It’s well documented that many students use ChatGPT to do their homework, and now OpenAI wants teachers to use it to write those students’ homework as well. The company hopes to entice K-12 school staff to work with its AI models through the newly announced ChatGPT for Teachers, a version of the AI assistant that is safe enough to use in school environments and is free until June 2027.
OpenAI pitches this new ChatGPT as a way for teachers to create content for the classroom, “and feel comfortable using AI on their own terms.” ChatGPT for Teachers includes unlimited messaging with GPT-5.1 auto, connectors to other apps, file uploads, image creation, and memory features, just like the consumer version of AI.
Where this version differs is in its compliance with the Family Educational Rights Act, which regulates how schools store student information, and how OpenAI is pushing collaboration features. In addition to being able to share chats with colleagues, OpenAI says it will also populate fresh chats with suggestions for ways other teachers are using ChatGPT.
Even before it started targeting teachers specifically, OpenAI took several steps to get more students to use its AI models. The company’s ChatGPT Edu gives institutions a way to provide ChatGPT access in the same way they would an email account. There’s also Study Mode, a feature available in all versions of ChatGPT, which focuses the chatbot’s answers on explaining things step-by-step.
OpenAI isn’t alone in trying to corner the education market – Google has offered aggressive discounts on Gemini for students – but it clearly thinks attracting teachers could help strengthen its position.