Why US Schools Are Blocking ChatGPT?

Why US Schools Are Blocking ChatGPT?

Ask the new artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT to write about the cause of the American Civil War and you can watch it produce a school report in just a few seconds.

The technology is so good that it can write sentences like ones written by a human. And it is also free.

The tool has been in use since November. But it is already raising tough questions about the future of AI in education, the tech industry, and a number of professions.

New York City school officials recently started blocking the writing tool on school devices and networks. The decision by the largest school system in the United States could affect how other school systems deal with the technology.

Teachers are now trying to find out how to prevent students using the AI tool for cheating. And the creators of ChatGPT also say they are looking for ways to detect misuse¹.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT launched last November as part of a larger set of technologies developed by the San Francisco-based company OpenAI.

It is part of a new generation of AI systems that can have a discussion and create written work. It can even produce new images and video based on what it has learned from a large database of digital books, online writings and other media.

But unlike previous AI tools known as "large language models," ChatGPT is available for free to anyone on the internet. It is also designed to be more user-friendly. It works like a written conversation between the AI system and the person asking it questions.

Millions of people have played with the tool over the past month. They used it to write poems or songs. Some tried to trick it into making mistakes. Others used it to write email. All of those requests are helping² it to get smarter.

What are the possible issues?

Like similar systems, ChatGPT can produce strong writing. But that does not mean what it says is factual or makes sense.

Its launch came with little guidance for how to use it. But the program will admit when it is wrong. It will also question "incorrect premises⁴" and reject requests meant to bring about offensive answers.

Its popularity has led its creators to try to lower some people's expectations.

Sam Altman is the head of OpenAI. He said on Twitter in December that ChatGPT is very limited, but good enough at some things to make people think it is great. He added that it should not be used for "anything important right now."

Many school systems in the U.S. are still deciding how to set policies on the use of AI programs and how they can be used.

The New York City education department said it is restricting use of ChatGPT because it is worried about negative impacts on student learning, as well as "concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content."

But there is no stopping a student from using ChatGPT from home or on a personal device.

Human or AI?

Jenna Lyle is a spokesperson for New York schools. She said the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions.

But she told The Associated Press: "it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success."

When VOA asked ChatGPT whether the program could be used to write school papers, it said that using it for writing papers is "cheating" and does not help the students.

ChatGPT then provided a very similar answer to Lyle's saying, "using such a tool doesn't build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills which are essential for academic and lifelong success."

The Associated Press asked ChatGPT how to know if something was written by a human or AI.

The program said, "To determine if something was written by a human or AI, you can look for the absence of personal experiences or emotions." It noted⁵ that AI writings could also contain unnecessary words or repeated sentences.

In a human-written statement, OpenAI told the AP that it plans to work with educators as it learns how people are experimenting with ChatGPT in the real world.

"We don't want ChatGPT to be used for misleading purposes in schools or anywhere else, so we're already developing mitigations to help anyone identify text generated by that system," the company said.

Words in This Story

premise³ — n. a statement or idea that is accepted as being true and that is used as the basis of an argument

benefit — n. a good or helpful result or effect

essential — adj. extremely important and necessary

academic — adj. of or relating to schools and education

mislead — v. to cause to believe something that is not true

mitigate⁶ — v. to make less severe, harmful, or painful

1 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

4 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。