https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/technology/kenya-college-essays-ai.html
QuoteAt colleges worldwide, students made a simple calculation that has become more pronounced today: Why pay a freelancer in Kenya when ChatGPT could do the job?
His fate is shared by others who had found a foothold in the global online gig economy. Kenyans also transcribed meetings through the freelance platforms Upwork and Fiverr. They flagged Facebook posts to help the platform decide what could stay up. One after another, those opportunities have withered.
QuoteAround Nairobi, new money among essay writers was visible. At its peak early this decade, at least 40,000 people in the city were being paid to do other people's homework, researchers estimated. Essay writers drove new Subarus, carried the latest smartphones and booked exclusive tables at clubs.