- Some of the country’s largest school districts are banning San Francisco-based OpenAI’s new ChatGPT tool on school networks and devices.
- Educational technology experts are urging schools to train teachers and students on how to use ChatGPT and artificial intelligence instead of a complete ban.
- OpenAI told USA TODAY that it was working to develop a way for teachers to catch students who were using a typewriter to answer questions on tests or assignments.
Since ChatGPT launched in November, the country’s largest school district has banned student chats involving the use of fast text generators to cheat or plagiarize.
Teachers and professors are concerned that technology makes it too easy for students to use it as a shortcut for essays or other writing assignments and exams, and that it creates content in a way that can bypass programs found in When students use information that is not their own. Work.
Jumping to ban the device may not be the right action, however, as education technology experts say that because AI will be part of the future of the youth, it must also be part of the class. Learn now, too.
“Everyone is talking about scams. If you’re worried about that, your assessment may not be a good start,” said Richard Culatta, executive director of the International Society for Technology in Education. “. “Kids in school today will go into work, not everyone they work with is human.”
More:Students still use technology to cheat on exams, but things are getting more and more advanced
What is ChatGPT?
Anyone using the ChatGPT website can ask questions to the chatbot on any topic and get a quick and detailed response in paragraph format. (GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer.)
More:Artificial intelligence classifies your ‘nerves’? Welcome to the new frontier of the college
A spokesman for San Francisco-based OpenAI software company, which owns the device, said the company “has made ChatGPT available as a research preview to learn about the real-world applications we believe in.” “As an important part of developing and implementing capable and secure AI systems.”
On the website, it lists the positive attributes of ChatGPT, its ability to “remember what users have said before in a conversation” and “allow users to provide post-correction” and how it is trained. To reject inappropriate requests. “
The company has taken the lead in addressing some of the disadvantages of the technology.
According to the OpenAI website, the chatbot occasionally “generates inaccurate information” and “malicious instructions or biased content”. It lists the third issue: “Limited knowledge about the world and events after 2021”.
USA TODAY this month asked the chatbot, “Why do schools ban ChatGPT?”
The chatbot replied, “I do not know of any schools that have specifically banned ChatGPT.” However, it is possible that some schools or educational institutions may have policies that prohibit the use of certain technologies. In the classroom or during exams. Especially if it is considered a nuisance or a potential helper for fraud. In addition, the use of AI models such as ChatGPT raises ethical concerns surrounding the use of improper technology, such as fraud or misrepresentation.
“Therefore, some schools may choose to ban or restrict the use of such technology as a precautionary measure.”
What is ChatGPT? Everything you need to know about OpenAI’s free AI editor and how it works
Why do schools ban ChatGPT?
Recently, school officials’ concerns about technology have involved students accessing websites, including Wikipedia and SparkNotes, to gather information without doing research or reading on their own.
“With access to artificial intelligence platforms that help with grammar, writing, and more, teachers and children alike need to learn from them,” said Culatta, whose organization provides training for teachers on the use of AI in the classroom. How to work with it to prepare for the future.
Spokesman Shannon Hebert said more training was planned in the Los Angeles Unified School District. LAUSD temporarily shut down access to ChatGPT and the OpenAI website in December “to prevent educational fraud while risk / benefit assessments are being conducted.
New York City The Department of Education shut down ChatGPT this month from school-owned devices and networks across the state. The department raised the concerns of local school teachers about student success. Oakland unification In California and Seattle Public Schools has moved to block ChatGPT for now, in part because it creates a human-like response that can be hard to find.
Seattle Public Schools spokesman Tim Robinson said despite the ban, the district is working on allowing teachers to use it as part of a lesson. He said the district has also shut down some AI generators on school devices, including Rytr, ArticleForge and WriteSonic.
In Oakland County wants to use artificial intelligence in schools, spokesman John Sasaki said, but not until teachers and educators are trained “on the ethical use of AI to avoid the overall negative impact.” On student learning. ”
Other major school systems, including Miami-Dade and Houston, have not banned ChatGPT – so far.
“The district is looking into it,” said Jaquelyn Calzadilla Diaz, Miami-Dade County spokesman. “At this time, no decision has been made.”
Culatta said many of the districts he worked with did not close the forum.
How do colleges and universities manage ChatGPT?
A recent survey of 1,000 college students conducted by Intelligent Online magazine found that nearly 60% of students use chatbots on more than half of all their work, and 30% of them use ChatGPT on assignments. In writing.
Some universities are concerned about how ChatGPT will affect student work and assessment as word processors pass undergraduate exams at the University of Minnesota and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.
But unlike K-12 schools, the bans are many. Universities, including Princeton, are refusing to ban chatbots instead of advising professors to set their own policies. And NYU professors are advising students not to use ChatGPT, Vice Vice reported.
More:Millions of college students use cheggs that professors say can cheat and blackmail
What should schools consider when talking about ChatGPT?
Blocking a particular platform may be less effective than schools think.
“If they do not use it in their classroom, they can use it at home and they can use it on their own devices,” said Adam Phyall. Educational Technology Specialist and Director of Professional Studies and Leadership from All4Ed, a national non-profit organization advocating for non-traditional students.
The OpenAI platform was one of the first to successfully create paragraphs in response to user queries, but there were others who liked it there. On TikTok, students are sharing how similar AI-based tools developed by other companies help with homework.
“Will we have a conversation about how we will deal with it? Or will it be: if we have Fear, let’s stop it and move on to the next thing? ”Phyall said.
Instead, he said, schools can use ChatGPT to teach children how to improve their writing, for example.
Culatta advises schools to make rules about using ChatGPT.
However, schools should prepare teachers for AI long before it arrives, he said. Other AI types used in the classroom now include Thinkster Math teaching assistant, Jill Watson virtual teaching assistant, and the Nuance Transcription service.
“We have been watching this trend for many years,” Culatta said. “This should not come as a surprise to anyone.”
Technology at school:How teachers are increasing digital devices in the classroom today.
What did the creators of ChatGPT OpenAI say?
An OpenAI spokesperson said the company wanted to help schools with their concerns and users should be aware of the use of their AI-generated texts. The company is working on a system for teachers to check if students have used ChatGPT to cheat or plagiarize, a spokesman said.
“We do not want ChatGPT to be used for illusory purposes in schools or other places,” the spokesman said in an email, so we are developing a relaxation to help anyone identify the text generated by the system.
Contact Kayla Jimenez at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.
