OpenAI on Wednesday announced ChatGPT for Teachers, a version of its artificial intelligence chatbot that is designed for K-12 educators and school districts. 

Educators can use ChatGPT for Teachers to securely work with student information, get personalized teaching support and collaborate with colleagues within their district, OpenAI said. There are also administrative controls that district leaders can use to determine how ChatGPT for Teachers will work within their communities. 

OpenAI said it is initially launching ChatGPT for Teachers with a cohort of districts that represent roughly 150,000 educators. ChatGPT for Teachers will be free to K-12 educators in the U.S. through June 2027, the company said. 

“Our objective here is to make sure that teachers have access to AI tools as well as a teacher-focused experience so they can truly guide AI use,” Leah Belsky, vice president of education at OpenAI, told reporters during a briefing. 

The company said student data will be protected and that anything shared within ChatGPT for Teachers will not be used to train its models. 

OpenAI rocketed into the mainstream following the launch of its generic ChatGPT chatbot in 2022. It’s faced criticism from teachers and parents who argue that students can use the tool to cheat and avoid engaging in critical thinking.

ChatGPT for Teachers is not intended for students, but OpenAI said giving teachers hands-on experience with AI tools will help them understand and establish best practices in their classrooms.  

“Every student today is growing up with AI, and teachers play a central role in helping them learn how to use these tools responsibly and effectively,” the company said in a blog post. “To support that work, educators need space to explore AI for themselves.”

In July, OpenAI released a product within ChatGPT called “study mode.” Study mode was built with college-age students in mind, and it aims to help them work through problems step-by-step before they arrive at an answer.

OpenAI said it built study mode as “a first step in a longer journey to improve learning in ChatGPT.”

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