OpenAI, alongside its nonprofit partner Common Sense Media, has introduced a free training program for teachers, aimed at demystifying artificial intelligence (AI) and promoting its integration into education. The program targets educators from kindergarten to 12th grade, demonstrating how to use the ChatGPT AI tool for various educational purposes, such as creating lesson plans and streamlining departmental meetings. This marks the first collaborative product between OpenAI and Common Sense Media.
This initiative comes as OpenAI intensifies efforts to highlight the positive role of its ChatGPT tool in education. Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT sparked a surge in generative AI interest and quickly became one of the fastest-growing applications globally. Trained on vast data sets, generative AI can produce human-like content, assisting users in writing term papers, completing science assignments, and even crafting entire novels. However, its introduction caught teachers off guard, as they realized its potential for facilitating cheating and plagiarism, leading to backlash and school bans.
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft (MSFT, Financial) and other investors, reached a valuation of $157 billion in its latest funding round. The company has established a dedicated team to support the responsible use of AI in education and learning, led by former Coursera executive Leah Belsky. Belsky emphasizes the aim of equipping every student and teacher with AI knowledge and teaching them to use it responsibly and effectively. She notes that student acceptance of ChatGPT is very high, with parents generally supportive, recognizing AI skills as crucial for future careers.
