OpenAI has revealed Study Mode, a new ChatGPT feature designed to assist students in honing their critical thinking abilities rather than just finding answers to queries.
When Study Mode is activated, ChatGPT will pose questions to users to gauge their comprehension and, in certain situations, will not provide direct responses until students actively interact with the content.
Starting Tuesday, Study Mode will be available to customers who are currently signed in to ChatGPT’s Free, Plus, Pro, and Team subscriptions according to the OpenAI.
The company plans to introduce the Study Mode to its Edu subscribers, the vast majority of whom is made up of young people whose school administrators have purchased a package for everyone in the class, in the coming weeks.
OpenAI’s effort to reach the millions of students who utilize ChatGPT in the classroom is called Study Mode. According to studies, while ChatGPT can be a useful teacher for youth, it may also impair their capacity for critical thought.
According to a study published in June, individuals who compose essays using ChatGPT show less brain activity than those who use Google Search or no search engine at all.
When ChatGPT initially came out in 2022, its extensive use in classrooms alarmed teachers, and as a result, several school districts in the US banned generative AI.
Some of those schools lifted their ChatGPT prohibitions by 2023, and educators nationwide accepted that ChatGPT would now be a part of the life of young people.
OpenAI now intends to enhance ChatGPT as a learning tool rather than only a response engine with the introduction of Study Mode. In April, Anthropic released Learning Mode, a comparable capability for its AI chatbot Claude.
Of course, the actual effectiveness of Study Mode is limited. If the only thing a student need is the answer to a question, they can quickly switch to ChatGPT’s standard mode.
In a conference with the media, Leah Belsky, vice president of education at OpenAI, stated that the firm does not provide tools for administrators or parents to force students into Study Mode.
Belsky did note that OpenAI might eventually look into parental or administrative controls. This implies that using Study Mode will require a committed student—children who wish to learn rather than merely do their assignments.
according to OpenAI, Study Mode was the first attempt of the business to enhance the learning in ChatGPT. The company plans to release additional data in the future regarding how students use generative AI throughout their education.
