[COPY] OpenAI and Google Want to Be Your Next Tutor
This Week in Products, ChatGPT was spotted sneakily testing features that turn it into your personal tutor. Is this the start of the AI teacher era??
This week, a few users of ChatGPT reportedly ran into a mysterious new feature called Study Together, which was suddenly made available in the drop-down list of tools in the platform.
While the typical dynamic of OpenAI’s chatbot just focuses on giving answers to your questions in a Q&A format, this feature flips the script by making the user answer follow-up questions instead, along with generating quizzes to test the learner’s knowledge!
Think of it more like a tutor who helps you learn by guiding you through the subject while breaking down concepts for your understanding, rather than just giving you the answers.
While this feature was only spotted by a few users with no official announcement from OpenAI, it’s happening pretty quickly after Google's announcement at the ISTE edtech conference on a series of updates that intend to bring its Gemini AI and other AI-powered tools deeper into the classroom
So what, Khuze? You might ask, This just looks like another tug-of-war between tech giants to capture the markets.
At first glance, yeah, it does look like that, but scratching the surface will reveal how the ground is quietly shifting beneath the classroom, where they are drifting away from fixed curricula toward an environment that is made for you
The big shift
Google searches aren’t the way to learn anymore. Its LLMs
Traditional teaching up until a very recent time mostly sparks an image of a teacher leading a classroom full of students discussing subjects, where teaching had been conserved by government regulations, institutions, schools, and teachers.
And then the internet happened
The Internet disrupted learning in a way that was never imaginable before, and brought with it a learning revolution that went so hard that it allowed anyone to learn anything, serving as a mere medium of free-flowing knowledge, shared across millions of people across the globe.
The gates of knowledge were opened to everyone, barriers of age, gender demography were destroyed, and the way to knowledge became a simple Google search. A revolution in the truest sense of the word
The math class you made you understand what went through Ishaan Avasti from Taare Zameen Par? Or maybe the teacher just did not understand your pace?
You could always turn to the nerdy indian guy on YouTube who taught in ways where learning was no longer causing mental distress, and we thought it could not get any better.
LLMs appeared again, just as internet did and as the Carl Johnson from San Andreas quoted “ Ah sh*t, Here we go again” I believe we are yet again staring at a tech disruption thats about to be so powerful that it would slingshot us into the future where learning would be simply conversing with a bot.
Here are the updates that point towards this future unpacked, where AI comes in to make it less painful for everyone
ChatGPT’s “Study Together” Mode
Learner does the heavy lifting: Instead of passively receiving answers, users are prompted to respond, think, and recall, instead of copy-pasting essays that they never have a second thought about
Personalized pedagogy at scale: ChatGPT adapts the lesson to your current knowledge, breaking topics into bite-sized lessons and pushing you to engage actively
Possibility of group tutoring: Though unconfirmed, the interface hints at future multi‑user study sessions turning ChatGPT into a smart virtual study group
Google’s ISTE Announcements
Quiz yourself on the spot: Students can now generate personalized quizzes and visual aids via Gemini Canvas and Notebook LM, where they no longer have to wait for teachers
Custom AI tutors (“Gems”): Educators can craft and share fine-tuned AI assistants built right from their curriculum, on command, teaching assistants focused on what you need
AI-guided lesson media: Audio summaries, video overviews, interactive diagrams, and collaborative video creation tools (Google Vids) let students engage dynamically with content
Smart progress tracking: Analytics dashboards monitor student engagement and learning targets, allowing real-time support and adaptive teaching
Zooming out
The global education system is also aligning itself with AI.
Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the American Federation of Teachers are launching a $23 million AI training academy for educators. The program will help 400,000 K–12 teachers use tools like ChatGPT in the classroom over five years. The goal is to support responsible AI use while keeping teachers central to learning.
The UAE Cabinet has approved a new curriculum that will make AI a mandatory subject in government schools. This program will be implemented across all educational levels, from kindergarten to Grade 12, starting in the upcoming academic year.
Beijing Municipality is set to integrate AI education into the curricula of all primary and secondary schools in Beijing, beginning this fall semester. The initiative will require a minimum of 8 hours of AI instruction per academic year, as outlined in the "Local Curriculum Guidelines for AI Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in Beijing
OpenAI has partnered with the Indian government to establish an AI Academy in India, aiming to train students, developers, and professionals in advanced AI skills. The program includes workshops, certification courses, and practical labs to build local AI expertise. This initiative supports India’s digital growth strategy and helps develop a domestic talent pool in cutting-edge AI technologies.
But, first…
If teachers are no longer the central pillar of teaching, where is the future heading?
Tell me if this sounds familiar. As a kid, you had a teacher who just wasn’t excited about the subject they taught, and any interest in that subject died before it even saw the daylight.
You grow up, come across the subject again, start exploring it, and suddenly it clicks. You realise it was never the subject that was the problem, but the way the person taught it to you.
The more questions you asked, the more it spiraled into moments you talk to your therapist about with a little more weight than you'd like.
While this may not have been the case with every teacher, personal biases in the teacher-student relationship often draw children away from learning, to dodging personal bullets, dealing with confusion, getting left behind, and having no clue about what’s being taught until it’s too late
AI gets right to the heart of it, doing the one thing teaching was always meant for, helping people understand where learning would be made betterdevoid of human biases, judgments, or emotional baggage.
But it brings us to the question..If a chatbot can teach anything under the sun, personalized to your pace and style better than any human ever could, what purpose does school serve?
The bigger picture
Chatbots will teach the facts, and schools will teach how to be social
As AI steps in to lighten the academic load both for teachers and students alike, how is a teacher’s role being rewritten? This question led me to an article by Khan Academy’s CEO, Sal Khan, where he predicts the implications of AI in classrooms.
He mentions that even if the tech rapidly develops into a highly capable presence in the classroom, he does not believe it could fully take over for human educators.
As AI continues to advance, social skills will become more important than ever, he said, and so will the teachers who help impart them.
"It's honestly the main reason why a lot of parents, including myself, feel the need to send their kids to a physical school with other kids, with a social environment, etc." he said.
So while chatbots may help a child learn French or math better than a teacher could ever manage to, they can’t teach a child to navigate and grow through complex social situations like speaking up for themselves in a messy group project, or comforting a friend who’s on their last straw, or dealing with heartbreaks...you get the point.
With LLMs, the space of education in institutions would no longer be a place to learn facts, but a place to learn to read rooms, deal with conflicts, and manage emotions.
And maybe those were the lessons that had always mattered just as much, and schools were never just about math or grammar. It was also the place where you figured out how to be around others, and that's where LLMs will take us.
📰What’s going around tech?
Threads' Buggy DMs, Substack’s Video Push, and E Ink’s AI-Powered Laptop
Not everyone is thrilled with Threads’ new DMs
Threads has added direct messaging, allowing users to send private texts, voice clips, and images. While the feature enhances private interaction, several users report issues like message delivery failures, sync delays, and bugs. Early reactions highlight growing pains as Threads refines its messaging experience for its community.
Read More→
Substack updates live streaming as part of video content push
Substack has introduced new features to improve its live streaming experience, including better performance, topic drop-downs, and tools for audience interaction. The updates aim to help writers engage more directly with their subscribers. It’s part of Substack’s broader strategy to expand beyond newsletters into richer video formats.
Read More→
E Ink shows off ePaper laptop with touch and Intel AI chips
E Ink has unveiled a concept laptop featuring a full ePaper display with touch and stylus support, powered by Intel's new AI PC chips. The device promises low power consumption and high readability, ideal for focused, distraction-free work. It reflects E Ink’s move toward integrating AI with next-gen productivity hardware.
Read More→
Telangana makes AI education accessible in remote villages
Telangana has launched an initiative to bring AI education to students in remote villages through AI labs, training sessions, and digital courses. The program aims to equip rural students with future-ready skills and reduce the digital divide. It reflects the state’s push to democratize emerging technology across all regions.
Read More→
Fi Money launches protocol to connect finance data with AI assistants
Fi Money has launched a new protocol that lets users securely connect their financial data with AI assistants. This enables AI tools to access insights into spending, budgeting, and savings patterns, allowing them to offer personalized recommendations. The goal is to make financial management more intuitive and AI-driven for everyday users.
Read More→
A video I found insightful
The Wild Life of a Developer Juggling 5 Tech Roles
Soham Parekh, a software engineer from Mumbai, has become something of an internet sensation for a reason that feels wild and unimaginable. he was holding down multiple full-time tech jobs at once, working five roles, mostly at early-stage startups, and in this interview, he finally breaks the silence on what's going on
It started in 2020 with contract work at a voice assistant company, and over time, his financial pressure pushed him to add more. He mentions how it wasn’t about a side hustle empire but something really simple, survival, where he talks about how he has written every line of code himself, without help.
He mentions that while AI tools like Copilot helped later, but most of the work happened before that with the core work being on him and what bluntly stood out was Soham’s love for startups over big tech while it may contradict his view of money being the sole driving factor he says it felt more meaningful to him and is looking at a future where he finds himself focussing on one role.
📬I hope you enjoyed this week's curated stories and resources. Check your inbox again next week, or read previous editions of this newsletter for more insights. To get instant updates, connect with me on LinkedIn.
Cheers!
Khuze Siam
Founder: Siam Computing & ProdWrks