Dartmouth Provost Resigns After AI Use Review Finds Policy Violations

Dartmouth College announced that Provost Santiago Schnell resigned and will leave the university following a faculty-led review that concluded he used generative-AI tools to “meaningfully alter” his scholarly and public writing without meeting required disclosure standards. The resignation took effect immediately.

Office of the President

Since 2025 Dartmouth has positioned itself as a leader in artificial-intelligence research, signing agreements with Anthropic and Amazon Web Services to provide faculty and students access to large-language models such as Claude. President Sian Leah Beilock has advocated for broader AI integration, describing the campus as a “fluid and fast-changing” environment. Dartmouth’s Code of Ethical Conduct, Academic Honor Principle, and the Geisel School of Medicine’s professionalism policy require full disclosure of AI assistance in scholarly work.

Office of the President

• The student newspaper The Dartmouth ran nine of Schnell’s 2025-2026 articles through the AI detector Pangram; the median detection rate was 96 % AI-generated.

Inside Higher Ed

• Pangram flagged Schnell’s August Washington Post op-ed as 100 % AI-written.

Santiago Schnell resigns as provost of the College

• The ChemSystemsChem paper published in September showed a 71 % AI-generated score.

Santiago Schnell resigns as provost of the College

• Publisher policies cited by the review committee required AI disclosure at least since 2023 (ChemSystemsChem) and for the Washington Post at the time of submission. Schnell argued that earlier Wiley guidelines did not require disclosure.

Inside Higher Ed

President Beilock released a memo stating that senior leaders must uphold the highest standards and that Schnell’s resignation respects his colleagues and the institution.

Dartmouth College Provost Steps Down Over AI Writing and Disclosure Violations

Senior student Ben Stevenson echoed faculty sentiment, saying the controversy raised a “clear question of academic integrity” that forced the provost’s hand. Several faculty members had prepared a no-confidence vote for the upcoming November meeting, reflecting broader unease about leadership accountability.

Santiago Schnell resigns as provost of the College

Schnell contended that the Wiley author instructions he followed pre-2025 did not mandate AI disclosure, whereas the committee cited journal policies requiring disclosure since at least 2023. The review relied on Claude chat logs and publication records rather than AI detectors such as Pangram, leaving a gap in how detection tools might have altered the assessment.

Inside Higher Ed

History professor Matthew Delmont, a Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor, has been appointed interim provost through June 2028.

Boston Globe

• “I expect our senior leaders to hold themselves to the highest standards,” — Dr. Beilock, Dartmouth president

New York Times

• “Each of us brings a different perspective on how and when to incorporate AI into our work and our lives. Moreover, keeping Dartmouth at the forefront of AI inevitably means leading through an environment that is fluid and fast-changing,” — Sian Beilock, Dartmouth president

Inside Higher Ed

• “I've committed to keeping Dartmouth at the forefront of AI and that includes acting in an ethical manner. Leading on something this new and fluid is messy,” — Sian Beilock, Dartmouth president

Dartmouth College Provost Steps Down Over AI Writing and Disclosure Violations