09/02/2026
🚨 NO AI. NO LAPTOPS. NO PHONES. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO IS GOING “ANALOG.”
Starting this fall, the University of Chicago will prohibit AI use in its core social science (SOSC) courses, a three-course sequence that is part of the university’s undergraduate general education curriculum. Students will be expected to read assignments on paper, attend classes in person, and participate in device-free discussions. 📚
📵 What does the new policy mean? Laptops, cell phones and wearable AI devices will generally be prohibited in classrooms. Recording lectures or discussions will also be banned, while students must complete assignments independently without AI assistance. Reasonable academic accommodations will still be permitted when they do not undermine course objectives.
The university says the change reflects a “strong consensus” that these courses are best taught without AI, allowing students to strengthen their ability to read, write and think independently. Professors can request exceptions for activities such as analyzing datasets, troubleshooting code, revising text or accessing library resources.
⚖️ The move follows a similar decision by the UChicago Law School, which plans to prohibit electronic devices in its core first-year courses this fall. The university says the goal is to teach students how to think with AI, without AI, and about AI.
🤔 But here’s the bigger question: In an AI-driven world, should universities restrict technology to protect independent thinking, or teach students to use it responsibly?
