Dartmouth College investigates Provost over AI-written work

Dartmouth College has launched an investigation into Provost Santiago Schnell after reports indicated that several of his recent publications appeared to be written using artificial intelligence. The scrutiny began following an essay Schnell wrote for The Washington Post regarding the challenges of AI in academia, which was flagged by Pangram detection software.

Student journalists from The Dartmouth reported that a review of nine of Schnell’s works published this year showed a median AI-written score of 96%. Schnell has disputed claims of misconduct, stating that while the ideas were his, he utilized ChatGPT to refine arguments and check grammar. He issued an apology for not consistently disclosing his use of AI and pledged to do so moving forward.

In response to the controversy, Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock has announced the formation of an independent advisory committee to review Schnell’s use of AI in both academic publications and public writing.