Imagine in less than 1 minute, AI could write you a 5 paragraph essay on any given topic filled with quotes, analysis, and outstanding word choice that could easily earn any student an A all for free. You don’t have to imagine this once-dreamed-of fantasy anymore. The software, Chat GPT, is capable of writing pages on any given topic. It holds much controversy over its uses and there is much debate over its intended purpose. It can write anything you could possibly imagine in seconds and does it almost perfectly—a dream for students, but a nightmare for teachers.

Although there are some restrictions, Chat GPT still has numerous possibilities. The popular software can answer questions, write stories, make jokes, come up with lesson plans, personalized resumes, and much more. It writes each piece different from the last even if you input the same prompt. This allows multiple students to use Chat GPT and receive different essays indistinguishable from the rest. For this reason, educators are worried about their student’s education as writing an essay would be as simple as putting it in the software. Unlike Google, Chat GPT was trained to understand what humans mean when they ask a question. All the user needs to do is put in a prompt or ask a question, then watch it spit out an elaborate response.

Although it seems amazing, there are still some flaws. Since it pulls information from its online database similar to searching on google, it can include false information. It can even make up false information in order to write more about any given topic. Its information is also outdated since its database was last refreshed in 2020. Therefore, it can only write about topics earlier than 2020 and not current events such as new technology. Another major flaw showed that it can include heavily biased opinions. Chat GPT can produce statements that discriminate against women, marginalized people, and minority groups. This is a common problem faced with most AI in today’s world. It is why we don’t see major companies, such as Google, release software similar to Chat GPT in fear of a tarnished company reputation.

The most controversial topic that most educators are concerned about is their students’ education. Considering you can ask Chat GPT to proofread, rewrite your essay, or write entire essays on works of literature, there is no thinking needed for the student. This makes it extremely easy for students to have a full essay in a matter of minutes. Softwares used by college professors to detect cheating are unable to detect the use of Chat GPT which makes it feared even more. Ensuring you have a good education, especially in the English language, is extremely important in the future which is why academic integrity is essential. There is no stopping the use of this software which is why teachers are beginning to learn how to make it a part of the classroom.