Op-eds, academic articles by Provost Santiago Schnell flagged as ‘AI-written’ by ‘near-zero error’ AI detector Pangram

Key Points:

• An investigation by The Dartmouth found that academic articles and opinion pieces published by Provost Santiago Schnell in 2026 had a median of 96% AI-written text, as detected by the AI detector Pangram.
• Pangram, validated by a University of Chicago audit for near-zero error rates, distinguishes human-written content from AI-generated or AI-assisted text by analyzing text segments, with Schnell’s pre-2022 works testing as 100% human-written.
• Schnell acknowledged using AI tools for language refinement and editing but asserted that he develops ideas, conducts research, and takes full responsibility for the content; however, his Sept. 18 email statement was itself identified as 100% AI-written by Pangram.
• Schnell’s post-2022 publications, including op-eds and academic articles, showed high AI-written percentages (ranging from 71% to 100%), yet he did not disclose AI use in most works and declined to provide AI logs for verification.
• The Washington Post requires guest writers to confirm that submissions are not AI-generated, but Schnell’s AI use raises questions about disclosure practices; broader analysis found a notable number of AI-written opinion columns in major newspapers during summer 2026.