In 2000, a Teaching Professor article entitled “Professors: Living or Dead” highlighted how dead professors (literally dead) can still teach college courses. Through online teaching, dead professors can continue showing videos, electronically send grades to the registrar, answer student emails through programmed answers, organize web groups, and update test questions provided by the publisher.

The article then listed living professor capabilities that dead professors lack, such as incorporating new information into the course exams and lectures, adding the human element in face-to-face discussions with students, and answering uncommon student emails. Those activities that dead professors could not do in 2000 might be able to be done now with artificial intelligence.