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OpenAI has launched a new feature, ChatGPT Study Mode, designed to promote students' critical thinking rather than passive information consumption. In a blog post published Tuesday, the company said all logged-in users of the Free, Plus, Pro, and Team plans can use it starting today.
The company has confirmed that ChatGPT Edu subscribers will soon receive access. This new feature is part of a broader effort to reshape how AI-powered education functions in modern classrooms.
It transforms ChatGPT from just another question-and-answer machine into an insightful tutor having a vital conversation with the student. Teaching students through back-and-forth dialogue and filling the air with open-ended questions unless the student has truly grasped the topics fosters critical thinking and deep-thinking skills.
OpenAI built this model after research in June 2025 found reduced brain activity in students who used AI tools to write their essays compared to those who conducted the research themselves. Study Mode is a way for ChatGPT to make interactions with students more stimulating and less passive on this platform.
Despite its educational promise, ChatGPT Study Mode remains optional. Students can still toggle back to the default version. This makes the tool's success dependent on their willingness to engage in AI-powered education. OpenAI's VP of Education, Leah Belsky, said, "This is about helping students slow down and learn to think critically, not just get answers fast."
Currently, no parental or school-level controls are in place to enforce usage. However, OpenAI is considering future updates that may give educators more oversight, especially as schools continue exploring the role of artificial intelligence in learning environments.
Study Mode implies further support of OpenAI to forge a stronger symbiosis between AI tools and genuine educational objectives. Previous chatbot iterations often provided students with an answer on the spot, implicitly discouraging learning. This update may facilitate rather than hamper student learning.
Compared with classic approaches or search engines, the ChatGPT Study Mode brings a human-like guiding hand into digital learning. This feature could help the AI model in reshaping itself for students, presenting a more fun and imaginative way of learning.
It is unclear whether students will embrace it in the long run. What is bright, however, is that education through AI is changing, and Study Mode could very well be the push an evolving learner needs.
