Released a decade ago, by Texas Instruments, and now a 10-year-old calculator still holds some monopoly in the education field.
A new hack carried out by hardware hacker, ChromaLock, the calculator is now transformed from the basic device into quite an internet-enabled tool now coupled with ChatGPT capabilities, among other enhancements.

TI-32 is considered to be the modification given it's far beyond that original design of the product and now raises questions due to academic cheating.

It is modeled after another TI-84 using an ESP32 C3 microcontroller, enabling the two devices to then connect over Wi-Fi so that the user can easily access ChatGPT unseen, input complex math problems, and even browse through the web without any change being visible.

The modified TI-32 is never detected by standard anti-cheating protocols, which could be a serious concern among educational institutions.

ChromaLock released the mod on GitHub, stating that it was developed to encourage "academic honesty" and not to subvert it.

Even though there is a disclaimer that this hack bypasses some traditional safeguards on exams, it does raise ethical issues.

The mod also features additional functionalities like opening colour images, changing the Wi-Fi settings directly on the calculator, and installing applications from a pre-set server.

In a video demonstration, ChromaLock showed how the mod could be used to input math problems into ChatGPT or obtain vocabulary definitions instantly.

He also teased that more apps are in development, including a camera app. Users further enhance the calculator by developing applications and making them available on the server.

Perhaps with attention to the mod, it reminded the world that there is this growing trend where technology overlaps with education, and the rate at which robust tools can be directed for something other than the purpose that was in the mind.