OpenAI Launches Training Course For Teachers as Classroom AI Grows

• OpenAI has released a new free online course for teachers looking to learn how to use ChatGPT in the classroom.
• AI being implemented in the classroom is on the rise.
• Not everyone believes AI tools like ChatGPT should be used in education.

OpenAI and non-profit partner Common Sense Media have announced the launch of a free AI training course for teachers, as the emerging technology becomes increasingly prevalent in modern day classrooms.

The move comes amid a shift from the ChatGPT-maker to promote the positive role AI can have in education – but not everyone is convinced.

OpenAI Education

OpenAI’s new free training course is aimed at teachers looking to learn how to use ChatGPT in the classroom.

The one-hour course, created with Common Sense Media, acts as a beginner’s guide to the company’s hit generative AI chatbot.

According to the company, the free course has already been deployed in “dozens” of schools and 98% of teachers who took the course said they could apply it to their work.

Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media, said the course takes a proactive approach to “support and educate teachers on the front lines and prepare for this transformation.”

“Schools across the country are grappling with new opportunities and challenges as AI reshapes education,” he said in a statement.

Classroom AI on the Rise

The launch of OpenAI’s training course comes as AI technology is increasingly entering today’s classrooms.

Released in November 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT marked a pivotal moment in the rise of GenAI, triggering widespread interest and transformation across multiple industries.

The chatbot showcased the immense potential of conversational AI at scale for the first time. Unlike prior AI models, ChatGPT was both powerful and user-friendly, making it approachable for individuals and businesses without specialized technical expertise.

GenAI, bolstered by ChatGPT, has transformed healthcare, marketing, advertising, game development, customer service and now is transforming education.

According to the National Literacy Trust, the number of U.K. teachers using GenAI increased  from 31% in 2023 to 47.7% in 2024.

Dr. Robert Harrison, the Director of Education and Integrated Technology at ACS International Schools, said the “next generation needs to understand AI because human-machine interfaces will only become more important.”

The use of AI in schools is not just for the children’s benefit, Harrison noted, teachers can also use it to significantly lighten their workload.

“Once teachers know how to work with the prompts, the ideas suggested by AI become far from generic and, over time, can be tailored to specific student classes and cohorts,” he said.

Educators Against AI

However, not everyone is on board with bringing the emerging technology into the classroom.

Lance Warwick, a lecturer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told TechCrunch  that he feared normalizing ChatGPT’s usage would undermine its privacy issues.

After taking OpenAI’s online course, Warwick claimed its focus on privacy and safety was “very limited.”

At the same time, Professor at Weber State University, Alex Lawrence has called the GenAI application “the greatest cheating tool ever invented”, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

As AI gets smarter, some educators are concerned that AI tools such as ChatGPT could enable students to bypass critical thinking and problem-solving.