Denver Public Schools weighs limits on ChatGPT

Denver Public Schools is weighing the pros and cons of ChatGPT, Axios Denver has learned.

Driving the news: ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that launched late last year. A growing number of schools and universities across the country are barring the tech outright, with many teachers fearing their students will use the super-smart software to cheat.

• The bot, which can answer complex questions, write poetry and even pass a Wharton Business School exam, has sparked conversation, wonder and worry worldwide since its debut, Axios AM reported last week.
• In response to its soaring popularity, more educators nationwide are overhauling their classes — including requiring more oral exams, group work and handwritten assignments over typed ones, the New York Times reports.

State of play: Administrators at Denver Public Schools are now developing tactics to "tackle" the new technology, district spokesperson Rae Childress told us.

What they're saying: DPS leaders are considering "what protocols we will be putting in place in upcoming semesters to prevent cheating and other misuse of this cutting-edge tech," and "how AI can be used as an effective teaching tool," Childress said.

The other side: Some educators aren't envisioning an educational doomsday, but rather see value in utilizing tools like ChatGPT to enhance learning and critical thinking.

• "I don’t know how to do it well yet, but I want AI chatbots to become like calculators for writing," Kelly Gibson, an English teacher and educator for 25 years, told Wired.

What we're watching: How soon DPS administrators will come to a decision, but a timeline remains unclear.

1 fun thing to go: We tested ChatGPT's knowledge of Denver. Here's how it did.