OpenAI says it will be forming a team with the "sole intent" of integrating ChatGPT into the classroom by exploring educational applications, as per the company's chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap.
The move comes after the senior executive said during the recently concluded INSEAD Americas Conference that most teachers are attempting to include ChatGPT into their learning curriculum and teaching methods.
Lightcap then revealed that OpenAI is looking into "the problem and we probably next year will establish a team with the sole intent of doing that."
The ChatGPT classroom integration follows after artificial intelligence, notably ChatGPT, has been criticized for making it easier for students to cheat and was even prohibited by several schools and districts earlier this year, Forbes reports.
"Teachers thought it was the worst thing that had ever happened," said Lightcap.
However, after a few months, instructors began to recognize the value of ChatGPT. He added that the Los Angeles Unified School District was one of the first to prohibit ChatGPT and AI to "protect academic honesty," yet at the start of the new school year, it installed its own education-specific AI bot dubbed "Ed" in roughly 100 schools.
A new OpenAI team would be an outgrowth of the company's previous efforts to incorporate its technology into the classroom.
A spokesperson from the company wrote in an email as per Reuters "We see AI as an impactful tool that can assist with learning and education, and we're encouraged by the ways educators have been ideating on how tools like ChatGPT can be useful,"
"We are engaging with educators across the country to inform them of ChatGPT's capabilities and our ongoing work to improve it."
This follows after OpenAI released an official guide for teachers employing ChatGPT in classroom settings, including recommended prompts, an explanation of how ChatGPT works and its limits, the effectiveness of AI detectors, and bias.
ChatGPT's Learning Applications
OpenAI's blog post detailed how various teachers were using ChatGPT to create "role playing, challenging conversations" wherein ChatGPT may act as a debate partner who will point out flaws in the students' arguments, a recruiter who will be interviewing for a job, or a new supervisor who may provide feedback in a specific manner.
The AI tool was also said to help build quizzes, tests, and lesson plans and help non-English speakers practice conversations and translation assistance.
OpenAI has also reportedly partnered with education organizations such as Khan Academy to develop an AI-powered tutor and with Schmidt Futures to provide scholarships to education organizations in underrepresented neighborhoods.
According to Reuters, Andrew Mayne, a former OpenAI employee who works with schools through his AI consultancy business Interdimensional, says there are several possibilities to deploy ChatGPT in the classroom.
It may be a tutor, or it could adjust information to different learning styles for pupils. It may help teachers with curriculum preparation or be a creative classroom aide, such as drafting introductions in Old English during a medieval history session.
AI's Effectiveness and Issues in Classrooms
Forbes states that according to Government Technology, 85% of individuals who were able to compare human tutoring to employing AI believed ChatGPT was more successful than working with a natural person.
Despite its various advantages, others see a possible quagmire of privacy problems for youngsters if the chatbot is promoted in classrooms.
Different internet privacy regulations apply to minors in numerous nations. While users must be over 13 to use ChatGPT, and parents must provide permission if the users are between 13 and 18, most countries do not have age verification.
