What Does 'Expertise' Mean When AI Can Pass Any Exam?
In 2023, Claude passed the bar exam. In 2024, it passed the CPA exam and medical licensing exams. By 2026, there’s barely an exam left that AI can’t pass, often on the first try. This has broken something we relied on without thinking too hard about it: the equivalence between “passed the exam” and “has expertise.” For a century, we used exams as a proxy for skill. You pass the bar, you’re qualified to practice law. You pass medical licensing, you’re qualified to practice medicine. You get a degree in computer science, you’re qualified to be a programmer. The exam was the evidence that you had the knowledge and could apply it. ...