The company, whose generative AI products initially raised fears of widespread cheating on homework, is now exploring how to get its popular ChatGPT into classrooms. The move is part of a broader effort to harmonize artificial intelligence with educational needs. It follows collaborations between OpenAI and education groups such as Khan Academy for an AI-powered tutor and Schmidt Futures for scholarships for students in low-income families.
The technology is helpful for various academic assignments, according to teachers and students interviewed by Reuters. For example, a student writing an essay can ask ChatGPT to generate text on the topic and then point out flaws such as repetition or a lack of evidence.
Educators can also use ChatGPT to generate lesson plans, quizzes, or roleplay conversations or debates. They can also ask the software to create an analogy or explain a complex idea effectively. In an assignment requiring writing, a teacher can generate a first draft and give it to students to edit. The software can help level the playing field for students whose English is not their first language, for instance, by creating an explanation of Newton’s laws of motion using balls rolling on a table.
OpenAI’s chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, said at a conference in San Francisco that the company will form a team to explore educational applications of the chatbot. He described it as “an important way we can help bring the learning process to a new level.”
In addition to the new team, he says, a new version of the chatbot will be released next week that will be able to distinguish between original and copied content more clearly. That will make it more difficult for students to plagiarize work or find ways around copyright restrictions.
As with any tool, the educational community must balance the benefits of ChatGPT with its potential for misuse. Educators, students, and AI developers will need to navigate children’s privacy laws and regional regulations toto foster knowledge acquisition and ethical awareness.
While a handful of schools have banned the software, many are enthusiastically experimenting with it. For example, one bioscience teacher at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, uses it to assign challenging tasks to Google. That way, he hopes, his students will learn how to craft more complex questions than simple keywords and phrases.
Helen Crompton, a professor of instructional technology at the university, agrees that keeping an eye on students when using the software is essential. But she hopes the tool can also make school better. “If a student can’t do an assignment without using a Wiki page or Wikipedia, then that’s a problem for us,” she said. “But if they can do it intelligently and thoughtfully, that’s great.” In her view, the trick is to design assignments with the right mix of creativity, critical thinking, and research skills.
