As artificial intelligence grows in prominence, so do the concerns that it will “take over the world.” Artificial intelligence, or AI, can be a useful implement for completing work. In some ways, using ChatGPT is similar to looking up answers in a textbook, except on ChatGPT, there are infinite topics to learn about. But the worries about its capabilities are not completely groundless. ChatGPT was able to pass a college final exam. Another person used ChatGPT to write an entire children’s book that he later sold on Amazon. Students frequently abuse the convenience of ChatGPT to cheat and give them answers instead of learning anything about the topic or consulting a teacher.

ChatGPT was created by the artificial intelligence research company OpenAI. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of researchers and entrepreneurs, most notably Elon Musk and Sam Altman. OpenAI is backed by many investors, including Microsoft. Apart from ChatGPT, which launched in November 2022, OpenAI also created Dall-E, an AI text-to-art generator.

How ChatGPT—or AI generally—works is a difficult concept to grasp. How is it that a person can ask a computer seemingly anything, and they can always receive a response? As Mr. George, a computer science teacher at Glen Ridge High School explains, “Most AI like ChatGPT operates the same way. There’s an algorithm in place that instructs the computer to learn from the data that it receives. It analyzes tons and tons of data from online and makes conclusions that it uses to change its behavior.” For example, to build facial recognition software, the computer is given hundreds of pictures of faces. The computer then analyzes and finds similarities in the pictures to create its definition of what details make up a face. Using its conclusions the computer can teach itself to recognize certain features and find a specific face.

Many teachers and parents have, understandably, become concerned about students using ChatGPT to cheat. Students have used the chatbot to write entire essays, and it doesn’t go undetected. “I have [noticed students using ChatGPT to write essays] and I can usually tell because it doesn’t sound like their voice. While I was reading their work, I started to get used to the way they sounded when they were speaking or writing in a journal, and then all of a sudden, their voice would change in an essay, and I found that strange. More than anything, I found it sad because I’d wished they had come to me to talk about the writing they found challenging,” Ms. Koprucki, an English teacher at Glen Ridge High School, said. The AI service can also be used for purposes other than writing—students can look up math answers without fully understanding the concept. It’s easy to abuse ChatGPT in the classroom, leading many to believe that the program should be banned from schools. Most schools now have a policy that any students using AI to write their essays will receive zeros. Students risk failing, which is yet another reason why it’s crucial to communicate with a teacher when you don’t understand a topic.

Although there are many downsides to the program, ChatGPT is an excellent tool to help gain a better understanding of what’s taught in class. As mentioned before, ChatGPT can serve a similar purpose to looking things up in a textbook. The chatbot can explain and help students further understand topics when the teacher is unavailable. Additionally, ChatGPT is being used to help high school students prepare for college. Students often use the program to search for possible passion projects, extracurriculars they should look into, and more. ChatGPT can be used in day-to-day life situations since the program can guide how to do simple daily chores more efficiently. Another thing to consider is that ChatGPT answers should be taken with a grain of salt. The computer isn’t always right, and a lot of the answers the bot produces are extremely simplified and shortened.

In my opinion, ChatGPT is a useful tool that is abused far too frequently. However, I don’t think it should be banned from classrooms seeing as when implemented correctly, it can be extremely beneficial. Instead, I urge students to stop using it to cheat—the teacher can usually tell, and in the long run, students need to have an understanding of every topic they learn instead of an answer to a specific question.