AI technology has sparked a debate in the education sector. One side argues that these technologies have the potential to revolutionize learning and democratize access to education. While the other side believes that these technologies will only harm critical thinking and promote lazy academic habits. In this article, we will explore why banning ChatGPT, a powerful chatbot, will do more harm than good in K-12 education.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a generative AI technology that allows users to ask it questions or generate text based on prompts. It has been a hot topic in education since its release. Universities have released guidelines, professors have taken to social media to share their opinions and students have experimented with it for academic work.
The Potential of ChatGPT in Education
ChatGPT, and generative AI more broadly, has the potential to democratize and revitalize K-12 education on an unprecedented scale. Anyone with an internet connection now has access to a personal tutor without the costs associated with private tutoring. Even though it is not a human, it is a step in the right direction. It can't replicate human interaction, but as psychologists have discovered, one-on-one instruction until mastery allowed almost all students to outperform the class average by two standard deviations.
Furthermore, English teachers can use it to rephrase the notoriously confusing AP test questions' answer keys and provide each student with an essay antithetical to the one they turned in. Educators can also use it to compose hundreds of five-page essays, which they could not do before. ChatGPT also has the potential to teach students about disinformation by using falsified, misattributed, and straight-out lies as a way of teaching them.
The Concerns and Criticisms of ChatGPT
The critics of ChatGPT argue that it will only exacerbate the lazy academic habits students might have formed over the course of the pandemic. However, this is not a valid reason to ban ChatGPT. The tool can be used to help students with their assignments and make learning more accessible. While there are certainly less optimistic visions for the future, banning AI in education will not solve anything.
The Future of ChatGPT in Education
More discussion, guidance, and understanding are necessary to normalize and regulate AI technologies in education. The path forward starts by trusting students to experiment with the tool and guiding them through how, when, and where it can be used. Blocking AI technologies will only lead to confusion and misinterpretation in the best of cases and misuse and abuse in the worst. ChatGPT is just the beginning, and there are simply too many generative AI tools to try to block them all.
Banning ChatGPT in K-12 education will do more harm than good. It is necessary to engage with students about these technologies' capabilities and limitations and work with them to define new academic standards. By doing so, AI technology can revolutionize learning and make it more accessible to all students.
