Professors Develop AI Tools to Encourage Student Thinking

New AI apps designed to challenge students, not provide answers

Apr. 4, 2026 at 9:27am

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D illustration of a futuristic AI chatbot interface, with neon cyan and magenta lights illuminating the digital infrastructure. The chatbot appears as a disembodied, voice-controlled interface, representing the integration of AI technology into the educational process.An AI-powered chatbot designed by professors to challenge and engage students, rather than simply provide answers.University of Virginia Today

Some professors are using AI tools they've designed to help students think critically and engage more deeply with course material, rather than relying on AI to simply provide answers. These apps, like Caisey at Columbia Business School, are intended to prompt students to debate, consider different perspectives, and refine their arguments before class discussions. Professors say the goal is to return to a more interactive, Socratic style of teaching that was difficult to scale before AI.

Why it matters

As concerns grow about the impact of generative AI like ChatGPT on student learning, some faculty are exploring ways to harness the technology to enhance critical thinking and active engagement. These professor-designed AI tools aim to guide students through the process of grappling with complex problems, rather than allowing them to bypass that cognitive work.

The details

Professors at several universities, including Columbia, Georgia Tech, and Arizona State, have created specialized AI apps and chatbots to help students prepare for class discussions and work through challenging homework problems. Unlike commercial AI assistants that can simply provide answers, these tools are designed to prompt students to articulate their own arguments, consider counterpoints, and refine their thinking before facing questions from professors and peers. The apps provide feedback and guidance, but require students to do the intellectual heavy lifting.

  • In the fall of 2022, Columbia Business School professor Dan Wang noticed many of his students were using ChatGPT to summarize case studies before class.
  • Wang then piloted his own AI app, nicknamed Caisey, in the spring of 2023.
  • Caisey is now used by thousands of students at Columbia and 15 other institutions.

The players

Dan Wang

A professor at Columbia Business School who developed the Caisey AI app to encourage students to debate case studies and consider different perspectives before class.

Alexa Caban

A student in Wang's technology strategy class who has found Caisey to be a helpful tool for preparing for discussions.

Ying Zhang

A professor and senior associate chair in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech, who designed an AI tutor to help students work through challenging homework problems.

Eli Stodghill

A sophomore electrical engineering student at Georgia Tech who has found the faculty-designed AI tutor more helpful than commercial language models when he's stuck on homework.

Jill Cohen

A co-founder of the Caisey AI app and former Columbia Business School student.

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What they’re saying

“A lot of AI tools in education are designed to make things more efficient. Caisey capitalizes on precisely the opposite: the capacity to slow students down, to actually make them focus and to also make them consider very different ways of thinking about questions.”

— Dan Wang, Professor, Columbia Business School

“Just working through something like this, I think keeps you cognitively sharp – it keeps you a more competent human being.”

— Eli Stodghill, Sophomore, Georgia Tech

“I don't ever remember loving homework. What kid says they love homework?”

— Jill Cohen, Co-founder, Caisey AI app

What’s next

Professors at additional universities are expected to adapt the Caisey AI app for their own classes in the coming semesters, expanding its use to more business school students.

The takeaway

By designing AI tools that challenge students to think critically rather than simply provide answers, professors are exploring ways to harness technology to enhance active learning and return to more interactive, discussion-based teaching methods. These efforts aim to address concerns about the potential for AI to enable cognitive off-loading and superficial learning.