PRO – Noah Amidon

The first encounter for many with ChatGPT was numerous articles published about the many uses of the AI network and its ability to fabricate any sort of writing that one might want. This led many students to see ChatGPT as a tool to cheat as it has the ability to respond to any sort of prompt with any word limit. However, many other students saw other educational benefits that exist within moral limitations and aren’t a form of cheating.

The first benefit that many students are drawn to is ChatGPT’s ability to brainstorm. For many students, the most difficult part of any essay or project is deciding what it will be about, or finding nuances in a broad topic. This is where ChatGPT can help; with a simple request to brainstorm about a topic ChatGPT can spit out an entire list of ideas about what to write about. This allows students to then spend more time. thinking about word choice and the intricacies of their work instead of wasting time trying to figure out where they are going with their work.

Another great benefit is the intellectual capacity of ChatGPT. A struggle that many students have is an inability to formulate their questions into a “googlable” format. What ChatGPT can do is take an individual’s seemingly incoherent questioning and provide a clear answer and explanation about the answer to a question that somebody has. What primarily sets ChatGPT apart from Google is that it answers a question like a human. When an individual searches for something on Google they will be given a list of links that may or may not answer the question that a user has, and most likely won’t answer it in a conversational format. For the student who just needs a direct answer to their question, ChatGPT provides a much quicker and clearer answer to a point of confusion that an individual has.

However one of the greatest benefits that ChatGPT has for students comes for those whose first language is not the one that they are encountering on a daily basis. Many bilingual individuals think and formulate thoughts in their native language, despite communicating in a different language on a daily basis. This can create struggles for individuals who are trying to explain what they are thinking in their second language, as sometimes they lack the necessary vocabulary to fully formulate their thought. ChatGPT then provides an avenue for someone to write their thoughts in their native language and then get an explanation of what that same idea could look like in a secondary language. This is much better than utilizing a translator who does a simple direct translation but can’t express the nuances of word choice that someone wishes to articulate.

ChatGPT can appear scary to school officials at first, however does truly provide numerous benefits to individuals who require it.

CON – ChatGPT

As an AI language model, ChatGPT has the potential to be a powerful tool for education, providing students with access to vast amounts of information and the ability to communicate with an advanced AI system. However, there are also potential harms associated with using ChatGPT in schools.

One major concern is the ptential for students to become overly reliant on ChatGPT as a source of information, without developing critical thinking skills and the ability to independently evaluate sources. This could result in students simply regurgitating information provided by ChatGPT without fully understanding it or being able to apply it to real-world situations. Additionally, if students become too dependent on ChatGPT, they may struggle in situations where technology is not available or where critical thinking and problem-solving skills are required.

Another potential harm of ChatGPT in schools is the risk of perpetuating biases and stereotypes. As an AI system, ChatGPT has been trained on a vast amount of data, which may include biased or stereotypical information. If this information is not carefully monitored and corrected, it could perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases, which could negatively impact students’ perceptions of themselves and others.

There is also a risk of privacy violations associated with using ChatGPT in schools. Depending on the platform used to access ChatGPT, student data and conversations could be stored and potentially accessed by third parties, including advertisers or other companies. This could raise concerns about the safety and privacy of student data, as well as potential ethical concerns related to the use of student data for commercial purposes.

Finally, there is a risk of ChatGPT being used to automate certain aspects of education, potentially leading to the displacement of teachers and other education professionals. While ChatGPT may be able to provide basic information and support, it cannot replace the nuanced and personalized teaching that human educators are able to provide. Additionally, automating certain aspects of education could have negative impacts on job opportunities and economic stability for education professionals.

Overall, while ChatGPT has the potential to be a useful tool in education, it is important to carefully consider the potential harms and risks associated with its use in schools. It is important to prioritize the development of critical thinking skills and ethical considerations when integrating ChatGPT into educational settings.