Have you heard of the AI chatbot called ChatGPT? Of course, you have! It’s the latest phenomenon to take the internet by storm. It has got many people worrying about what students at school can do with it and how it will make cheating easier and more efficient. Although this could quite likely be the case, I’m under the impression that it will actually revolutionise our education system, and inevitably either streamline our learning or mean that we can learn more in the same amount of time… which are both consequences of faster learning. Let’s put our pessimism aside for one moment and see how a student could use it to help them in school instead.

Ok, let’s say I’ve just learnt about the theory of relativity in your physics class, and I don’t quite understand it as well as I should. Back in my day, I would have left the class confused, and just accept that this is too hard for me. Now let’s bring in ChatGPT to help me out.

I type in ChatGPT the following line: “Explain the theory of relativity”.

ChatGPT: “The theory of relativity is a theory proposed by Albert Einstein in the early 20th century to explain the behaviour of objects in motion, particularly those moving at or near the speed of light. The theory of relativity consists of two parts: the special theory of relativity and the general theory of relativity.

The special theory of relativity, published in 1905, explains the fundamental principles of space and time. It states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers, regardless of their relative motion. This means that the speed of light is constant for all observers, regardless of their relative motion. The special theory of relativity also introduces the concept of time dilation, which means that time passes more slowly for objects that are moving at high speeds.

The general theory of relativity, published in 1915, is an extension of the special theory of relativity and explains the behaviour of objects in the presence of gravity. It states that gravity is not a force between objects, as previously thought, but is instead the result of the curvature of space-time caused by the presence of massive objects. In other words, objects with mass cause a curvature in space-time, and this curvature causes other objects to move towards them.

The theory of relativity has had a significant impact on our understanding of the universe and has led to many new discoveries and developments in physics, such as the development of nuclear energy and the discovery of black holes. It is considered one of the most important scientific theories in history.”

I still don’t really get it because there are a few big words in there that confuse me, so I type in ChatGPT the following: “I don't really understand what you just said. Explain it in words that a 6th grader could understand”

ChatGPT: “Sure, I apologize for the confusion.

The theory of relativity is a big idea that a very smart scientist named Albert Einstein came up with. It basically says that time and space are linked together and that they can change based on how you're moving.

Imagine you're standing still and watching a car drive by. To you, it looks like the car is moving, but to the person inside the car, they're not moving at all. Einstein said that both of these views are correct because time and space are different for each person based on how they're moving.

It's kind of like when you're in a car and you feel like you're going really fast, but to someone outside the car, you're just going regular speed. It all depends on your perspective!

I hope that helps you understand a little better!”

Because this is a chatbot (a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users), I can then ask it to elaborate, and it will do just that… in less than 15 seconds. Next thing you know, I’m down the rabbit hole learning about all kinds of theories.

This is just one example of what it can do, but it runs off over 175 billion parameters so really, the sky is the limit for EVERYONE: This is a game changer for people like me with learning difficulties and executive functioning disorders. For all disadvantaged learners for that matter. For people with different mental and cognitive disabilities. For time-poor parents helping their kids with their homework. For teachers planning their classes. For teachers wanting to create an individualised learning experience for their students. For people designing content like this. For programmers trying to fix problems. For web developers trying to fix websites. For students trying to understand the theory of relativity! The list goes on and on.

Give it a go yourself and see what it can do for you.