Offering ChatGPT for free to teachers is not a goodwill move aimed at education alone. It is a structural attempt to shape how AI enters classrooms, how teachers retain authority over its use, and how schools avoid fragmented, unsupervised adoption. The decision reflects constraints around trust, misuse, training load, and institutional inertia rather than a simple push for scale.
OpenAI has introduced GPT 5.1 as an updated default model family in ChatGPT, combining GPT 5.1 Instant and GPT 5.1 Thinking and using adaptive reasoning to select response depth. The rollout starts with paid tiers and expands to other users, while new personality controls allow tone changes during an active conversation.


