ChatGPT Plus is free for Canadian, US students during exam season, Sam Altman announces – Orangeville.com
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned the financial industry of a “significant impending fraud crisis” because of the ability of AI tools to impersonate a person’s voice.
Post-secondary students can claim two free months of the subscription-based chatbot by registering before the end of May.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned the financial industry of a “significant impending fraud crisis” because of the ability of AI tools to impersonate a person’s voice.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Thursday that ChatGPT Plus, the premium version of the popular, generative artificial intelligence chatbot, will be free for Canadian and U.S. post-secondary students who sign up before the end of May.
The news comes as school boards and educators worldwide grapple with the increased use of AI in the classroom. While the technology could bolster learning and innovate teaching practices, teachers and education officials warn students may also abuse the technology to cheat.
“ChatGPT Plus is free for college students in the US and Canada through May!” Altman posted on X Thursday afternoon.
The chatbot’s website has been updated to reflect the offer, noting that eligible students who verify their student credentials between March 31 and May 31 can access two free months of the subscription service.
“ChatGPT Plus is here to help you through finals,” the website boasts, noting the offer applies to full and part-time students at degree-granting schools across the two countries.
Brianna Bower, a spokesperson for OpenAI, told the Star the offer aids in “equalizing access to advanced AI to help with everything from studying for exams to navigating life beyond the classroom.”
The subscription service normally goes for $20 (U.S.) a month. Paying users will receive priority access and faster response times, access to more advanced models and a slew of features including AI video generation, extended limits on file uploads and data analysis and “access to deep research and multiple reasoning models,” the website notes.
A 2024 KPMG survey found as many as 63 per cent of Canadian high school and post-secondary students were using generative AI tools at least a few times a week, with 59 per cent using it for their school work. That’s up from the 52 per cent who admitted the same a year earlier, the report noted.
But while a majority said AI helped improve the quality of their assignments and exam performance, two thirds admitted they were not learning or retaining as much knowledge, according to KPMG.
Meanwhile, a recent OpenAI report noted more than one third of American 18 to 24-year-olds use ChatGPT, with more than a quarter of their messages pertaining to “learning, tutoring and school work.”
The students primarily used AI tools in “starting papers and projects, summarizing texts, exploring topics and brainstorming creative ideas,” according to the company.
The same report noted three quarters of surveyed students wished to use AI in their education and careers.
“Today’s college students face enormous pressure to learn faster, tackle harder problems, and enter a workforce increasingly shaped by AI,” Leah Belsky, VP of Education at OpenAI, said in a statement shared with the Star.
“Supporting their AI literacy means more than demonstrating how these tools work. It requires creating space for students to engage directly, experiment, learn from peers, and ask their own questions. We aim to offer these hands-on opportunities at the moments that matter most in their education.”
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Kevin Jiang is a Toronto-based staff reporter for the Star’s Express Desk. Follow him on X: @crudelykevin.
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