Santiago Schnell, Dartmouth’s provost, resigned this week after a review found that he had used A.I. in columns and academic journal articles without disclosing it, including for publications that prohibit the practice.
The departure puts Dartmouth’s approach to A.I. rules under particular pressure because students are often barred from using the technology in class and can face punishment when they are caught.
The review examined guest columns published over a one-month period in major outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Undisclosed A.I.-generated text was identified in 50 guest columns in those outlets, one of them Schnell’s.
Schnell told The Dartmouth newspaper: 'I develop ideas and arguments, conduct the research, evaluate the evidence and sources, determine the structure, prepare drafts and decide what appears in the final text'.
Eli Moyse, a columnist for Dartmouth’s student newspaper, argued in an op-ed that the provost’s conduct carried particular weight because of his position. Moyse wrote: 'If true, Provost Schnell's use of A.I. in academic publications is arguably a graver violation. He repeatedly outsourced his intellectual labor and then tried to pass off work that wasn't his under his name.'
The case centres on the gap between using A.I. as part of a writing process and the disclosure rules set by the publications involved. For Dartmouth, Schnell’s resignation leaves a direct question over how standards applied to students are enforced among senior leaders.
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