OpenAI launches ChatGPT for Teens, partners with CodeAI on AI literacy

OpenAI and CodeAI announced a partnership to give students and educators access to tools and resources for learning how to use and understand AI. The announcement coincides with the launch of ChatGPT for Teens, a dedicated experience built around learning that includes protections such as features to promote healthy use and additional controls for parents. OpenAI frames the partnership as addressing a gap between adoption and understanding: only 16% of high school leaders say all of their students are learning the technical knowledge to understand AI in the classroom, while a CodeAI survey found that 75% of high school students say understanding AI will be more important for their futures than it is now.
Dr. Allison Mishkin, OpenAI's Head of Child Development, said the goal is not simply to get more students using AI but to help them ask better questions, think critically about the answers they get, and use the tools responsibly. Karim Meghji, CEO of CodeAI, said every student should know how AI actually works and be able to question it, catch its mistakes, and know when to stop trusting it.
Over the next year, the two organizations plan five programs. They will form a joint advisory council of experts in child development, youth public policy, and learning science to guide the future development of ChatGPT for Teens. Through the Hour of AI, they aim to introduce millions of students to using AI thoughtfully and responsibly. A first-ever Builders Challenge will let high school students build with AI, get mentorship from OpenAI staff, and present their work on a national stage alongside supporting teachers. OpenAI's safety and responsible-use experts will also advise CodeAI as it develops AI Foundations, CodeAI's free, year-long high school course. Finally, a Career Journeys program will have OpenAI researchers, engineers, and leaders talk to students about working with AI, aimed at helping students see themselves as future builders.
The announcement also references OpenAI's existing ChatGPT for Teachers program and its ongoing work with the American Federation of Teachers on AI skills. The source text gives no launch date, age range, or geographic availability for ChatGPT for Teens or the partnership, no sample size or methodology for the two survey figures, and no financial terms for the partnership beyond the one-year program horizon.
Key facts
- OpenAI and CodeAI announced a year-long partnership to help students and educators learn to use and understand AI, coinciding with the launch of ChatGPT for Teens.
- Only 16% of high school leaders say all of their students are learning the technical knowledge to understand AI in the classroom.
- A CodeAI survey found 75% of high school students say understanding AI will be more important for their futures than it is now.
- ChatGPT for Teens includes built-in protections such as features to promote healthy use and additional controls for parents.
- The partnership includes five programs: a joint advisory council, the Hour of AI, a first-ever Builders Challenge, support for CodeAI's AI Foundations course, and a Career Journeys speaker program.
Why it matters
OpenAI frames the partnership around a gap between use and understanding: most students already use AI, but only 16% of high school leaders say all of their students are learning the technical knowledge to understand it in class, and 75% of students in a CodeAI survey say understanding AI will matter more for their futures than it does now. The partnership pairs a new consumer product, ChatGPT for Teens, with an education program aimed at closing that gap rather than just expanding access.
Who it affects
High school students and their teachers are the direct audience, through CodeAI's AI Foundations course, the Hour of AI sessions, and the Builders Challenge. Parents get additional controls inside ChatGPT for Teens. OpenAI and CodeAI staff, plus outside experts in child development, youth public policy, and learning science, take part through the planned joint advisory council. The announcement also ties in OpenAI's existing ChatGPT for Teachers program and its work with the American Federation of Teachers.
How to use it
ChatGPT for Teens is described as a dedicated experience built around learning, with protections including features to promote healthy use and additional controls for parents. CodeAI's AI Foundations course, which OpenAI's safety and responsible-use experts will advise on, is free and runs a full high school year. The Hour of AI and the Builders Challenge are the entry points for students who want to try building with AI and get mentorship from OpenAI staff; Career Journeys is aimed at students exploring AI-related careers. No pricing, age range, or region availability is given for ChatGPT for Teens.
How solid is it
This is a joint announcement published on OpenAI's own site, carrying on-the-record quotes from Dr. Allison Mishkin, OpenAI's Head of Child Development, and Karim Meghji, CEO of CodeAI. The two headline statistics, the 16% figure on high school leaders and the 75% figure from a CodeAI student survey, are cited without sample size or methodology, so they should be read as the organizations' own reported numbers rather than independently verified data.
Risks and caveats
The source gives no launch date for ChatGPT for Teens or the partnership, no age range or geographic availability, and no financial terms or funding amount for the partnership beyond the programs running "over the next year." No members of the planned joint advisory council are named, and no timeline is given for when it will be formed or hold its first meeting. As a vendor announcement about a company's own child-safety product, it should be read alongside independent reporting on how the protections and advisory council function in practice.
“Every student should know how AI actually works and be able to question the technology, catch its mistakes, and know when to stop trusting it. Give them that foundation, and AI becomes less a force shaping their future and instead something they can question, shape, and create on their own.”
— Karim Meghji, CEO of CodeAI