Dartmouth College Provost Santiago Schnell has resigned after a faculty investigation found that he used artificial intelligence to meaningfully alter his writing and was not forthcoming about his use of the technology, The Associated Press reported.
The announcement Wednesday comes as colleges and universities nationwide grapple with the implications of AI tools for teaching, academic integrity and student writing.
The controversy began after Schnell published an August guest essay in The Washington Post titled “Universities are fighting AI cheating. But there’s a deeper problem.” The essay was later identified as entirely AI-written after Semafor used an AI filter to examine opinion pieces published in major newspapers.
Schnell initially defended the column, telling the outlet that he had used ChatGPT to “refine a few arguments” but that the piece reflected his own thinking.
The Dartmouth, the college’s student newspaper, subsequently examined other writing by Schnell using an AI detector. The analysis found that his work published before ChatGPT’s public release in 2022 was human-written, while more recent writing showed high rates of AI use.
In an email to the student newspaper, Schnell said he used AI for “language refinement, copyediting, improving clarity and organization and making writing processes more efficient.” The newspaper’s detector also identified the statement as AI-generated.
Schnell later clarified that he had developed the substance of the email and written a draft before using an AI tool to improve its language and clarity.
A faculty advisory committee investigated the matter and released its findings Oct. 27. The committee concluded that Schnell had used AI to substantially alter his writing and had not been forthcoming about the extent of that use.
Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock said Schnell’s departure was his decision and wished him well. She also emphasized the importance of university leaders modeling transparency and human judgment as the institution navigates rapid changes in AI.
Dartmouth has long highlighted its role in the development of artificial intelligence. The college traces the field's beginnings to a 1956 summer research project in Hanover, New Hampshire, and began a conference Thursday commemorating the 70th anniversary under the title “What Must Remain Human?”
Schnell, a Venezuelan-born mathematical biologist, previously held teaching and leadership positions at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan and Indiana University. He referred questions about his departure to his attorneys, who did not immediately respond to the AP's request for comment.
