Dartmouth Provost Resigns After AI Usage Probe
Dartmouth’s provost resigns after failing to disclose AI use in academic work.
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Santiago Schnell, the former provost of Dartmouth College, has resigned after an internal investigation revealed he had not disclosed his extensive use of artificial intelligence in academic work, including in public statements and published papers.
AI Use and Non-Disclosure
The investigation found that Schnell had used AI tools like Claude and GPT-5.6 Pro for tasks such as revising academic papers, debugging code, and generating figures. Despite publishers requiring disclosure of AI use, he failed to report this in multiple instances, including an op-ed and at least one academic paper.
During the investigation, Schnell handed over his Dartmouth laptop but did not provide logs from his personal AI accounts. He also declined to meet with the committee, which raised concerns about his cooperation. The report noted that his AI use went beyond what he had previously described in public statements, indicating a possible underrepresentation of his reliance on the tools.
Public Statements and AI Responsibility
In a paper titled “Who Wrote This?”, Schnell explored AI detection methods, using GPT-5.6 Pro and Claude Fable 5.1 to assist in writing and editing. He took full responsibility for the manuscript, resisting the idea of AI as a co-author. However, he did not disclose AI use in other papers where disclosure was required, even though he had detailed its role in the “Who Wrote This?” paper.
When asked about his lack of disclosure, Schnell claimed he did not understand that AI-assisted editing required disclosure. The committee, however, remained unsatisfied with the full picture, stating that the nature of his AI use was still unclear and that his public statements may have understated his actual reliance on AI tools.
Leadership and Transparency
Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock, who has advocated for increased AI integration, announced Schnell’s resignation. She emphasized the importance of transparency and human judgment in leadership roles at the institution.
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about AI in academia, including the unintended consequences of AI detection tools that are reshaping student writing practices. These tools, which rely on statistical analysis rather than genuine comprehension, are penalizing sophisticated writing while rewarding generic prose, leading to changes in how students approach their assignments.
Source: Breitbart
