The Unlikely Critic: Cluely Founder Decries AI’s Damage to Education
Months after launching his own AI startup, 21-year-old tech entrepreneur Chungin Roy Lee is making waves with a stark warning. The very technology he helped advance is, in his view, decimating the education system. Lee argues that the omnipresence of large language models is effectively obliterating the critical thinking and literacy of an entire generation of students.
His critique centers on the ease with which students can now access AI. With answers available at the press of a button, the fundamental process of learning—struggling with concepts, formulating original thoughts, and constructing arguments—is becoming a relic of the past. Lee laments that literacy itself is under threat, as the need to write and reason independently diminishes. This decline is exacerbated, he suggests, by the influx of big tech funding into schools and teachers unions, which he implies creates a conflict of interest and accelerates the adoption of these tools without sufficient guardrails.
The charge is a fascinating one, not least because it comes from the founder of Cluely, a company that debuted as the undetectable AI that thinks for you. Lee’s own venture, now valued at an estimated seven million dollars, was built on the very premise he now criticizes: automating intellectual labor. The platform gained notoriety as a sophisticated cheating program, allowing users to generate essays and solve complex assignments with minimal detectable trace of AI involvement. This paradox is not lost on observers, placing Lee in the position of a pioneer profiting from a tool he now believes is causing profound damage.
The situation highlights a broader and increasingly urgent debate in education. Proponents of AI in the classroom argue that these tools can be powerful assistants, helping to tutor students and automate administrative tasks to free up teacher time. However, the line between assistance and outright substitution has proven dangerously thin. The fear is that an over-reliance on AI will create a skills gap, leaving students without the foundational knowledge and cognitive muscles needed to succeed in higher education and the workforce.
Lee’s unexpected critique adds a significant voice to this conversation. As an insider who successfully capitalized on the demand for AI-driven academic shortcuts, his condemnation carries a unique weight. It suggests a growing concern even within the tech industry about the unintended consequences of its own creations. The challenge now is for educators, policymakers, and tech leaders to navigate this new landscape, finding ways to harness the potential of AI without sacrificing the core tenets of learning and intellectual development. The mind of a student, it seems, is not something that should be outsourced.
