---
title: "How AI gutted Kenya's essay-writing industry, which at its peak paid 40,000+ people in Nairobi to do overseas students' homework, leaving few paths back to work (New York Times)"
type: signal
url: https://frontiernewswire.com/s/how-ai-gutted-kenyas-essay-writing-industry-which-at-its-peak-paid-40-8866f3eb
published: 2026-09-06T12:01:27.000Z
byline: "Source: TECHMEME"
---

# How AI gutted Kenya's essay-writing industry, which at its peak paid 40,000+ people in Nairobi to do overseas students' homework, leaving few paths back to work (New York Times)

Source: TECHMEME · Published 2026-09-06 · Canonical: https://frontiernewswire.com/s/how-ai-gutted-kenyas-essay-writing-industry-which-at-its-peak-paid-40-8866f3eb

New York Times : How AI gutted Kenya's essay-writing industry, which at its peak paid 40,000+ people in Nairobi to do overseas students' homework, leaving few paths back to work — Thousands of Kenyans made a living writing essays for overseas students. With A.I., the work has dried up, a warning for online gig work that has been a global lifeline.

In this story: [AI and employment](https://frontiernewswire.com/topics/ai-and-employment)

## Sources

- [Read the original at TECHMEME](https://www.techmeme.com/260906/p4#a260906p4)

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