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Chrome’s New Lens Shortcut Triggers Cheating Fears in California Classrooms

Los Angeles Unified will retain the tool with access tied to a digital‑literacy lesson.

Overview

  • The latest Chrome update adds a movable Google Lens bubble and sidebar that delivers on-page AI answers during tests.
  • A Los Angeles teacher reported sudden test score jumps he attributes to Lens-enabled cheating after the change.
  • Google has paused a “homework help” Lens shortcut but says it is not removing Lens from Chrome, including on school devices.
  • Los Angeles Unified is keeping Lens with guardrails, granting access only after a digital‑literacy lesson and enforcing academic-integrity rules, while some teachers restrict devices or revert to paper.
  • Surveys and research flag gaps in guidance and learning risks, including only about a third of districts with AI-cheating policies and an MIT study finding 55% lower cognitive activity when students use AI to write.