Say no to ChatGPT in schools

Perhaps you’ve heard or read some of the recent news about ChatGPT, the latest advance in artificial intelligence that has school districts and educators scrambling.

Why? Because it can make it easier for students, if they’re so inclined, to cheat.

ChatGPT, a new AI tool developed by the San Francisco-based research firm OpenAI, can apparently churn out remarkably authentic text, sophisticated and human-sounding enough to fool even some scientists. So no need for a student to burn the midnight oil to finish an overdue report that was assigned three weeks ago.

No critical thinking skill needed either — or at least not much, beyond wording the question correctly and fact-checking the answer. (ChatGPT is not mistake-proof, even its developers admit.)

Since ChatGPT went live on Nov. 30, it’s generated an avalanche of interest. Its servers have reached capacity — we tried to give it a test-run ourselves and landed on a waiting list. With interest sky-high, even some college professors are revamping how they teach to prevent students from trying to pass off ChatGPT’s work as their own.

K-12 educators are taking notice too, including here in the Chicago area, as WBEZ’s Char Daston reported recently. Chicago Public Schools, among other area districts, is considering banning ChatGPT, as New York City, Los Angeles and Baltimore public schools have already done.

CPS should follow suit, at least for now, we think. Relying on AI to write an essay is cheating, plain and simple. Students won’t develop critical thinking and writing skills unless they write an essay using their own brain power, not AI. Besides, even the most sophisticated AI relies on human training. to train it.

We’re not Luddites. There may well be merit to using ChatGPT in well-designed lesson plans, as some educators argue. AI tools like ChatGPT might one day play the same role as math calculators — allowed in some classroom or test-taking situations, but banned in others.

But leave that up to individual teachers to develop, as they become more familiar with AI technology and how it can be used to enhance teaching.

Will some students still try and pass off AI-generated essays as their own, or use it to answer questions on a take-home exam? Of course. Expecting teens not to try and take shortcuts is unrealistic. Teachers will have to adapt.

CPS has said that it’s still evaluating how to handle ChatGPT, recognizing the educational value of AI in general.

OK. But until guidelines are in place, make it clear to students: Do your own work.

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