11th grader Jeronimo Mejía opens ChatGPT looking for an answer for his philosophy homework. Mejía simply types: “Write a 600-word essay on Platon’s ideologies,” and instantly, the AI begins working.

When asking this prompt, in a matter of seconds, ChatGPT creates an essay about Platon’s life. It talks about who he was, his ideas, theories, and contributions in science and politics. Even though the response might be complete and helpful, it mentions various topics which makes it unable to focus on one. To do so, the question made by the user needs to have clear parameters and instructions to be able to function correctly.

It took Netflix 10 years, Facebook four years, Snapchat three years, Instagram two years, and Google almost a year to cross 100 million users; yet ChatGPT managed to beat that in less than two months.

This new resource sparked curiosity and concern all over the world. The AI system provides students and teachers with information and gets work done in a way that has never been seen before. The integration of this tool in TCS raises questions regarding the future of students and teachers.

“I think that this new tool will be revolutionary for our school. I am eager to see how the AI world will affect our future,” Jeronimo Mejia, Grade 11, said.

ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) is a chatbot launched by OpenAI in November 2022. It works with learning algorithms that generate human-like answers to questions users ask. 

In just a few days after its launch, ChatGPT attracted more than a million users especially because of its range of skills. This AI is capable of doing a vast variety of tasks, from writing essays about Isaac Newton to writing a code in Java. When a user types a specific and narrowed-down question, the AI immediately generates a coherent and relevant answer. ChatGPT can be used for various purposes in schools such as answering student questions, generating text, and improving communication.

“Well, the first impression was that the teachers were going to start revising that the work was original and that the work wasn’t done by Chat GPT. Unfortunately, it became a struggle. It was so difficult for them to check if the work was done by them or by the AI. Teachers are looking for ways to use Chat GPT instead of just punishing students for using it,” Julian Zuñiga, AP Computer Science Teacher, said.

It is seen as a new tool that could impact not just schools, but the whole world. But as with all tools, it can be used for good or bad, and it is up to schools to teach students how to use them in the right way. As of right now, TCS teachers are working to understand how to use ChatGPT in the classroom so that the school can prepare students for the future. 

During the teacher’s professional development day last Friday, the topic of artificial intelligence came up frequently. In conferences centered around the new AI, it was mentioned how teachers can use this tool to even create their own assignments, but the problem of ChatGPT being used to cheat was also discussed.

ChatGPT can revolutionize the way students learn in schools. However, there is the concern that AI may be used to cheat, which leads to a huge impact on the education system and learning of students at TCS.

“Although ChatGPT can be a huge advantage for learning, there can be some disadvantages as well. I have seen that some of my classmates use ChatGPT for their assignments and they’re not writing what they think, so teachers are not able to measure the understanding of these students,” Mejia said.

While there may be cases where students use AI to cheat, there are AI systems that can detect if something was AI-produced. Such systems allow teachers to assess a student’s virtual work to prevent academic dishonesty. 

“We’re living in the future. And so it’s super exciting. I see it as another tool. It’s like anything, a new tool that comes out like the smartphone when it came out in 2007, or the printing press back in the 1400s, or Google,” Paul Navarra, HS Vice-principal, said.

Rather than just contributing to academic dishonesty, ChatGPT also offers a range of features that can assist students in their learning journey without involving cheating. 

With its large amount of data, the AI offers students a deeper understanding of complex topics they may struggle with. It also offers personalized study plans, generates practice questions and quizzes, and provides feedback to help students track their progress. 

“Since ChatGPT came out, studying for tests has been much easier for me. Last week, I had a programming quiz which I had no idea how to study for. I asked ChatGPT to create a short study plan with different questions for me to answer about the topic of the test, and the AI did it in a matter of seconds,” Daniel Franco, 9th grader, said.

Utilizing ChatGPT as an educational resource, students can improve their academic performance and ultimately be able to have extra help for their learning process when needed.

In addition to concerns about cheating, there are also worries about how the integration of this tool into education will affect the role of teachers in the classroom. Some educators worry that technology will replace them. Still, most teachers, such as Zuñiga, agree that AI should be seen as a tool to complement their work, not to replace it. 

“I think overall ChatGPT will be beneficial. But, as all tools, there will always be two sides of it. For example, a knife, which I can use to cut vegetables but also stab somebody,” Navarra said.

One advantage and difference between ChatGPT and various other software is that it explains what it is doing while answering the users’ questions. When answering a computer science question, this AI is able to create the Java code and explain step-by-step the progress and its variables, conditions, parameters, and other relevant factors. The role of teachers will evolve not only to teach students how to use AI, but all technological resources effectively and ethically.  

“Many of my activities are developed with Chat GPT, and I encourage students to use Chat GPT but to understand either their code, or to comment on the code, or see other ways on how to do the code, and for them to like actually understand the topics,” Zuñiga said.

Having in mind the importance of the parameters and clear instructions, Mejía types: “Write a 300-word essay on Platon’s ideologies on politics and focus on “Allegory of the Cave.” Include the concepts of knowledge, absolute reality, and shadows, and describe their importance in the text.” After having a clear framework, ChatGPT helped Mejía better understand the topic, while completing the assignment more quickly and effectively.