Suspected ‘bots’ in College of the Desert classes cost school $30K, email reveals

Teachers at College of the Desert are being asked to help identify artificial intelligence "bots" who may be enrolled in classes and boot them out of the system, as these "bots" have already cost the school tens of thousands of dollars, according to an email obtained by News Channel 3.

In that email, school officials write, "We need your help." The email explains that College of the Desert "has seen a significant increase in the number of artificial intelligence (bots/fictitious enrollments) that have enrolled in our classes." The email explains "...it's imperative to drop all students who have never attended."

The message explains the cost of this issue. In the fall 2023 semester, there were "a significant number of enrolled students/bots who never attended class and were not dropped. As a result, $30,000 in Financial Aid was awarded to these enrollees who never attended. The college is responsible for paying these dollars back to the Federal Government. We were fortunate it wasn't much worse."

News Channel 3 has asked for comment from College of the Desert's Public Information Officer, Nicholas Robles. He is investigating further to share more information, but did acknowledge, "We do have a few BOTs but address those through our verification process."

News Channel 3 is continuing to work to find out more about this issue. Watch News Channel 3 starting live at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00 on KESQ for an updated report.

College of the Desert is not alone in concern with battling the bots. A 2021 L.A. Times report found tens of thousands of "fake students" involved in a community college scam involving the California Community Colleges system.