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Suspended Over AI Cheating Tool, Student Now Lands $5.3M in Funding

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Suspended Over AI Cheating Tool, Student Now Lands $5.3M in Funding

Reading time: 2 min

Last Updated: Apr 24, 2025

Written by Kiara Fabbri Multimedia Journalist
Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Content Manager

A Columbia University student who was suspended for creating a controversial AI tool to help users cheat on job interviews has just raised $5.3 million in seed funding, as first reported by Fortune.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

Columbia student suspended for building AI that helps cheat in interviews.
Cluely AI gives real-time answers during interviews via invisible browser overlay.
Tool now used for exams, sales calls; not officially for dating.

Chungin “Roy” Lee, along with cofounder Neel Shanmugam, launched the tool—now called Cluely—to assist job seekers during technical interviews.

The AI tool gives users live answers through an invisible browser overlay that reads the screen and listens to conversations in real time. It can now also be used for tasks like exams and sales calls.

Lee was suspended by Columbia in March, but despite the controversy, investors are backing their vision.

“[To be honest], I don’t think this is cheating,” Lee wrote on LinkedIn. “Every single time technology has made people smarter, the world panics. Then it adapts. Then it forgets. And suddenly, it’s normal […] AI will transform the entire world […] Cluely is the bridge to a world where humans don’t compete with machines—we grow with them.”

Fortune reports that Cluely is currently available by subscription—$20 a month or $100 per year for unlimited use. The founders describe it as a modern tool for a new era, likening it to calculators or spellcheck.

However, a demonstration video showing the tool assisting someone on a date sparked backlash and drew comparisons to Black Mirror. Lee later clarified, as reported by Fortune, that dating is not a real use case for the product.

In a bold statement on their website, the Cluely team said, “So, start cheating. Because when everyone does, no one is,” as reported by Fortune. As AI continues to reshape education and the job market, Cluely’s rise is fueling debate on what counts as cheating in a tech-driven world.

Kiara Fabbri

Written by: Kiara Fabbri

Hi, I’m Kiara Fabbri a Tech News Writer at WizCase. I'm a multimedia journalist with a keen interest in innovative and immersive news storytelling. Fluent in three languages—Italian, English, and Spanish—I'm deeply engaged in all facets of news reporting. I am currently undertaking a Ph.D. exploring VR applications in journalism. Following my studies in psychology (BSc) and political psychology (MSc), I embarked on a three-year journey across South America. During this time, I undertook a 4000 km solo bicycle trip from Chile to Brazil. There, I camped, cooked on the road, and volunteered in various facilities. It was during these travels that I discovered my passion for journalism. Subsequently, I pursued a Master's program in journalism innovation and enterprise. My career in journalism has seen me produce VR immersive experiences covering a range of topics. These include documenting an Anti Militaristic raid of a NATO Base, life in the Brazilian Favelas, the recent violent protest clashes in Buenos Aires and finally social projects run by Skaters in the Argentinian ghettos. In addition to my journalistic endeavours, I also practice parkour, a discipline I have cultivated over several years now. I love to make the most of this skill in my journalistic style; for example, it has enabled me to capture dynamic footage from heights during the recent violent clashes in Buenos Aires. There, I scaled heights and employed a long stick on my camera to create aerial 360° views. Through my dedication to pushing the boundaries of journalism, I am committed to amplifying voices, sparking meaningful conversations, and driving positive change in the world.

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