Why some Canadian teachers and professors are inviting ChatGPT into the classroom

Some teachers and professors across Canada are inviting ChatGPT into the classroom, amid debate about ethics, plagiarism and other potential pitfalls.

In December, Brendan Benson started noticing his Grade 12 students were handing in essays that looked the same.

"I had voices that resembled one another," said Benson, who teaches English at Pickering College in Newmarket, Ont.

He knew his students often relied on apps like Grammarly or AutoCorrect. But this was different.

"I started to wonder about students' writing process," he said. It wasn't long before he figured out the answer was ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, often used as a search engine alternative.

It can respond to prompts by composing jokes, songs, poetry and long, complex responses -- including essays.

But instead of scolding his students and banishing the technology, Benson let them explain how they were using it, and last month came up with a plan for how to assess assignments done with the chatbot's help.

He's among teachers and professors across Canada who are inviting ChatGPT into the classroom, amid debate about ethics, plagiarism and other potential pitfalls.