Image by Nick Wang, from Unsplash
AI Models Now A New Playground For Online Gamblers
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Gamblers are wagering millions on AI models like GPT-5 and Gemini, using social media, GitHub, and rankings to predict top performers.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Foster McCoy earned $10,000 betting against GPT-5 in August.
- Harvard student Rishab Jain monitors social media and GitHub for AI cues.
- AI trading volume reached $20 million this month, ten times higher than January.
Fans are placing big bets on AI models as if they were sports stars, as noted in a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Prediction platforms Kalshi and Polymarket receive millions of dollars in monthly bets from gamblers who predict which AI model will perform the best. The AI arms race manifests across social media, ranking sites, and niche corners of the internet, creating opportunities for those looking to profit.
Foster McCoy, a 27-year-old day trader, made $10,000 in a few hours by betting against OpenAI’s GPT-5. “You’re just betting against what the other guy knows,” he says, crediting his success to “being chronically online,” as reported by WSJ.
McCoy operates his trading business from home using X, Discord and LMArena which provides a leaderboard rating system for AI models in blind tests. WSJ reports that since early 2025, he traded $3.2 million on Kalshi, earning $170,000.
Similarly, Harvard student Rishab Jain uses social media posts and GitHub repositories and source files to predict upcoming model releases. “I’m almost obsessively up-to-date with what’s going on in this world,” he says, as reported by WSJ. His efforts have earned him $3,500 since June.
Betting strategies vary: some focus on big AI players, others on lesser-known models or arbitrage opportunities between platforms. After GPT-5’s release, Elon Musk’s posts praising xAI Grok caused its “Grok to Win” market to spike over 500% before falling again, as noted by WSJ.
Trading volume on AI prediction markets has surged to roughly $20 million this month, ten times higher than at the start of 2025, a Kalshi spokesman says to WSJ. Each bet, or “contract,” reflects the odds, and bettors can cash out when the price rises.
Economics professor Robin Hanson notes to WSJ, “When you have better information in these kinds of markets, you can make better decisions. If you know a little more, you make more money.”
For now, AI betting attracts both sharks like McCoy and Jain, and casual players like James Cole, who says to WSJ, “I’m just a dude that likes tech and has some time and money. I’m speculating with mostly instinct and 10 minutes of research.”
Image by Good Free Photos, from Unsplash
Class Of 2025: The First Fully AI-Educated College Graduates
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
College seniors graduating this year are the first to complete all four years in the age of AI, where ChatGPT redefined learning.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- ChatGPT launched in 2022, reshaping college education within three years.
- 92% of UK students have used generative AI tools.
- Harvard found two-thirds of undergraduates use AI weekly.
Students returning to campus this fall have spent most of their education during the era of generative AI, as noted in a report by The Atlantic .
ChatGPT launched in late 2022, meaning that the current graduating students were beginning their freshman year. With the new technology higher education underwent a rapid transformation faster than anyone expected.
By 2024, nearly two-thirds of Harvard undergraduates were using AI weekly, and a UK survey found 92 percent of students had tried it, as reported by The Atlantic.
“I cannot think that in this day and age that there is a student who is not using it,” said Vasilis Theoharakis, a professor at the Cranfield School of Management, as reported by The Atlantic.
For many students, AI is less about cheating and more about survival. “It can pretty much do everything,” said WashU senior Harrison Lieber. He admitted to The Atlantic that if seven assignments are due in five days, AI can help “for the cost of a large pizza.”
Other students see it as a way to balance busy lives. One recalled, “Sometimes I want to play basketball. Sometimes I want to work out.” Senior Da’Juantay Wynter, who juggles leadership roles on campus, said he prefers writing his own essays but sometimes relies on AI for summaries: “It’s always in the back of my mind: Well, AI can get this done in five seconds,” as reported by The Atlantic.
Professors are scrambling to respond with handwritten assignments, in-class essays, or moral appeals. Some even use AI themselves to save time, as noted by The Atlantic. But as Lieber pointed out, students want project-based work that “emulate[s] the real world.”
Three years after ChatGPT’s debut, higher education has been permanently reshaped. However, this widespread reliance on AI may be problematic.
A recent study shows how generative AI tools can impair critical thinking since it makes analytical tasks easier. The researchers reported that users often focus on verifying AI outputs, and avoid gathering and synthesizing information independently. The results point out that this behaviour significantly diminishes problem-solving skills.
Additionally, a systematic review of educational and research shows that over-reliance on AI often leads students to accept AI-generated recommendations without question, making them less able to spot AI errors. .
Without careful oversight or training, students who rely heavily on AI risk cognitive offloading, where the mental effort of learning and reasoning is outsourced to technology rather than exercised independently.
