Dartmouth College Provost Santiago Schnell has resigned following an internal investigation that found he used artificial intelligence (AI) to substantially shape his writing without full disclosure. The announcement was made Wednesday amid ongoing debates in higher education about the role of AI tools in academic work.
Schnell’s resignation comes after a faculty committee reviewed evidence indicating he employed AI technologies to revise and produce written content, including a guest column published in August in The Washington Post titled “Universities are fighting AI cheating. But there’s a deeper problem.” The column was revealed to have been entirely generated by AI, according to a report from a news outlet that examined guest columns in major newspapers.
Schnell initially defended his use of ChatGPT, stating that he employed the tool to “refine a few arguments” while basing the work on his own ideas. However, further analysis found traces of AI-generated material in other recent writings by Schnell, while earlier works predating ChatGPT’s 2022 release appeared to be solely authored by him.
In correspondence with Dartmouth’s student newspaper, Schnell acknowledged using AI tools for language refinement, copy editing, improving clarity, and streamlining the writing process. When the statement he provided was itself analyzed, it was detected as AI-assisted. Schnell later clarified that he developed the content and drafted the message but used AI to enhance language and clarity.
The faculty committee concluded that Schnell’s use of AI was significant and that he failed to be transparent about the extent of its involvement in his writing. University President Sian Leah Beilock emphasized the importance of leadership by example in rapidly evolving academic environments shaped by AI. In a statement, she said Schnell’s decision to step down was his own and extended well wishes for his future.
Dartmouth, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is recognized as the birthplace of artificial intelligence, with the field’s origins traced to a 1956 summer research project held at the institution. The university recently hosted a conference marking the 70th anniversary of AI, highlighting discussions on what attributes must remain inherently human in the age of AI technologies.
Schnell, a mathematical biologist born in Venezuela, held previous academic and leadership positions at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan, and Indiana University, according to his professional profile. Attempts to reach his legal representatives for further comment were not immediately successful.