It’s super easy to get kids hooked on illicit substances. Just make it free a time or two. Now imagine if teachers were users too. That’s more or less what OpenAI’s ChatGPT is arranging by creating a free (for now) version of its service specifically for educators.
The good news is that ChatGPT for Teachers is currently limited to verified teachers in the US, although we expect it to expand to other markets — likely India first — soon.
Learning something about ChatGPT
What does the new educator-targeting AI service provide? According to OpenAI, they’ll get “a secure workspace to adapt materials for their classrooms, get more out of prep time, collaborate with peers, and get comfortable using AI on their own terms.” It’s being sold as a time-saving function, allowing teachers to spend more time with students. Surely that’s a laudable aim? Sure, if that’s how it works out, but that’s not why OpenAI is doing this. It’s all about building that customer base, baby.
Still, qualifying teachers will, until the end of June 2027, have access to unlimited messages to GPT 5.1 Auto, as well as search, upload, and image generation functions. That won’t harm the quality of education at all, right? OpenAI says that ChatGPT will “remember details like your grade level, curriculum, and preferred format so responses feel tailored to your teaching style and classroom.” If it forgets anything or mucks anything up, there’s always the disclaimer to fall back on.
If you’re concerned that the technology that gave the world AI slop is being repurposed to educate children, you’re probably a filthy little artificial intelligence naysayer. It’s not like Google’s CEO recently warned that an AI bubble bursting would leave almost no company unscathed. Now’s the perfect time to lobby for making AI the foundation of the modern education system, right? Right?
