Openai introduced a major update to ChatGPT on Tuesday. This is the launch of Study Mode, a new feature designed to help students learn, rather than give answers.
This is the latest indication that education is becoming a new battlefield in the AI war.
ChatGpt has been viewed as a cheating tool in the past as it helps students easily knock out essays and other homework without much work. The learning mode addresses this by intentionally injecting friction into the process. This is the friction that humans need to learn in practice.
The move shows the strategic drive from Openai, placing flagship AI products not only as productivity tools but also educational companions that help businesses attract and retain younger users.
“If ChatGpt is asked to teach or tutor, it can significantly improve academic performance. However, it can be used as a response machine and can interfere with learning.”
Young mindsharing
Openai sees learning modes as part of a broader educational vision.
“For educators, AI can free up time for human education work. For institutions, AI can become a core infrastructure like the Internet, allowing us to restructure teaching, research and operations,” added Belsky. “For students, AI holds the most powerful potential of everything. The ability to serve as an individual tutor never tires of their questions.”
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Gaining the mind share of young audiences is key for large tech companies. Because when these people grow into the workforce, they often embrace the tools they have learned to use in schools, spreading across businesses and the wider society.
Google learned the technique a few years ago when young students became obsessed with free workplace apps, such as Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. These users are now older and have brought this software into a more official working situation. There, businesses often pay for access through Google's workspace services.
Google vs. Openai, Khan is in the mix
Replays of this strategy are beginning to unfold in the Generated AI Arena where Openai, Google and others are competing to redefine digital education through more personalized AI learning experiences.
Last year, pioneering online education provider Khan Academy launched Khanmingo, an AI-powered assistant for teachers and students using Openai technology.
Earlier this year, Google announced Gemini for Education. It provided tools such as custom-built quizzes, AI-generated lesson plans and simulations, and presented along with a video overview. On Tuesday, the company announced a new education feature woven into a new AI mode in Google Search.
Last week, Openai announced a more stringent integration with Canvas, the leading learning app used by thousands of schools and universities in the United States. This week, the startup has started learning mode. All logged in users on ChatGpt Free, Pro, Pro, and Team Plans will begin on Tuesday. It will be rolled out to ChatGpt Edu in the coming weeks.
From the answer to learning
Unlike traditional interactions with ChatGPT, which often provide quick and complete answers, the learning mode actively avoids this and instead guides you along your learning journey to clarify the questions.
In learning mode, if students instruct the chatbot to give answers, the technology responds by reminding them that they are here to learn, then tries to seduce them into the learning flow with another question or suggestion.
The technology incorporates Socrates questioning techniques, personalized feedback, and knowledge checks with the aim of encouraging learners to reflect, fight and engage with the goal of imitating the role of a patient's human tutor.
According to Openai, the feature was built with opinions from teachers, learning scientists and pedagogical experts from around 40 institutions. The instructions in the underlying system were designed to develop curiosity and to help students understand the material rather than remembering the answers.
The current implementation of Study Mode uses custom system instructions rather than deep AI model training. This allows OpenAI to release the first version of Study Mode more quickly, allowing the company to iterate the product based on more student feedback. The startup said it plans to incorporate these behaviors into its core model over time, indicating a deeper integration of pedagogy into AI design.
