Ask Laura: Why are schools districts banning ChatGPT, and what do parents and students need to know?

A growing number of school districts across the country are banning ChatGPT from school devices.

Posted 2:00 p.m. Feb 15, 2023 — Updated 2:11 p.m. Feb 15, 2023

Laura Tierney

, WRAL contributor

A growing number of school districts across the country are banning ChatGPT from school devices, citing growing concerns that the AI tool is making it easier for students to cheat on homework and other assignments. A representative for Seattle Public Schools said in a recent interview that the district “does not allow cheating and requires original thought and work from students.” Similarly, a spokesperson for The Los Angeles Unified School District said they banned the tool to “protect academic honesty.”

Now, New York City public schools -- the largest school district in the county -- is following suit. Jenna Lyle, the deputy press secretary for New York City public schools, said, “While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success.”

While it’s unclear what Triangle area school districts plan to do about ChatCPT, one thing is certain: the technology is here, and it’s not going away. This gives families and educators alike the opportunity to proactively equip students to use the technology in high-character ways.

But before I dive into the how we need to know the what. What is ChatGPT?

You know when you say “Hey Siri” or “Hey Google,” ask a question, and get an immediate answer? Imagine that x100. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence technology that you can ask an infinite number of questions or prompts. Plus, ChatGPT will answer these questions in a conversational way that makes it seem like you’re talking to an actual person. This is changing the way the world does online research and could mean no more scrolling through online articles or books to try and find the answers or information you’re looking for.

In short -- ChatGPT is reimagining artificial intelligence and online research with its quick, conversational answers.

While it’s an exciting advancement for AI, educators’ fears are not unfounded. Many people are finding new and positive ways to use the platform, while some are finding ways students and educators could be tripping up, such as:

This professor who used ChatGPT to write assignments for her class and found that it fabricated sources and citations.
A user who gave the AI tool an AP English exam question, and the platform responded with a 5 paragraph essay on Wuthering Heights.
A professor from Furman University who shared that it will be harder to prove “when a student misuses ChatGPT than with other forms of cheating.”

In a statement from ChatGPT, the company says that it is planning to work with educators and their students on ways they can benefit from AI. A spokesman for the platform shared, “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.”

New York City public schools ban access to AI tool that could help students cheat

As a social media educator to students across the country, I know that social media and tech are powerful tools that allow us to learn new ideas and connect with the world around us. And like any tool, we can choose to use it in positive ways or negative ways.

Here are some of the positive ways students I’ve spoken with are using ChatGPT:

Generating practice questions to help them study for quizzes or exams
Learning more about topics they are interested in (such as coding or art)
Using it beyond school-related stuff and asking it fun questions for entertainment
Asking for prompts on creative projects like art and writing pieces
Gathering ideas for new ways to hang out with friends or pursue hobbies

At the same time, we’ve seen students get tripped up by:

Having the chatbot write papers or essays for them
Taking the bot’s answers for face value and not looking into other credible sources
Asking the chatbot to answer homework questions and complete school assignments

The bottom line? The revolutionary ChatGPT is a sign of the times. Tech will continue to evolve, and with any new platform, we can huddle with our family to have important conversations about what it means play to our core and stay true to our values, character, and interests when using tech.

Laura Tierney is the Founder and CEO of The Social Institute, which partners with schools to empower students to navigate their social world -- social media and technology — to fuel their health, happiness, and future success. To stay ahead of the latest apps, games, and devices and learn about trending news impacting students, subscribe to The Weekly Huddle and check out our Platform Playbook on ChatGPT for more details about how students are using it.

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