ChatGPT via WeChat Used by Chinese Students in School, Learn English—Should it be Normalized?

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 12 March 2023, 09:03 pm

ChatGPT is now a massive tool that many people use in their everyday lives, not only for getting ahead of the competition or "cheating" by getting instant answers but also to learn and help with school. Chinese students and educators also use ChatGPT for their needs but are done through WeChat to bypass the famous "Great Firewall" in China.

With the AI chatbot's significance in the industry now, there are fears that people would heavily rely on the tech for shortcuts, but not all are exactly using it for using it to their advantage.

ChatGPT via WeChat Growing in China to Learn More in School

(Photo : Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash)

AFP's latest report centers on the growing use of ChatGPT in China, a country where the internet is highly restricted and Western or American apps are not permitted among its users. It introduced different students who use ChatGPT in helping them in their respective schools, lessons, and tasks, but not exactly in using it for devious schemes.

ChatGPT access is available via WeChat, a known and available instant messaging app in the country. However, since it is not exactly open for use in China because of the "Great Firewall," these users resort to paying for the service, with a price of one yuan ($0.15) per query and response.

According to Interesting Engineering, there are many applications for ChatGPT in China, including its significant help in translating English words and learning more about the language, as well as summarizing lessons for their needs.

Educators Also Use ChatGPT to Create Lesson Plans

Chinese educators and professors also claimed that they use ChatGPT to help create lesson plans and study materials for their schools. With this, they also believe that ChatGPT should not be restricted among students who also utilize the tech for their further information and learning.

ChatGPT in Education, Should It be Accepted?

ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI, has become increasingly popular among users worldwide for its exceptional language processing abilities and user-friendly interface. However, as more and more people adopt digital communication platforms, there are growing concerns over data privacy and security.

One of the applications of ChatGPT is for education, but not all are using the chatbot in honest ways, as people use it as a shortcut to cheat on written assignments.

Some countries ban the use of the AI in their country, and one of the countries which did this was China, particularly on its uncensored usage.

OpenAI gave the world a significant AI tool which is now one of the top-used systems in the world, one which gave people more fondness for the technology, thus elevating the entire industry. As more people, particularly students, use the AI tool for helping them in their tasks in school but not exactly for cheating, the question remains if shout it be accepted by the academe.