OpenAI is adding a new learning mode for ChatGPT that “helps you work through problems step by step, rather than just getting answers,” according to an OpenAI blog post. It will be available today for ChatGPT Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users, and for ChatGPT Edu users “in the next few weeks.”
When you ask a question in learning mode, ChatGPT can give you interactive hints that combine “Socratic questions, hints, and self-reflection prompts” to help you learn about your question. OpenAI also says that the answers in the learning mode will be organized “into easy-to-read sections that emphasize key connections between topics” and that lessons will be tailored to users based on “questions that assess skill level and memory from previous chats.” The learning mode may also include quizzes.
AI companies are increasingly competing for the attention of college students: in April, OpenAI’s competitor Anthropic introduced its own “Study Mode” feature for Claude. Tools such as Study Mode can encourage students to use ChatGPT to learn instead of just answering. But because users can turn off study mode at their own discretion, they’ll have to motivate themselves to use the feature instead of relying on ChatGPT to spit out the answer or using the AI chatbot to cheat. (OpenAI currently has no tools for parents or administrators to force students to stay in study mode, VP of Education Leah Belsky told TechCrunch.)
OpenAI claims that the learning mode works on the basis of “custom system instructions” that the company wrote together with teachers, researchers, and pedagogical experts. OpenAI chose user manuals because they allow the company to “quickly learn from real student feedback and improve the experience-even if it leads to inconsistent behavior and mistakes in dialogs.” In the future, OpenAI plans to add clearer visualizations, goal setting in dialogs, and “deeper personalization.”
Today, Google also announced new features for some of its AI tools that could be useful for students. AI mode in Search is getting a new Canvas mode that can help you create things like study guides, and the new Video Reviews feature in NotebookLM uses AI to create slideshows with narration.
