The University of Chicago is taking a stricter approach to AI in its Social Sciences Core, where new guidelines will generally prohibit classroom technology and ban AI use by students and instructors starting this fall.

According to the Chicago Marron, which obtained the memo, the new guidelines were issued by the Social Sciences Collegiate Division (SSCD) and reflect a “strong consensus” that SOSC sequences are best understood as a pedagogical setting without AI and should be taught as “analog” courses.

According to the memo, the SOSC Core aims to equip students to read, write, and think without dependence on AI, while also encouraging them to think beyond the bounds of conventional views or leading ideologies. The guidelines also state that AI-assisted grading has no place in the SOSC Core unless faculty carefully assess its validity against human grading. SOSC syllabi will also be produced by human scholars.

The guidelines generally ban AI use in SOSC classes but allow professors to engage in “thoughtful experimentation” with AI in consultation with divisional leadership. Instructors may also make exceptions to the device-free classroom norm for specific purposes, including examining datasets, troubleshooting code, revising text, or accessing library websites for citation guidance.

The new guidelines cite a 2025 report by the University of Chicago’s Artificial Intelligence and Education Working Group, which emphasized the importance of human engagement, human interaction, and human expertise in education.

The SSCD policy comes after the University of Chicago announced a broader expansion of access to AI tools. In June, the university announced a partnership with Anthropic to provide Claude Enterprise to UChicago academics, staff, and students, including Claude Chat, Cowork, and Claude Code.

Claude is currently available to UChicago faculty, other academic appointees, postdocs, and staff, while students are expected to receive access before the start of the Autumn Quarter.

The June Claude announcement also drew backlash from some academics on social media over the growing use of AI in higher education.

In July, the University of Chicago Law School also introduced new restrictions on technology use in classrooms and examinations for first-year students beginning next academic year.

While UChicago is expanding access to Claude at the university level, the Social Sciences Core is adopting a more restrictive approach to AI and classroom technology for its Core courses. The two policies apply to different parts of the university and different educational settings, but together they highlight the debate over how and where AI should be used in higher education.

Meanwhile, in a letter dated August 20, the US Department of Education highlighted five principles for the responsible use of AI in education: AI technologies should be educator-led, ethical, accessible, transparent, and protective of student data.

Also Read: UC Berkeley Law School Bans Most AI Use, Except for Limited Research