Harvard's AI Divide: Dean Says Embrace It, Faculty Say Not So Fast

Harvard UniversityFaculty in the humanities and social sciences at Harvard College are blasting a suggestion from the dean of the Ivy League school to embrace AI in writing-intensive courses instead of wasting time trying to catch students using the tool to cheat, the Harvard Crimson reports.

“We would all benefit from getting out of the AI-detection business because it damages trust between faculty and students,” the dean – David J. Deming – stated in an email he sent to students on the first day of class. The email stated that he favored “actively encouraging AI usage where it can deepen learning.”

The faculty wasted no time sharing their worries about how AI could undermine learning by discouraging students from coming up with their own thoughts.

The debate at Harvard is just a small part of a larger and ongoing debate about what stance institutions of higher education should take regarding use of the technology for coursework and exams.

The debate is also unfolding amid a steady release of reports and research warning about the perils of allowing AI to play too big of a role in what students produce.

For instance, a 2026 paper from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania raises concerns about how AI can foster “cognitive surrender” when people rely on AI-generated answers and solutions without doing the intellectual work necessary to derive them.

“What happens when our judgments are shaped by minds not our own? What becomes of intuition and effort when a generative, artificial partner stands ready to answer?” researchers ask in the paper. “How do we preserve agency, reflection, and autonomy in a world where users engage in cognitive surrender?”