A wave of Cluely AI cheating detection tools has surfaced after the controversial browser-based AI assistant, Cluely, went viral for promoting its ability to help users “cheat on everything” — from exams to job interviews. Now, startups like Validia and Proctaroo say they’ve launched software capable of identifying when someone is secretly using Cluely.
Startups Push Back on Cluely’s “Undetectable” Claims
Cluely’s pitch hinges on a stealthy in-browser interface that the company claims is completely invisible to third-party systems. But competitors are pushing back. Validia, a San Francisco-based AI security startup, recently launched a free tool called Truely, which it says sounds an alert if Cluely is detected during use.
In parallel, Proctaroo, a Rhode Island-based remote proctoring platform, is also asserting it can expose users running Cluely in the background. “When a Proctaroo session is active, we can see running applications and ‘hidden’ background processes — Cluely is no different,” said Proctaroo CEO Adrian Aamodt, who also labeled Cluely’s business model “unethical.”
Cluely Responds: “Anti-Cheating Tech Is Pointless”
Cluely’s co-founder and CEO, Chungin “Roy” Lee, has not shied away from the controversy. He compared the emerging wave of AI cheating detection tools to failed anti-cheat efforts in gaming, dismissing them as ineffective.
“Whether it’s smart glasses, a transparent glass screen overlay, a recording necklace, or even a brain chip, we’re not sure,” Lee said, hinting that Cluely could shift toward hardware products in the near future. He also claimed that expanding into hardware is “trivial technologically,” despite recent failures in the AI hardware space, like the Humane AI Pin.
Website Scrubbed, Messaging Rebranded
Cluely’s original messaging centered around cheating on exams and job interviews, but scrutiny seems to have forced a shift. The company has now removed these references from its website and manifesto. Instead, Cluely is now positioned as a productivity tool for use in meetings and sales calls.
Lee says the change is part of a broader repositioning strategy:
“Ultimately, we see a future where everyone uses AI to its utmost potential, and that means planting in large, specific markets, and expanding out from there.”
Can Anti-Cheating Startups Keep Up?
While Validia and Proctaroo aim to address the ethical concerns raised by Cluely’s original use cases, the cat-and-mouse game between cheating tools and detection systems is far from new. However, with AI-assisted cheating becoming more advanced and accessible, the battle is quickly escalating.
It remains to be seen whether software alone can effectively counter AI-enhanced stealth cheating, especially if Cluely’s hardware ambitions take shape.
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