Why ChatGPT Is the Start of Online Education, Not the End | Opinion
Online education has been gaining steady momentum over the years, with the pandemic further accelerating its growth in 2020 and beyond. With a market projected to reach $239 billion by 2027, it's no wonder companies like Chegg, Pearson Plc, and TPR Education LLC are competing to offer the best student-first connected learning platforms. Chegg has seen tremendous success in recent years, especially with a surge in students turning to online homework help during the pandemic. However, the company faces a new challenge: the emergence of generative chat technology like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
ChatGPT's strength lies in its ability to mimic human language, providing a coherent and conversational way of presenting information that is easily accessible. While it has been deployed for numerous tasks, such as writing code, school essays, and problem-solving, its biggest weakness is inaccuracy. This is a significant challenge when teaching subjects like mathematics, where convincing answers could be wrong, which is the last thing a student needs.
While ChatGPT is a threat to the status quo, it's not the end of online education. The real magic of ChatGPT and its visual counterpart DALL-E lies in their ability to collate vast amounts of information and present it in a human-friendly form. Here, the value comes from the content that trains them, which means education providers could potentially benefit from incorporating chatbots into their platforms.
For instance, Chegg plans to integrate OpenAI's latest model, GPT-4, into its automated tutor interface, CheggMate. This strategy will combine the power of OpenAI's systems with Chegg's billions of proprietary educational materials developed by humans, keeping it all within Chegg's walled garden that customers pay to access. It's a step in the right direction to turn generative AI into complementary technology to enhance education providers' offerings and benefit learners.
Other companies like Chinese peer New Oriental Education & Technology Group and TAL Education Group are also adopting AI to improve their content. While competition is inevitable, companies like Chegg need to examine their competitive advantage. If their edge comes from decades of experience and a growing corpus of proprietary educational materials developed by humans, they'll likely be just fine. But if they believe that a well-designed interface and convenient delivery platform are distinguishing features, then an easy-to-use chatbot could help them stay ahead.
The true value of generative AI lies in its ability to ingest, organize, and present vast amounts of information in a human-friendly format. As online education providers continue to leverage chatbots to enhance their offerings, they could be sitting on a pot of gold that could benefit both their business and learners.
