A UC Berkeley math professor has admitted to using artificial intelligence while writing an op-ed about her students' math skills.
Zvezdelina Stankova published the piece last week in the San Francisco Standard. She wrote that some of her students were five to eight years behind in math.
Stankova said many students lacked basic middle school knowledge of fractions and algebra. She blamed the UC system's decision to drop test score requirements for admission.
What the Op-Ed Claimed
The 2,000 word article argued that dropping the SAT and ACT hurt student preparation. Stankova said students without strong test scores struggled in college level math classes.
She shared data suggesting the number of students with serious math gaps tripled after test scores stopped being required.
Reporters at the Daily Californian, Berkeley's student newspaper, noticed the writing style seemed unusual. A sophomore named Francis Luo ran the text through an AI detection tool called Pangram.
The tool found that about a third of the op-ed showed signs of AI generation or editing.
Professor Responds to AI Use Claims
Stankova responded by email. She said she used AI to help edit the piece and to find related documents and articles.
She said the actual analysis in the piece came from her team, not from AI. Stankova estimated the project took several hundred hours of human work, including eighty hours of her own time.
The Standard, which published the op-ed, said it expects humans to stand behind every article. The outlet said it understood the piece reflected the author's own research and expertise.
News of the AI use spread on social media. Some people called it ironic that a piece about math skills gaps used AI assistance.
Others said the AI use was not a serious problem and took attention away from the main argument.
Stankova said the AI question was separate from the thousands of hours her team put into pushing for testing reform.
She was one of more than 3,000 UC faculty members who signed a June letter supporting the return of standardized testing. Stankova said AI was also used to edit that letter.
The debate over admissions testing has grown since 2020. That year, UC regents voted to stop requiring the SAT and ACT for applicants.
Schools like Harvard, Stanford, MIT and Yale made similar changes at the time. Each of those schools has since brought the testing requirement back.
The UC academic senate said in late July it will review whether to reinstate standardized testing. Any changes would first apply to students applying for fall 2028.
The UC system has its own AI council that offers guidance on AI use across its campuses. A council member named Camille Crittenden said she did not know of clear rules for using AI in personal research or opinion writing.
Crittenden also said AI detection tools like Pangram can still be unreliable. Pangram says its tool correctly identifies AI generated text 99.66% of the time.
