As universities around the world race to integrate artificial intelligence into education, the University of Chicago is taking a different approach in some of its undergraduate classrooms: going back to analog learning.
Beginning in the 2026–27 academic year, the university’s Social Sciences Core courses will generally operate without artificial intelligence and most electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones.
The policy is part of an effort to ensure that students develop foundational skills in reading, writing, discussion and independent thinking without relying on AI tools or digital devices.
The Social Sciences Collegiate Division says the decision followed consultation with faculty and reflects what it described as a strong consensus that the Social Sciences Core is best taught as a setting without AI.
Students will be expected to complete their assignments independently, without assistance from generative AI tools. The policy also applies to instructors, including restrictions on AI-assisted grading.
The university’s stated objective is to ensure students learn to “read, write, and think without dependence on AI” before moving into more advanced areas of study.
The Social Sciences Core classrooms are being designed as device-free spaces. Students will generally be expected to keep laptops, tablets and mobile phones away during class, while wearable AI devices are also prohibited. Instead, students will work primarily with printed materials and participate in face-to-face discussions.
Class lectures and discussions will also not be recorded under the new approach, reinforcing the university’s emphasis on direct participation and in-person engagement..
The university’s argument is that technology can sometimes become a substitute for the intellectual work students are supposed to learn to perform themselves.
The Social Sciences Core is designed to expose undergraduates to fundamental questions about society, political economy, identity, culture, social change and methods of social-science inquiry.
University officials therefore want students to develop the ability to analyze texts, construct arguments and participate in discussions without immediately turning to an AI system for assistance.
The policy does not, however, mean that the University of Chicago is rejecting AI altogether.
The university continues to explore and use AI in other educational settings, and some faculty members are permitted to experiment with the technology when there is a clear academic purpose.
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