I think the point is most students are cheating and not learning. Where they get the information does seem to matter. Adding friction was needed for most.
Why is that not desirable? As long as the exam does not allow ai usage during it, i don't see the problem.
I don't think it's shocking to realize that most 20 year olds (especially those growing up and seeing that success is not tied to intelligence nor hard work at all)are taking advantage of a convenient tool to cheat when given the chance.