AI Has Killed an Entire Industry — People Who Got Paid to Do Homework for College Kids

For the last decade, many college-educated Kenyans could make a significant amount of money writing essays for students overseas. But ever since the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, that pipeline has all but dried up, according to the New York Times

One of these gig workers, Teresios Bundi, prioritized his “school work” over his degree in public health, and the money backed that decision. At his peak, he was charging $40 to $70 per paper, roughly five times what a public health career would have paid him. Now, making ends meet is a struggle.

“I never would have expected A.I. could do this,” he said.

His fate is shared by an entire demographic of Kenyans. At its peak, more than 40,000 Nairobi residents were paid to write other people’s homework. Now, these people are also struggling to work their way back into the labor sector.

Experts see Kenya as a bellwether for what’s coming around the world, especially in the global south.

“It’s going to be everywhere we see a big transformation,” said Oxford University professor Mark Graham. “A.I. has come in and taken big chunks of these labor markets.”

For the last decade, many college-educated Kenyans could make a significant amount of money writing essays for students overseas. But ever since the introduction of ChatGPT in 2022, that pipeline has all but dried up, according to the New York Times

One of these gig workers, Teresios Bundi, prioritized his “school work” over his degree in public health, and the money backed that decision. At his peak, he was charging $40 to $70 per paper, roughly five times what a public health career would have paid him. Now, making ends meet is a struggle.

“I never would have expected A.I. could do this,” he said.

His fate is shared by an entire demographic of Kenyans. At its peak, more than 40,000 Nairobi residents were paid to write other people’s homework. Now, these people are also struggling to work their way back into the labor sector.

Experts see Kenya as a bellwether for what’s coming around the world, especially in the global south.

“It’s going to be everywhere we see a big transformation,” said Oxford University professor Mark Graham. “A.I. has come in and taken big chunks of these labor markets.”