OpenAI launches Study Mode in ChatGPT

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an undeniable presence in education, sparking both excitement and concern. Amidst a significant rise in AI misuse at universities, OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT, has taken a proactive step with the launch of its new “Study Mode”. This feature aims to encourage responsible academic use of the chatbot and transform it into a more effective learning tool.

What is Study Mode in ChatGPT and How Does It Work?

Accessible via ChatGPT’s tools button, Study Mode is designed to guide users through complex subjects in a step-by-step format, much like an unfolding academic lesson. Rather than simply providing complete essays or answers, it focuses on helping students develop their own critical thinking skills.

Here’s a glimpse of its functionality:

• When prompted for help, for example, with understanding Bayes’ theorem, the chatbot will ask the user about their comfort level with the subject and their learning goal.
• It doesn’t just offer solutions; instead, it asks questions to test understanding and may even refuse to give direct answers unless students actively engage with the material.
• The goal is to guide users towards an answer rather than just serving it up immediately.
• Study Mode can also interact with images, which means students can upload past exam papers for assistance.
• OpenAI highlights that it is particularly useful for homework help, exam preparation, and learning new topics.

Why the Need for Study Mode? Addressing AI Misuse in Academia

The launch of Study Mode in ChatGPT comes as academic communities grapple with the widespread issue of AI misuse. A Guardian survey revealed nearly 7,000 proven cases of cheating using AI tools in UK universities in 2023-24, a significant jump from 1.6 cases per 1,000 students in 2022-23 to 5.1 cases per 1,000 students.

OpenAI acknowledges this challenge. Jayna Devani, the international education lead at OpenAI, stated that the company does not want ChatGPT to be misused by students and sees Study Mode as a “step toward” encouraging constructive academic use. She emphasised the importance of showing “responsible ways to engage with ChatGPT to actually support a learning process”.

ChatGPT Agent Mode

Interestingly, more than a third of college-age young adults in the US already use ChatGPT, with about a quarter of their messages related to learning, tutoring, and schoolwork. While studies have shown ChatGPT can be a helpful tutor, concerns remain about its potential to harm critical thinking skills. One research paper from June found that individuals using ChatGPT to write essays exhibited lower brain activity compared to those using Google Search or no tools at all.

OpenAI’s Vision and the Future of AI in Education

When ChatGPT first launched in 2022, its widespread adoption in schools caused significant fear among educators, leading to bans in many American school districts. By 2023, some of these bans were repealed as educators began to accept that ChatGPT would be a part of students’ lives.

OpenAI’s Study Mode is an effort to improve ChatGPT’s utility as a learning tool, moving beyond just an “answer engine”. Devani noted that tackling academic cheating will require a “whole industry conversation” about changing assessments and developing “very unambiguous guidelines about what constitutes responsible AI use”.

OpenAI developed Study Mode in cooperation with teachers, scientists, and education experts. However, they do warn users to expect “inconsistent behaviour and mistakes across conversations”.

Accessibility and Current Limitations

Study Mode is currently rolling out to logged-in users on ChatGPT’s Free, Plus, Pro, and Team plans. OpenAI expects to introduce it to its Edu subscribers, typically young people whose schools have purchased a plan, in the coming weeks.

It’s important to note the limitations:

• Students can easily switch into the regular ChatGPT mode if they simply want a direct answer.
• OpenAI’s VP of Education, Leah Belsky, confirmed that the company is not offering tools for parents or administrators to lock students into Study Mode at this time, though they may explore such controls in the future.

This means the effectiveness of Study Mode in ChatGPT largely relies on the student’s commitment to truly learn rather than just finish an assignment.

OpenAI views Study Mode as its “first step to improving learning in ChatGPT” and plans to publish more information in the future about how students use generative AI throughout their education. Other AI developers are also making similar moves; Anthropic, for instance, launched a comparable “Learning Mode” for its AI chatbot Claude in April.

In essence, Study Mode in ChatGPT represents OpenAI’s commitment to fostering a more responsible and constructive relationship between students and AI, moving towards a future where technology supports, rather than supplants, genuine learning.

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