The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam GrantBuilding Integrity in the Age of Normalized Cheating | The Curiosity Shop
Episode Details
EPISODE INFO
- Released
- August 27, 2026
- Duration
- 1h 3m
- Channel
- The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant
- Watch on YouTube
- ▶ Open ↗
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
What happens to integrity when cheating becomes easier and the world seems to reward people for cutting corners? In this episode of The Curiosity Shop, Adam shares what happened when he discovered that students were planning to use AI to cheat on an exam. Brené and Adam move into a much larger conversation about honesty, character, and moral identity. Together, they explore when using AI is inherently cheating, why monitoring people isn’t enough to make them trustworthy, the difference between shame and adaptive guilt, and what research reveals about building a stronger moral compass. They also unpack why honor codes can sometimes backfire, how inconsistent accountability undermines trust, and what dimension of character we often overlook. Ultimately, Brené and Adam explore the difference between wanting to be seen as a good person and choosing to become the kind of person who does the right thing even when no one else is watching. #adamgrant #brenebrown #thecuriosityshop #cheating #ai Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCuriosityShop About The Curiosity Shop: Research professor Brené Brown and organizational psychologist Adam Grant are partnering on a new weekly podcast grounded in an unflinching commitment to learning and unlearning. At a time when public discourse rewards certainty over inquiry, The Curiosity Shop features two of the world's most sought-after experts on connection, change, and leadership making the case for slowing down, asking better questions, and embracing informed complexity over easy answers. Bringing together their left and right brain sensibilities — she’s a qualitative researcher; he’s a quantitative researcher — they explore some of the defining questions of our time, unpack the research reshaping how we live, lead, and love, and dive deep into the ideas, evidence, and cultural moments intriguing them the most. New episodes drop every Thursday. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. Connect with The Curiosity Shop: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecuriosityshop/ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1730985049 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oEPsPKDhPVoNNL7pH5db6?si=e2483abb4eed4b03 Connect with Brené Brown: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenebrown/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenebrown/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenebrown/ Connect with Adam Grant: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamgrant/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammgrant/ X: https://x.com/adammgrant/ ============================= Chapters: 0:00 Welcome to The Curiosity Shop 2:08 Adam Grant’s AI Cheating Conflict 9:36 Is Using AI Always Cheating? 11:35 Should Integrity Depend on the Stakes? 14:23 Why Cheating Is Becoming Normalized 20:27 Why Proctoring Isn't the Solution 23:00 How Moral Identity Can Prevent Cheating 25:23 Shame vs. Guilt 28:11 Where Do We Draw the Line on Dishonesty? 33:10 What Counts as Cheating? 34:33 Setting Clear Rules for AI at Work 35:21 What Research Says About Teaching Ethics 38:08 The Problem With Unequal Enforcement 40:18 How to Build a Stronger Moral Identity 46:14 Are We Motivated by Who We Fear Becoming? 48:57 The Seven Dimensions of Trust 52:12 Why Confidentiality Is Part of Trust 54:35 Why the Ends Don't Justify the Means 57:08 Moral Identity vs. Moral Image 59:01 Honesty as a Daily Practice Show Notes: https://thecuriosityshop.com/podcast/building-integrity-in-the-age-of-normalized-cheating/ Building Integrity in the Age of Normalized Cheating | The Curiosity Shop https://www.youtube.com/@TheCuriosityShop
SPEAKERS
Brené Brown
hostResearch professor and author known for work on shame, vulnerability, and trust (BRAVING framework).
Adam Grant
hostWharton organizational psychologist and author focusing on work, motivation, and organizational behavior.
EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant, featuring Brené Brown and Adam Grant, Building Integrity in the Age of Normalized Cheating | The Curiosity Shop explores why AI-era cheating demands moral identity, not more surveillance Adam Grant describes discovering students planned to use a custom LLM loaded with course materials to cheat on an online final, prompting him to replace the exam with an essay analyzing why cheating happens and how to reduce it.
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