OpenAI adds a College Planner tool to ChatGPT for Teens

In short: OpenAI says ChatGPT for Teens will soon get a College Planner that helps students organize college applications and financial aid deadlines.

What happened

OpenAI announced new tools for ChatGPT for Teens, a version of ChatGPT that the company introduced in August. OpenAI has said this teen mode includes extra safeguards and reminders to take breaks.

The main new feature is called College Planner. OpenAI says it puts a student’s college list into one plan that includes application requirements, deadlines, tasks, and steps for financial aid. Financial aid is money help for school, like grants or scholarships. The idea is similar to having one checklist and calendar for every school, instead of notes scattered across apps and emails.

OpenAI says the College Planner will arrive “soon.” In the US, it will first focus on students in grades 10 through 12 who are planning to apply to a four-year college.

OpenAI also announced studying updates. On iOS, students can take many photos in a row and upload them at once, then turn them into a single PDF (a standard document file that looks the same on most devices). ChatGPT will also be able to create flashcards from a student’s notes.

Why it matters

College applications can involve many separate deadlines and forms, especially when students apply to multiple schools. A tool that combines tasks and dates in one place could make it easier to see what is done and what is still missing.

The update also comes soon after Common Sense Media criticized ChatGPT for Teens as an “unacceptable risk,” including concerns that it can still do students’ homework. OpenAI says that, on average, teens spend under 15 minutes a day using ChatGPT.

Source: The Verge AI