Both OpenAI and Anthropic recently made significant announcements directed towards college students, both occurring within a 24-hour timeframe. OpenAI introduced a free version of ChatGPT for students, while Anthropic announced a new chatbot, Claude for Education. This surge of interest from AI companies highlights their aim to tap into the student market, which has vast potential. AI tools have the capability to facilitate education, even though they can sometimes be misused for cheating.

The timing of these announcements is particularly relevant, as many students are currently preparing for their finals and mid-terms. This sets the stage for students looking for resources to enhance their study sessions and achieve better grades. OpenAI’s announcement is noteworthy for students in the U.S. and Canada. The company is temporarily offering its ChatGPT Plus subscription, which usually costs $19.99 per month, for free to students.

This promotion provides access to advanced features and powerful models but is limited to the month of May. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this offer quickly. Instead of using ChatGPT for dishonest purposes, it can serve as an invaluable assistant for research, idea generation, and homework collaboration. Additionally, users will benefit from features like ChatGPT’s Voice mode and image generation.

On the other hand, Anthropic introduced Claude for Education, specifically designed to assist students with a focus on learning rather than simply providing answers. This AI model will guide users through the reasoning process, enabling a deeper understanding of their studies. Anthropic has collaborated with several universities, including Northeastern University and the London School of Economics, to give around 50,000 students access to this educational tool across 13 campuses. This initiative emphasizes the goal of fostering genuine learning among students.