UC Berkeley professor stops grading homework after AI yields top scores
Richard Borcherds, a UC Berkeley professor and Fields medalist, says he no longer grades his students’ homework because many use AI to earn top scores. He told a Tuesday interview that grading for correctness feels pointless now that AI tools can consistently achieve perfect results. Borcherds linked his decision to OpenAI’s recent claim that its agents solved the Navier‑Stokes existence and…
Key points
- UC Berkeley professor Richard Borcherds stopped grading for correctness after AI gave students top scores
- OpenAI announced agents solved the Navier‑Stokes existence and smoothness problem, prompting concerns about AI surpassing human mathematicians
- UC Berkeley’s Academic Senate urges AI‑use statements in syllabi, but detection tools like Turnitin and Rumi are deemed insufficient
He now grades only on completion and admits the system is “not a very good system,” but sees no viable alternative. Borcherds also expressed uncertainty about advising students to pursue mathematics, recalling that five years ago the field seemed safe from AI disruption. The university’s Academic Senate is urging faculty to add AI‑use statements to syllabi, though policies vary by course and existing detection tools like Turnitin and Rumi have proven inadequate.
Assistant vice provost Anne Marie Richard said the AI Hub provides sample statements for faculty, but final policy decisions remain at the instructor’s discretion.
AI use leads UC Berkeley math professor to see 'no point' in grading homework
dailycal.org · 25 October 2026
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