It [using ChatGPT in schools] reminds me of the time when electronic calculators became widespread in the 1970s and 1980s. Some math teachers worried that students would stop learning how to do basic arithmetic, but others embraced the new technology and focused on the thinking skills behind the arithmetic.
Gates compares the arrival of generative AI in schools with the spread of electronic calculators several decades earlier. In both cases, educators faced concerns that a new tool might allow students to bypass important skills. His comparison suggests that the appropriate response is not necessarily to reject the technology, but to reconsider which abilities students should practise directly and which can be supported by machines.
The quote therefore focuses on adaptation in teaching and learning. Calculators reduced the need to perform every calculation manually, while allowing teachers to place greater emphasis on mathematical reasoning and problem-solving. Gates suggests that tools such as ChatGPT may produce a similar shift, potentially changing how writing, research and analysis are taught. The comparison does not remove concerns about misuse, but it frames them as part of a broader educational challenge: integrating new technologies while preserving the underlying knowledge and thinking skills that students need.