LETTERS: Intense competition in Malaysia's education system can be a factor in pushing some individuals to resort to leaks as a short-cut to success.
Poor digital encryption, physical storage vulnerabilities, or mishandling by staff can lead to leaks. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can ensure and secure examination papers to minimise or eliminate leakage.
AI can generate diverse sets of questions dynamically based on predefined syllabi, reducing predictability and dependency on pre-set papers. The adaptive algorithms with AI can create unique questions for each student by adapting the difficulty level based on the syllabus, ensuring fairness while minimising chances of leaks.
AI systems can encrypt examination papers using advanced cryptographic techniques. Only authorised personnel with specific decryption keys can access them. This controlled access to AI will ensure that examination papers are distributed through secure platforms.
This monitoring and logging access is to detect any anomalies. With the monitoring and surveillance of anomaly detection, AI can monitor email, print logs, or file-sharing activities within the examination body to detect unauthorised access or suspicious activities.
This will lead to digital watermarking papers with unique, invisible identifiers traceable to individuals who access or print the documents.
AI can monitor the process using cameras and microphones to ensure compliance and detect potential cheating. The dynamic questions can generate real-time variations of questions during online exams, making it difficult for leaks to occur.
If a post-leak investigation does occur, AI can quickly analyse digital footprints to identify sources and culprits, providing a robust mechanism for accountability.
The implementation costs of setting up an AI system for secure exam preparation and distribution require significant investment.
Human oversight is always present, while AI minimises risks, as human involvement might still pose vulnerabilities. Additionally, data privacy must be carefully handled—especially student data and examination content—which is essential to maintaining trust and compliance with privacy laws.
In short, a comprehensive AI mechanism can significantly reduce the risks of examination paper leaks and enhance the integrity of the education system.
K. TAMIL MARAN
Seremban,
Negri Sembilan
* The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times