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New York City Public Schools have blocked access to ChatGPT. And will not allow the open-source artificial intelligence system anywhere on its network or devices. NYC is the largest school district in the United States.

ChatGPT had its free beta launch on November 30. And it went viral and accumulated a record-breaking 1 million users in 5 days.

The district-wide ban on the open-source AI app was made due to educators' fears that students will use ChatGPT to cheat on assignments. And might accidentally introduce inaccuracies into their work. 

Access to ChatGPT 

OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot is in test mode. The large language model is currently available for free on any web browser during its testing period.

It can write essays, poems, and technical documents. It can create code, virtual files, or even play games.

Open-source programming can often be confused for a human being. 

NYC education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle said in Chalkbeat that, "Due to concerns about negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content, access to ChatGPT is restricted on New York City Public Schools’ networks and devices.”

“While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success,” she added.

Concerns about the foundational technology GPT-3 were brought up in September before ChatGPT was introduced. A user on the OpenAI subreddit alleged they used it to write essays and get answers for school projects. The NYC school district became concerned that it would be a form of cheating where students let AI do their work.

Machine Learning basics

An inaccuracy can occur when the data that is loaded into the program is questionable. Machine learning depends on what it is taught. Machine learning can have glitches. And it can be very convincing in a conversational form.

ChatGPT is a neural network trained on a lot of data. Millions of books, websites, and other knowledge bases train AI. 

The model's understanding of the usual text constructions aids in predicting the most likely output. It pulls the most frequent statistical associations between words where the AI trained.

Access to ChatGPT will be blocked on NYC public schools' computer networks. And it is still uncertain whether or not the feared negative impacts on education will occur. 

Chalkbeat recently reported that individual schools can apply for access to study technology.