ChatGPT banned by Seattle schools — for now

Joining a growing number of schools and universities across the nation, Seattle Public Schools has banned ChatGPT and six other potential "cheating sites."

Driving the news: The district banned OpenAI's conversational chatbot on its WiFi and on district devices in December, Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Tim Robinson told Axios this week.

• ChatGPT, which can answer complex questions, write poems and produce content instantly, has sparked conversation, reverence and disquiet worldwide, Axios AM reported Tuesday.
• Among those concerned are some educators who fear students will use the technology to do their schoolwork.
• Robinson said the six additional sites that were banned by the district are: rytr.me, articleforge.com, writesonic.com, ai-writer.com, wordai.com and jasper.ai.

What they're saying: "Original thought and original work is required of students, and the concern here is that sites like this can produce content that is not original," Robinson said.

What we're watching: Robinson said the prohibition may not be the final word as there is a growing and evolving conversation in the district and around the country on how to effectively use, rather than ban, the sites.