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OpenAI has introduced a new feature called Study Mode in ChatGPT, designed to enhance critical thinking among students by shifting the AI from simply giving answers to encouraging thoughtful engagement. Launched on Tuesday, Study Mode is now available to all logged-in users on Free, Plus, Pro, and Team plans, with a rollout to ChatGPT Edu subscribers expected soon.
This move places OpenAI alongside rivals like Anthropic, which earlier this year released a similar Learning Mode for its Claude chatbot. But Study Mode stands out by creating a two-way learning experience. Instead of spoon-feeding answers, ChatGPT now asks follow-up questions, provides subtle hints, and encourages users to reason their way to answers. It’s a model designed not to replace learning, but to deepen it.
“Study Mode is our way of helping students think more critically and understand more deeply,” OpenAI shared during the feature’s rollout.
For Zimbabwe, this innovation comes at a critical time. With access to quality learning resources still limited in many parts of the country, tools like ChatGPT — especially when used effectively — can bridge the educational divide. Students in both rural and urban areas can now use Study Mode to simulate a tutor-like experience that prompts active thinking rather than passive learning.
The country’s growing mobile and internet penetration also makes this timely. While Zimbabwe faces infrastructural and economic challenges, mobile data remains a key point of access for many learners. With ChatGPT’s Study Mode being available on all plan levels — including the free tier — it brings meaningful educational support to those who need it most, without cost being a barrier.
Teachers, too, could find value in the tool. By encouraging students to interact with AI in a thoughtful, question-based manner, Study Mode reinforces classroom teaching, helping learners build not just knowledge, but reasoning skills — a vital asset for national development.
As Zimbabwe continues to explore EdTech solutions to modernize its education system, tools like ChatGPT’s Study Mode offer a glimpse of how artificial intelligence can empower learners, foster deeper understanding, and close educational gaps — one question at a time.
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