At Cornell University, German language instructor Grit Matthias Phelps has found an unusual way to limit students' use of AI: manual typewriters. Once each semester, students put away their laptops and phones and type on old manual typewriters that Phelps found in thrift shops and online marketplaces. There are no screens, online dictionaries, spellcheckers, or delete keys.

The exercise started in spring 2023 when Phelps realized that many students were relying on generative AI and online translation tools to produce grammatically perfect assignments, which she felt defeated the purpose of learning. “What’s the point of me reading it if it’s already correct anyway, and you didn’t write it yourself? Could you produce it without your computer?” said Phelps.

The typewriter assignment is part of a wider national trend toward old-school testing methods, such as pen-and-paper exams and oral tests, to reduce AI use in the classroom.

Students said the experience changed how they thought and worked. Because there were no notifications or easy access to information, they had to think more carefully and talk to their classmates instead. "This might sound bad, but I was forced to actually think about the problem on my own instead of delegating to AI or Google search," said sophomore Ratchaphon Lertdamrongwong. Freshman Catherine Mong, 19, had never used a typewriter before. Despite the challenges, she found the assignment "fun and challenging" — and plans to hang her messy, mistake-filled pages on her wall.