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ChatGPT in Education: Benefits, Risks, and Best Practices
- Eduettu
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Few technologies have entered the classroom as swiftly—or as controversially—as ChatGPT. Its ability to generate essays, answer questions, simplify texts, and brainstorm ideas has left educators divided. Some see a revolutionary tool for equity and engagement. Others see a threat to academic integrity, deep thinking, and human connection.
But the right question is not whether ChatGPT belongs in education. It’s how we use it responsibly.
What ChatGPT Offers: Practical Benefits for Schools:
1. Personalised learning support
ChatGPT can act as an always-available tutor—helping students rephrase complex ideas, generate examples, or get unstuck when a teacher isn’t around. A Harvard AI Teaching Resource encourages faculty to use ChatGPT for “low-stakes engagement” and scaffolding rather than shortcuts. Similarly, TIME reports on schools that have seen writing quality improve when students used ChatGPT as a revision tool.
2. Teacher productivity
Lesson planning, differentiation, even comment writing—ChatGPT lightens the load. In our post on Using AI to Boost Your Learning: Tools and Tips, we found that teachers using generative AI saved up to five hours a week on routine tasks. Used well, this time gets reinvested into high-impact teaching.
3. Language access and inclusion
Students with learning needs, EAL backgrounds, or limited digital access can benefit from ChatGPT’s ability to rephrase, translate, or simplify. While not a replacement for professional support, it can act as a bridge to engagement.
4. Opportunities for AI literacy
Rather than banning AI tools, educators can use ChatGPT to teach digital literacy. Asking students to critique AI-generated responses, spot hallucinations, or rewrite biased outputs builds critical thinking and media awareness.
What’s at Risk: Real Concerns for Educators
1. Academic integrity and plagiarism
AI makes cheating faster and harder to detect. The International Journal for Educational Integrity reported a major rise in AI-assisted academic misconduct in 2023, including concerns about inequitable access to detection tools.
2. Hallucinations and bias
ChatGPT doesn’t know the truth. It predicts likely responses based on training data—meaning its outputs can be biased, false, or misleading. Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute cautions that AI hallucinations aren’t a bug—they’re an inherent limitation.
3. Data privacy concerns
Students may unknowingly share personal data with AI platforms. Schools must consider GDPR and COPPA compliance, especially in systems where data is logged or used for further training.
4. Over-reliance and skill atrophy
Used carelessly, AI tools can dull the very skills we aim to build—critical thinking, reflection, sustained writing. If ChatGPT becomes a crutch rather than a companion, students lose more than they gain.
What Works: Best Practices for Responsible Use
A growing body of research, including UNESCO’s Guidance on Generative AI, encourages thoughtful adoption—not avoidance. Here's how to move forward wisely:
1. Be transparent and intentional
Explain what ChatGPT is, where it helps, and where it doesn’t. Frame it as a co-pilot, not a driver. Include AI in your school’s digital citizenship framework.
2. Use AI to spark thought, not replace it
Instead of asking students to “write with AI,” try:
Generate an outline, then write independently
Critique and improve an AI-generated essay
Compare human and AI explanations of a topic
3. Develop AI literacy in the curriculum
As we have previously explored on Eduettu, students now need to understand how generative AI works, where it gets things wrong, and how to challenge its assumptions.
4. Set clear boundaries and safeguards
Adopt school-wide AI policies that align with equity, assessment, and safeguarding goals. Model your approach after institutions already testing policies—such as Harvard’s AI Sandbox or UNESCO’s ethical frameworks.
5. Invest in teacher training
Professional development is essential. Eduettu is currently developing a whitepaper titled Responsible AI in Education for school leaders and classroom teachers. Contact us to receive early access when it launches.
What to Avoid:
Replacing learning with automation
Expecting AI to be error-free
Assuming all students have equal access
Using AI to accelerate old assessment models instead of rethinking them
As schools enter the AI age, the challenge is not simply to control new tools—it’s to guide them. ChatGPT can be a spark for learning or a shortcut to nowhere. The difference lies in the hands of the educator.
If your students are using ChatGPT, are they becoming better thinkers or just faster content producers? Let us know in the comments below.
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