Deeps De Silva, a Local Leader in the Southeast Asia community forum for OpenAI. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — OpenAI held a seminar at Yonsei University on Wednesday to introduce its “Study Mode” and discuss responsible ways to use artificial intelligence in education, underscoring its growing engagement with South Korea’s academic community.
The session, co-hosted with the Yonsei University Artificial Intelligence Society at the university’s College of Engineering, featured a presentation on OpenAI’s education strategy and a live demonstration of the beta version of ChatGPT 5.1.
“Our goal is to transform the way the world learns through AI,” said Deeps De Silva, a Local Leader in the Southeast Asia community forum for OpenAI. “Today’s session is part of our effort to support responsible AI use for learning at universities.”
De Silva cited studies showing that consultants who use AI tools complete 12.2 percent more tasks and produce results that are 40 percent higher in quality than those who do not. However, he cautioned students against overreliance on AI, stressing that “AI should be used as an augmenting tool, not as a substitute.”
“Some students might ask AI to write essays or exam answers,” he said, “but real learning happens when you use AI to enhance your thinking, not replace it.”
Generative AI is permeating every corner of daily life. (Yonhap)
Tyler Ryu, a solutions architect at OpenAI, demonstrated ChatGPT’s Study Mode, a feature launched in July 2025 that helps users work through problems step by step instead of providing direct answers. He compared the feature to the Socratic method, which guides learners to arrive at conclusions through questioning.
“Getting instant answers might seem convenient,” Ryu said, “but relying on AI for assignments defeats the purpose of education. If you let ChatGPT do your homework, you’re wasting your tuition.”
The event came amid growing debate in Korean universities over AI-assisted cheating, with recent cases reported at Yonsei, Korea, and Seoul National Universities. A survey conducted by the Yonsei AI Society found that students primarily use ChatGPT for programming help, study assistance, and translation.
OpenAI’s visit also precedes its first-ever DevDay Korea developer conference, to be held Wednesday, where the company aims to strengthen ties with Korean developers. The event will feature global head of solutions architecture Boni Chatterjee and more than 100 participants from Korean tech firms and the AI community.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
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