper, they submitted the paper in 30 minutes and got 92.5 points. The score was over 95% for human candidates. The team described the rise of AI glasses as a “double-edged sword”. On the one hand, applications such as personalized learning can reduce inequalities in educational resources and help students in need of additional support; on the other hand, the possibility of fraud is seriously eroding academic integrity and impacting the impartiality of the education evaluation system. In an interview with the media, the team called for educators and policy makers to act immediately, establish reasonable supervision mechanisms, formulate clear policies and regulations, and at the same time do a good job of technical monitoring and education promotion.
At home, many colleges and universities have fully upgraded their preventive measures. On July 1, the Undergraduate School of South China Agricultural University issued “Warm Reminder on Taking Examination Style and Discipline and Strictly Prohibiting Bringing Smart Devices into the Examination Room”. Reminder revealed that recently, the school has discovered and dealt with many cases where candidates brought electronic devices such as smart glasses into the examination room in violation of regulations and attempted to cheat, and the relevant candidates have been seriously dealt with in accordance with school regulations. The instructions are clear. It is strictly prohibited to bring any electronic device with communication, storage, photography, and transmission functions into the exam room, including but not limited to new smart wearable devices such as mobile phones, smart glasses, smart watches (bracelets), Bluetooth headsets, and invisible headsets.
Several students at the school said that in the past, there were almost no security checks for the final exam; you only need to put your school bag in front of the podium to enter. Recently, the school required candidates to arrive at the exam room 20 minutes early to have their whole body scanned with a metal detector. The supervising teacher repeatedly reminded not to carry smart devices, and also focused on scanning areas such as glasses and ears. In particular, black-rimmed glasses will be examined.
Earlier, the Undergraduate School of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law also issued a notice on examination style and discipline. Section 3 specifically emphasizes “consciously resisting smart glasses fraud.” However, before this year's college entrance examination, the Ministry of Education issued warning information for the 2026 college entrance examination, clearly reminding candidates that bringing mobile phones, smart watches (bracelets), smart glasses, etc. into the examination room would constitute cheating. Subsequently, many provinces, such as Guangdong, Shanghai, and Fujian, required that the glasses worn by candidates be removed under video surveillance, and that special inspections be carried out by inspectors.
In an interview with the media, some industry insiders also said that with product iterations, the appearance of smart glasses will become closer and closer to ordinary glasses, and the functions will also be more intelligent. If used to cheat, it will be increasingly difficult for the procurator to detect. The source admits that most development teams are currently considering how to make a product, but they haven't considered thoroughly enough about which scenarios the product may be used in.
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