The New York Department of Education has banned the use of ChatGPT by students and teachers in New York schools because there are serious concerns that its use hinders learning and leads to misinformation.

The ban was first reported by chalk beat, which confirmed that the New York City Department of Education imposed it. The organization operates the largest school district in the United States, so others could follow with similar decisions.

ChatGPT is a next-generation chatbot optimized for dialogue-based user interactions, released by OpenAI in November 2022. The chatbot has been highly disruptive to multiple disciplines including programming and essay writing.

Another area that AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT are set to revolutionize is internet search, as these tools can provide richer answers to search terms and allow users to find what they are looking for using natural language. .

Microsoft intends to integrate ChatGPT in Bing to give its search engine an edge over competitors like Google Search.

The NYC Department of Education is concerned about the information ChatGPT may pass on to students, particularly the security and accuracy of its responses. Additionally, the organization is concerned that younger students will become complacent and lack the skills to evaluate information.

Jenna Lyle, assistant press secretary at the New York Department of Education, told BleepingComputer:

Due to concerns about negative impacts on student learning and concerns about content security and accuracy, access to ChatGPT is restricted on New York City public school networks and devices.

Although the tool can provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success.

The ban applies to school devices and internet networks, so students and teachers who still want to use ChatGPT despite instructions from the NYC Department of Education can still do so through personal devices and mobile networks. .

The relatively easy circumvention speaks for those who criticize the action as counterproductive, calling on affected organizations to embrace the new technology and help students explore it and learn how to use it to their advantage.

A recent experience by Professor Scott Graham of the University of Texas proves that AI writing can play a beneficial educational role, helping students develop their skills in gender awareness, content review and writing style writing.

Nevertheless, the concerns of the NYC Department of Education regarding the accuracy of information provided by ChatGPT are valid.

Last month, the Q&A Stack Overflow portal ChatGPT forbidden– answers generated on the platform because they are too often inaccurate and misleading.