OpenAI education head to students: If you use AI as an answer machine, you are not …
OpenAI‘s vice president of Education, Leah Belsky, has urged students and institutions to change the way how they view artificial intelligence (AI). Rather than banning the technology, Belsky argues that students must learn to use AI as a powerful tool to enhance critical thinking and creativity, not simply as an “answer machine.”Belsky, who has led OpenAI’s education team since 2024, said on a company podcast (via Business Insider) that modern workers who use AI are “incredibly more productive.” She stressed that learning to use this technology is a core competency for any graduate entering the job market today. “Any graduate who leaves institution today needs to know how to use AI in their daily life. And that will come in both where they’re applying for jobs as well as when they start their new job,” she said.
OpenAI executive says students should have new approach to learning
Belsky believes that AI should be viewed in the same way as a calculator—a tool whose value depends entirely on how it’s used. “AI is ultimately a tool. What matters most in an education space is how that tool is used. If students use AI as an answer machine, they are not going to learn. And so part of our journey here is to help students and educators use AI in ways that will expand critical thinking and expand creativity,” she said.This week, the company launched “Study Mode” in ChatGPT, a new feature designed to guide students with probing questions and tailored responses that help them build a deeper understanding of a topic. This Socratic method, developed in collaboration with educators and experts, encourages active learning over passive information consumption. The feature is available to all users and works across all platforms, including mobile, desktop, and web, making high-quality learning support widely available, particularly for students in India where it was extensively beta-tested.
