Why I’m Taking My Students on Another AI-Free Ride

Samuel J. Abrams RealClear Education September 02, 2026 1 min read

Why I’m Taking My Students on Another AI-Free Ride

Samuel J. Abrams
RealClear Education

A little more than a year ago, I wrote about how I planned to deal with artificial intelligence in my classroom. I knew that I could not police it, and that I could not effectively monitor it even if I wanted to, since the technology was moving too quickly. I was convinced, then, that within a year or so, AI would be a regular part of nearly every college course.

Still, I was hoping for one more year without AI and LLMs in my classroom and around my seminar table. I wanted my students to read books and articles themselves and I wanted them to write without ChatGPT or digital assistance. I asked my students to talk through ideas in class and in my office without a screen in front of them and I called this our “last AI-free ride.” Fortunately, I was wrong: the AI-free ride is not over.


Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.


Also in Princeton Free Speech News & Commentary

A Princeton Professor’s Advice to Young Conservatives
A Princeton Professor’s Advice to Young Conservatives

Robert P. George  August 27, 2026 1 min read

As a professor who is known to dissent from progressive ideologies that are dominant at universities such as Princeton, where I’ve taught for nearly 40 years, I’m frequently asked by students for advice about how to navigate a campus they worry will be hostile to them. Some are pro-Israel, or politically and socially conservative, or religiously observant.

They fear being treated unfairly by faculty members who are hostile to their beliefs. Many are afraid of being regarded as outcasts by their more liberal or progressive peers. They worry about being excluded from academic opportunities or not treated equitably in social or other extracurricular activities. To these students I say, with regret: You’re right to worry. I’ve seen these things happen.

Read More
Why some colleges are banning AI in the classroom — and why that's a good thing
Why some colleges are banning AI in the classroom — and why that's a good thing

Tal Fortgang August 27, 2026 5 min read

Universities may be tempted to treat these capabilities as inevitable improvements in education. Students will be able to consume vast amounts of information, more than ever before. But like AI writing itself, such consumption would be vast but shallow. The more interesting possibility, then, is that AI will force universities to rediscover the value of intellectual work that cannot be outsourced.

Read More
Princeton continues to back Harvard in lawsuit against federal government
Princeton continues to back Harvard in lawsuit against federal government

Gray Collins and Giselle Moreno  August 25, 2026 1 min read

In the battle between Harvard and the federal government, Princeton is siding with Harvard.

On July 22, the University signed an amicus curiae brief supporting Harvard’s suit against multiple executive branch agencies over research funding cuts in a federal appeals court. The brief was joined by 35 other research universities and colleges, including the rest of the Ivy League.

Read More