Over the past decade, artificial intelligence has found a comfortable place in our lives. Where we used to rely on physical maps for directions, Google Maps now shows us the shortest route to our destination. Just send Alexa a single command to do math calculations, learn random scientific facts, buy things on Amazon, or call your best friend.
An artificial intelligence model called Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3, now informally known as GPT-3, aims to end writer’s block by writing for us. The impact on education, both good and bad, is immeasurable.
We first heard about GPT-3 at the Learning 2025 conference hosted by AASA (The School Superintendents Association) in Washington this summer. In a room filled with superintendents, principals, teachers, and other educational leaders, Bill Daggett, former educator and founder of the International Center for Leadership in Education, delivered the keynote address, GPT- 3 and mentioned the possibility of students using this model. I do my classes and homework. Attendees were filled with both awe and terror. What is this technology, and how will it affect students’ writing skills in the future? Will students become overly dependent on AI to think and write hard? These were just some of the questions in the room. Like an educational reporter looking for an article, I was so intrigued by technology that I asked some of the same questions.
So what is GPT-3?
GPT-3 was created by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence company. According to OpenAI, GPT-3 is a machine learning model that uses internet data to understand and generate natural language text. A model trained with 540 billion words and 175 billion parameters generates text in response to prompts. When you enter a prompt, the model generates complete text that attempts to match the given context, patterns, and directives. For example, typing ‘Write a tagline for a car company’ will return completions such as ‘cars for every budget’ and ‘best way to get around’. “Summarize complex text for 1st graders” will generate summarized text in a language that 1st graders can understand.
But it’s more than just question-and-answer technology. GPT-3 is trained in text generation, completion, summarization, and creative writing.
GPT-3 does more than understand words. It also understands context, sentence structure, and double meanings in multiple languages, and can write text summaries, outlines, essays, reports, and letters of recommendation, all in human-like prose. Beyond just writing, models are trained to create content related to math and science.
“It’s a game changer. It’s not mainstream yet, but it’s expected to come out in the next few years. I don’t think education professionals fully understand the implications of this yet,” said Alistar Moere, chief product officer at MetaMetrics Inc. MetaMetrics Inc. is one of his 300+ companies looking to use his GPT-3 in their products. .
Incorporating GPT-3 into the classroom
One of the most obvious concerns about GPT-3 and such models is that it can adversely affect students’ ability to learn to write independently. After all, it’s the dream of many students to have a computer type her prompts and write an entire essay in human-like text.
Ray McNulty, a former Vermont Education Commissioner and longtime educator, believes educators should be proactive by finding ways to incorporate technology into instruction rather than reacting to advances in AI. I’m here.
“There will be a transition where this becomes second nature [for teachers and students]said McNulty. “How can we be thoughtful and deliberate, and how can we enhance student learning?”
McNulty, who is currently president of the nonprofits Success Practice Networks and the National Dropout Prevention Center, will give an interactive presentation using “Future Wheels,” tools that help predict and explore future possibilities. I was. During a session at the Superintendents Conference, he used this technology to explore the potential of artificial intelligence writing tools in education. Participants brainstormed both negative and positive outcomes that could result from using AI writing tools and began thinking about how technology can be effectively incorporated into teaching and learning.
“What we’re trying to do is let the school district know that something like this is coming and how to anticipate and start preparing. [it]said McNulty.
GPT-3 is not currently used in regular K-12 classrooms, but Moere has some ideas on how to implement it. We encourage teachers to familiarize themselves with technology during class activities, such as comparing GPT-3 stories side-by-side with human-written stories to see if students can spot any differences. , or use his GPT-3 to help students brainstorm ideas and write their own essays. In this way the student is taught to use her AI as a tool rather than an answer.
Companies need to ‘let teachers join the conversation’
GPT-3 is just one of many natural language learning models currently in use in the tech industry for applications for K-12 students. The proliferation of AI raises questions about the future role of teachers. There are also concerns that AI has its own set of biases that could pose potential problems for its use in K-12 education.
Ed-tech company CEO Sydney Montgomery said AI writing tools like GPT-3 can be used effectively in the classroom, but models must be built with input from teachers.
“I think education tech CEOs and companies building tools need to bring teachers into the conversation because they see things we can’t see,” she said. “If we could partner a little more, [educators to use] technology. “
Montgomery is the founder and CEO of Outline, an educational technology company that uses artificial intelligence writing models to enable students to compose entrance exam essays, notes, and legal summaries. Instead of creating an entire essay like GPT-3, the AI model Outline uses creates a detailed outline to jump-start the writing process. Montgomery says AI could be a useful writing tool for his K-12 students who lack the support of a teacher, parent, or parent in the classroom or at home.
“W.AI needs to fill the gaps where students don’t get support. Otherwise students will be left behind. “
How well does technology work?
Free trial now for GPT-3 Open to the public on the OpenAI platform. I wanted to try it myself. I used OpenAI, created a trial account, and typed in some commands.
I first asked the model to “write a 5th grade science class essay on the Webb telescope.” His 7-sentence paragraph at elementary level on the Webb telescope was returned.below the first paragraph to generate more text[送信]again. (This basically tells the technology to keep generating more text about the same task.) But this paragraph was not without flaws. The machine-generated text contained a passage stating that the telescope would launch in his 2018, so it didn’t seem to realize it was well past 2018 (actually (launched in 2021). This suggests the limits of the technology’s capabilities. Generate content based on recent events. The free trial web page provides partial instructions. Here is my prompt and result essay:
Writing an Essay for a 5th Grade Science Class with a Webb Telescope
The Webb telescope is a very powerful telescope. It helps you see things you can’t see with other telescopes. For example, the Webb telescope can help you see very distant stars. It also helps you see very small things like planets. Webb telescopes are also very good at seeing things in the infrared. This means that we can see things that are very cold, like the planets of our solar system. The Webb telescope is scheduled to launch in 2018, which will be a very exciting time for science.
They were then instructed to “write an analytical essay on Romeo and Juliet.” His brief four-paragraph essay on the story was returned. The essay is clear, concise, and reads like it was written by a human (perhaps a student). A complete paragraph was returned with no obvious errors.
Write an analytical essay about Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular love stories of all time. The story is about her two young lovers from different families, the Montagues and the Capulets. The two lovers cannot be together due to family feuds. Romeo and Juliet get married in secret and live happily for a while until Romeo is banished. Juliet is so upset that Romeo has been banished that she commits suicide. Romeo commits suicide after learning of Juliet’s death. The story ends with the two lovers dying and reuniting.
The story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story. The two lovers cannot be together due to family feuds. Romeo is banished and Juliet commits suicide. The story ends with the two lovers dying and reuniting.
The story of Romeo and Juliet has many themes. One of the themes is love. Two lovers are willing to risk everything for love. They willingly defy their parents’ and family feuds in order to stay together. Their love is so strong that it overcomes any obstacles that stand in their way.
Another theme of the story is fate. Romeo and Juliet seem doomed from the start. Their love is forbidden, family is their enemy. Everything seems to work against them. But their love is so strong that they are willing to risk everything for each other. After all, their love is stronger than the forces that oppose them.
Experts say the technology allows them to write well-thought-out essays, but the free trial didn’t allow me to create more complex and lengthy texts. We have limited the use of technology to a maximum of 4,000 words.
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