OpenAI Considering Forming Team to Help Teachers Use ChatGPT

OpenAI is reportedly looking into ways to bring its popular generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT chatbot into classrooms.

The company plans to form a team dedicated to exploring the educational applications of this technology, OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap said last week during a conference, Reuters reported Thursday (Nov. 16).

Initially, when OpenAI released ChatGPT, there were concerns about its potential for widespread cheating on homework, according to the report. However, teachers have started to see the benefits of incorporating ChatGPT into their curriculum and teaching methods. As a result, OpenAI wants to help teachers navigate this new tool and plans to establish a team next year to focus on educational applications.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot became one of the fastest-growing applications in the world after its launch last November, the report said. Trained on vast amounts of data, generative AI has the ability to create human-like content, making it useful for tasks such as writing term papers and completing science homework.

The launch of ChatGPT caught teachers off-guard, as they realized it could be used for cheating and plagiarism, per the report. However, over time, they began to see its potential benefits. OpenAI has already been working on integrating its technology into the classroom and has established partnerships with education groups.

There are numerous ways ChatGPT can be used in classrooms, according to the report. For students, it can serve as a tutor that tailors content to different learning styles. For teachers, it can assist with curriculum writing and act as a creative classroom aide.

While there are concerns about children’s privacy issues with the use of chatbots in schools, OpenAI has implemented age restrictions and requires parental permission for users age 13 to 18, the report said.

The education and training market is estimated to reach $10 trillion by 2030, presenting a significant opportunity for tools like ChatGPT, per the report.

It was reported in August that schools that had initially banned generative AI tools like ChatGPT were unblocking it. For one thing, teachers are allowing pupils to access the tools in order to teach them that the technology has both benefits and risks.