Dear Dartmouth community,
As I wrote to you last week, we are all grappling with the impact of AI on our academic mission and on society writ large. How to use AI, when to use AI, when and how to disclose that use, and the extent to which context matters are only a few of the questions under active consideration and debate at Dartmouth and across higher education.
As some of you know, concerns have been raised about Provost Santiago Schnell’s use of AI in his academic publications and public writing. As our chief academic officer, Santiago represents Dartmouth, and I expect our senior leaders to hold themselves to the highest standards. That’s why I am initiating a rigorous, objective review of how Santiago has used AI, measured against the criteria of the publications to which he submitted his work. He is taking this matter seriously, as am I.
An independent advisory committee will lead this review, and I am grateful that the following community members have agreed to participate:
- David Kotz ’86 (chair), Pat and John Rosenwald Professor in the Department of Computer Science and former Dartmouth provost
- Hany Farid, Donald Knuth Professor of Computation and Just Communities
- Odette Harris ’91, Trustee and Paralyzed Veterans of America Professor of Spinal Cord Injury Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine
- Peter Orner, Dartmouth Professorship in English and Creative Writing
- Lindsay Whaley, Professor of Classics and Linguistics and Chair of the Department of Linguistics
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. There will be missteps, and that’s part of how an institution learns.
The questions this moment raises go well beyond any one person. It is more clear than ever that we need role-appropriate rules and policies for this technology. Thoughtful people on our campus can and should disagree about those norms, which are rapidly shifting. In the coming weeks, we’ll host campus conversations on AI, authorship, and transparency. More details will be shared by Senior Vice President Jennifer Rosales soon. I look forward to participating, and I hope you will join us.
Thank you for your continued engagement on what is certainly one of the most complicated but defining issues of this moment.
Sincerely,
Sian Leah Beilock
President