OpenAI’s ChatGPT is wreaking havoc in education + pushing teachers to alter their methods and curricula: Professors and teachers across different levels of education are revisiting their approach to coursework to circumvent students’ potential reliance on new artificial intelligence tools, the New York Times reports. The shift is largely triggered by last year’s release of ChatGPT — an AI tool that uses language generation software to formulate a coherent stream of thought using information available online and produce an essay, lecture, or other forms of writing. In some universities in the US, “professors are phasing out take-home, open-book assignments — which have become a dominant method of assessment in the pandemic but now seem vulnerable to chatbots,” the Gray Lady writes. At the K-12 levels, many teachers and administrators are trying to impose strict controls on the use of the AI tool, including blocking access on their Wi-Fi networks.

Outright bans on the tool seem both unlikely and infeasible: Many educators are starting to accept that ChatGPT is just another technological advancement that they have to grapple with and adjust to, with the expectation that there will be more new tools and technologies in the future that will require accommodation. One university professor speaking to the New York Times, for example, said he is looking to integrate the new AI tool into their lesson plans as a means of furthering in-class discussions.

Meanwhile, OpenAI’s tools are also making changes in the business world: Microsoft — which has already invested some USD 1 bn in OpenAI and is reportedly considering pouring another USD 10 bn into the startup — is integrating some of OpenAI’s technologies into Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI, which is geared towards developers and data scientists, Reuters reports. ChatGPT specifically is “coming soon” to Azure OpenAI, Microsoft CEO and Chairman Sayta Nadella tweeted. The tool has the potential to disrupt the customer service market by enabling the automation of conversations with customers. This automation could reduce costs by freeing up customer service agents to focus on more complex tasks, while also increasing customer satisfaction, Microsoft has suggested.

We’re already starting to see some of these changes take shape in different industries: Microsoft has already announced it expects to roll out the incorporation of ChatGPT in its search engine, Bing, before the end of March, sparking concerns at Google that the AI tool could upend the competitive playing field, Business Insider reports. Closer to home, a senior official at Al Jazeera reportedly said the news organization is looking into using Azure OpenAI to “summarize and translate content,” according to Reuters.

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The Great Resignation is still in full swing: Concerns of an impending recession have done little to slow down a surge in resignations in some geographies, with LinkedIn’s consumer research showing that employees are more confident in their ability to switch careers, CNBC reported. Around 63% of employees in India and 43% in Australia and Singapore indicated they are “more confident” in their search for a new job in 2023 than last year, according to the research, which surveyed over 4k employees across the three countries. They show “more resilience” despite mounting recession concerns. Employees are increasingly looking to leave their jobs due to surging inflation — pushing them to seek positions with a higher paycheck — as well as the pursuit of better work-life balance, with over 30% of those surveyed saying this would be a priority area for them this year. More employees also want to quit their jobs due to a lack of career growth.