OpenAI launched ChatGPT November 2022, and students everywhere discovered a temptation difficult to resist: a tool that quickly, comprehensively, and convincingly does their homework.
Nearly three years later, schools are still wrestling with big questions: How should students, educators, parents, administrators, and districts manage the fact that artificial intelligence in education is here to stay? What constitutes cheating in the age of AI? How are teachers using AI to improve student outcomes? How do students feel about AI, whether they—or their peers—are using it to complete assignments?
The Homework Machine explores these questions through the stories of teachers and students. We hear from teachers noticing surprisingly polished sentences and advanced grammar in student writing, and suspecting the students got help. We hear from students who hit a wall, turning to ChatGPT when they feel they’re not learning. And we hear from school leaders grappling with the question of how to prepare their students for a future with more artificial intelligence.
The Homework Machine is a production of MIT's Teaching Systems Lab, and a mini-series within the Teachlab podcast.