21-year-old student using AI to game coding interviews suspended from university

If you've ever faced a Hackerank or other coding test as a prelude to getting a banking job, then Chungin Lee is your friend. 

Click here to follow our new WhatsApp channel, and get instant news updates straight to your phone 📱.

Lee, who is a 21-year-old computer science at Columbia University, has developed an AI tool that lets software engineers cheat in their interviews. “Everyone programs nowadays with the help of AI,” he told CNBC earlier this month. “It doesn’t make sense to have an interview format that assumes you don’t have the use of AI,” he added.

Unfortunately, Columbia University appears to disprove of Lee's activities. After putting him under investigation, it has now sent him a letter saying that he's suspended from university until May. His suspension appears to be partly down to sharing the results of previous hearings on social media. Lee has also shared the latest letter on social media, which may not bode well for his case. 

The sharing does, however, draw attention to his AI cheating tool, 'Interview Coder.' Pitched as an 'invisible AI for technical interviews,' Lee says it's invisible to all screen recording software. He also says that he used it to get through coding tests for Amazon, Meta and TikTok, resulting in internship offers from each one.

Lee's tool will likely be popular with anyone facing laborious coding tests posing questions that bear little resemblance to real-life problems. Completing these tests has become a huge time tax for anyone who wants a corporate software job. - A recent study found that the average Meta employee has completed over 600 Leetcode problems, and the average Goldman employee has completed 452. These are hours of life that Chungin is giving you back. 

Unfortunately, his tool also renders coding tests less effective. This is a problem if you're an employer using them to sort through candidates.  - Unless, of course, new tests are developed that scrutinize candidates' ability to solve problems in conjunction with AI. Maybe Chungin could work on these instead now that he's probably no longer a student?  

Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: +44 7537 182250 (SMS, Whatsapp or voicemail). Telegram: @SarahButcher. Click here to fill in our anonymous form, or email editortips@efinancialcareers.com. Signal also available.

Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libellous (in which case it won’t.) Eventually it will – unless it’s offensive or libellous (in which case it won’t.)