ChatGPT is getting college planning tools

is a senior reporter covering technology, gaming, and more. He joined The Verge in 2019 after nearly two years at Techmeme.

OpenAI is bringing new tools to ChatGPT for Teens, a mode for teens introduced in August with safeguards and break reminders, to help users with the college application process.

“College Planner brings together application requirements, deadlines, tasks, and financial-aid steps for schools on a student’s list in one plan,” OpenAI says. “Students applying to several colleges can return to it to update their progress, use the timeline to plan ahead and see what’s left to do. They can also ask ChatGPT questions along the way, from what a requirement means to how to get started.”

The new College Planner feature will arrive “soon,” according to OpenAI. In the US, ChatGPT will first focus on students in grades 10 through 12 planning to go to a four-year college, the company says.

OpenAI is also updating ChatGPT with new features to help with studying. Users on iOS can now use a continuous, multi-photo capture to upload a bunch of photos at once and then turn them into one PDF. ChatGPT will also be able to make flashcards that can be generated from a user’s notes.

These updates are being announced shortly after Common Sense Media published a report deeming ChatGPT for Teens an “unacceptable risk,” saying that the AI tool “still does kids’ homework” and doesn’t send alerts to parents when it should. In its announcement today, OpenAI claims that “on average,” teens spend “under 15 minutes a day” using ChatGPT.

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