Instant-Use Chat GPT in Schools

No login required! Is Chat GPT setting up to be the next Google? All well and good as long as you are not underage.

In the last week, Open AI have made it possible to use their Chat GPT 3.5 model without an account or the need to login. This makes using AI as easy as going a Google search - indeed, this may be the ultimate goal here. In their recent Blog post, Open AI stated they wanted to make AI accessible to anyone. I applaud any technology company making efforts to lessen the digital divide in our society, however this ease of access does present new challenges for schools and educators.

While creating an account was never really going to stop under-age usage, it did provide some sort of barrier to our younger students. The current terms of use still state that is not directed to children under the age of 13 and those under 18 should still have parental consent. However there is nothing to make this immediately obvious to users. Only the following notice beneath the Chat Window:

I may read Terms of Use as a technology leader at my school, but I'm pretty sure that many students (and adults) wouldn't.

Additionally, interactions may be used to train models and so we are also faced with challenges around data privacy, children sharing personal information in this space and who may gain access to this data. Open AI has added some means to contact them if you believe children have misused the tool, showing they are conscious of the issue but will not be taking responsibility for it. Without any specific regulations, they don't have to either.

Some additional content safeguards have been added for this experience but this will not negate the bias and misinformation that is still possible in this model.

These developments raise new questions for schools, particularly in the Primary education space that I work in. I already have seen examples of Primary students engaging with the many random AI tools spawning across in the internet without any consideration around terms or appropriate use. It will not take long for word to get around the student population. I would argue that many parents are even less equipped to manage and monitor this at home.

So what will be the fallout of these developments?

How can we monitor and identify students incorrectly using this tool in the classroom? Do we ban and block the website at school? Do we step up our efforts to educate children about privacy, ethical use and critical consumption? Do we need to update school policy to specifically address the use of this tool?

I'd love to hear thoughts from the community! I am still of the opinion that education with and about emerging technologies is our greatest weapon in preparing our students for their technolgical futures, but this relies on teachers being well-educated first.

Disclaimer: These thoughts are my own and written without the assistance of AI.