Since its release by OpenAI in late 2022, ChatGPT has significantly impacted educational settings, altering the way writing assignments are handled. Educators scrambled to identify AI-written essays, while students looked for methods to disguise their AI-generated work. Amidst this, a less noticed but equally significant change has occurred—students are increasingly turning to AI for help with their math homework.
Currently, both high school and college students are exploring various free smartphone apps that utilize generative AI to assist with their math assignments. One popular tool among these students is the Gauth app, which boasts millions of downloads and is owned by ByteDance, also known for owning TikTok.
Launched in 2019, Gauth initially focused on math but soon branched into subjects like chemistry and physics. It has become highly relevant, reaching the top of the download charts in the education sector earlier this year. With an abundance of positive reviews, the app enjoys a high rating of 4.8 stars in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Users simply need to download the Gauth app, point their smartphone at a math problem—whether it’s printed or handwritten—ensuring all relevant information is within the camera’s view. The app’s AI then provides a detailed step-by-step solution guide, often including the correct answer.
From our testing on high-school-level algebra and geometry homework samples, Gauth’s AI tool didn’t deliver A+ results and particularly struggled with some graphing questions. It performed well enough to get around a low B grade or a high C average on the homework we fed it. Not perfect, but also likely good enough to satisfy bored students who’d rather spend their time after school doing literally anything else.
The app struggled more on higher levels of math, like Calculus 2 problems, so students further along in their educational journey may find less utility in this current generation of AI homework-solving apps.
Yes, generative AI tools, with a foundation in natural language processing, are known for failing to generate accurate answers when presented with complex math equations. But researchers are focused on improving AI’s abilities in this sector, and an entry-level high school math class is likely well within the reach of current AI homework apps. Will has even written about how researchers at Google DeepMind are ecstatic about recent results from testing a math-focused large language model, called AlphaProof, on problems shown at this year’s International Math Olympiad.
To be fair, Gauth positions itself as an AI study company that’s there to “ace your homework” and help with difficult problems, rather than a cheating aid. The company even goes so far as to include an “Honor Code” on its website dictating proper usage. “Resist the temptation to use Gauth in ways that go against your values or school’s expectations,” reads the company’s website. So basically, Gauth implicitly acknowledges impulsive teenagers may use the app for much more than the occasional stumper, and wants them to pinkie promise that they’ll behave.
Prior to publication, a spokesperson for ByteDance did not answer a list of questions about the Gauth app when contacted by WIRED over email.
It’s easy to focus on Gauth’s limitations, but millions of students now have a free app in their pocket that can walk them through various math problems in seconds, with decent accuracy. This concept would be almost inconceivable to students from even a few years ago.
You could argue that Gauth promotes accessibility for students who don’t have access to quality education or who process information at a slower pace than their teacher’s curriculum. It’s a perspective shared by proponents of using AI tools, like ChatGPT, in the classroom. As long as the students all make it to the same destination, who cares what path they took on the journey? And isn’t this just the next evolution in our available math tools? We moved on from the abacus to the graphing calculator, so why not envision generative AI as another critical step forward?
I see value in teachers thoughtfully employing AI in the classroom for specific lessons or to provide students with more personalized practice questions. But I can’t get out of my head how this app, if students overly rely on it, could hollow out future generations’ critical thinking skills—often gleaned from powering through frustrating math classes and tough homework assignments. (I totally get it, though, as an English major.)
Educational leaders are missing the holistic picture if they focus solely on AI-generated essays as the primary threat to the current educational methods. Rather than assigning demanding homework, emphasizing in-class math practices could preserve effective learning in the age of AI.
If tools like Gauth and similar applications eventually eliminate math homework for high school students, numerous students will undoubtedly celebrate. However, the reactions from parents and educators are uncertain. This remains an unanswered question, beyond the computational reach of Gauth for now.
