Dartmouth provost used AI to write 96% of recent publications, investigation finds
Provost Santiago Schnell's academic papers and op-eds tested as nearly entirely AI-generated, even as he publicly argued against student AI use.
What to know
- Dartmouth provost Santiago Schnell's 2026 academic papers and opinion pieces tested 96% AI-written on average, with his Washington Post column on AI cheating at 100% AI-generated.
- Schnell claimed to use AI only for language refinement while developing ideas and arguments himself; his response email defending this position also tested 100% AI-written.
- The investigation creates a credibility crisis for faculty enforcement of academic integrity, as Schnell publicly advocated distinguishing independent student work from AI-assisted work while relying almost entirely on AI for his own publications.
The dispute Whether Schnell's AI use constitutes legitimate assistance with language refinement (his position) or misrepresentation of authorship (the investigation's implication, reinforced by his 100% AI-written response). · positions read across 5 posts and comments
This is damaging hypocrisy that undermines institutional credibility on academic integrity standards.
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“This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on.”
jeffsharlet.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Santiago Schnell Dartmouth provostThe Dartmouth Student newspaperJeff Sharlet Dartmouth faculty member
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage posts
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Faculty and students react to investigation with concern about credibility and standards
The investigation sparked discussion on social media. Jeff Sharlet, a Dartmouth faculty member, posted that the provost's AI use leaves faculty "no ground to stand on" given widespread student concerns about AI. The finding highlights a credibility gap as Schnell publicly advocated for distinguishing independent student work from AI-assisted work while his own publications were largely AI-generated.
“This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on…”
— Jeff Sharlet -
1 outlet Dartmouth Provost okie-dokie
first by Marginal Revolution, 1d ago
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J
The provost of Dartmouth, at which I teach, has been using AI to write both academic papers & national op-eds, according to brave reporting by @thedartmouth.bsky.social. Many students are already bitter about AI. This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on.
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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M
The provost of Dartmouth University is accused of having a chatbot generate nearly 100% of each of his recent public writings. Kudos to the brave students at the campus newspaper for doing this investigation: https://www. thedartmouth.com/article/2026/ 09/schnell-ai-writing
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Some Dartmouth context for our provost alleged to have used AI extensively in his academic & public writing. Also worth noting that our administration has invested heavily in AI, without faculty consultation.
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background
Schnell's response email itself tested 100% AI-written — Pangram testing revealed that Schnell's Sept. 18 email statement to The Dartmouth defending his AI use was itself 100% AI-written. In a follow-up statement, Schnell said he "developed the substance and wrote a draft" then "used an AI tool to assist with language and clarity," taking suggestions and making minor changes before sending.
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Dartmouth investigation finds median 96% AI content across Schnell's 2026 works — The Dartmouth reviewed Schnell's publications before and after ChatGPT's November 2022 release. Works prior to 2022 tested 100% human-written; nine works published in 2026 returned a median 96% AI-written score. Schnell stated he uses AI for "language refinement, copyediting, improving clarity and organization and making writing processes more efficient," but reviews and takes responsibility for final text.
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Schnell denies Washington Post essay was entirely AI-written — In an email statement to The Dartmouth, Schnell stated the characterization of his Washington Post essay as "100% AI-written" is inaccurate. He claimed he "wrote the essay based on my own thinking and used ChatGPT to help refine a few arguments and check for grammatical errors."
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Semafor identifies Schnell's Washington Post column as 100% AI-written — A Semafor investigation using Pangram AI detector found that Schnell's Washington Post column titled "Universities are fighting AI cheating. But there's a deeper problem." tested as 100% AI-written. The column argued that "a degree should distinguish what students can do independently from what they can accomplish with AI."
What people are saying 2 voices from 1 site · best of 5 · verbatim
- Yesterday
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J
A provost argues universities need to distinguish what students can do independently from what they accomplish with AI. His op-ed about this is flagged 100% AI-written. His defense of that flagging is also 100% AI-written. The irony is so perfect it almost feels staged. https://www. thedartmouth.com/article/2026/ 09/schnell-ai-writing
- Sep 22
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www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026... Op-eds, academic articles by P...