Full Breakdown
Dartmouth Provost’s AI Authorship Prompted Independent Review
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Review Process and Advisory Committee
College President Sian Leah Beilock announced an “independent advisory committee” to examine Provost Santiago Schnell’s use of artificial-intelligence tools in his scholarly and public writing. The committee will be chaired by former provost and computer-science professor David Kotz ’86 and will include computer-science professor Hany Farid, Trustee Odette Harris ’91, creative-writing professor Peter Orner, and linguistics chair Lindsay Whaley. Beilock indicated that “in the coming weeks” the campus will host conversations on AI, authorship, and transparency, and that senior vice president Jennifer Rosales will share further details soon.
Detection Findings
A student-run investigation by *The Dartmouth* applied the AI-detector Pangram to Schnell’s publications. Works released before the public launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 scored 100 percent human-written. A sample of nine pieces published after that date returned a median score of 96 percent AI-written. One of Schnell’s Washington Post op-eds on AI cheating was flagged as 100 percent AI-generated, prompting the broader review.
Official Statements
Schnell acknowledged the detector results, stating that he used chat-bots for “language refinement” and copyediting but retained full responsibility for the final text. President Beilock framed the episode as a learning moment for the institution, noting that pioneering new technology inevitably involves “missteps” and “messy” leadership.
Student-Media Criticism
*The Dartmouth* opinion editor Eli Moyse called Schnell’s undisclosed AI use an “insult” to the community and to the Washington Post readership. He argued that if a student concealed AI assistance, it would breach Dartmouth’s Academic Honor Principle, and that the provost’s conduct warranted dismissal.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What I’ve Learned About AI and Academic Integrity,” — Santiago Schnell, college provost (q1)
- “I am sorry that this was not my standard practice and, moving forward, it will be,” — Santiago Schnell, college provost (q2)
- “Leading on something this new and fluid is messy,” — Sian Leah Beilock, college president (q3)
- “There will be missteps, and that’s part of how an institution learns.” — Sian Leah Beilock, college president (q4)
- “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,” — Santiago Schnell, provost (q5)
- “If students at Dartmouth used AI to write an entire paper without acknowledgement and then submitted it to their professor, they would be in clear violation of the Academic Honor Principle,” — Eli Moyse, opinion editor (q6)