How We’re Harnessing GPT-4o in Our Courses

Earlier this summer, OpenAI released its latest AI model, GPT-4o. Now you can start using this powerful model right in our interactive learning environment as you work on a course, path, or project. 

Our AI Learning Assistant harnesses OpenAI’s GPT-4o to give you instant, personalized coding guidance. In courses, projects, and articles, you can highlight the code you’re working on, click “Explain code,” and see a GPT-4o-generated explanation of the selected code. Then, using the AI Learning Assistant, you can ask followup questions, request explanations, or check your code for errors.  

When we first launched the AI Learning Assistant, it used the large language model GPT-4 Turbo. Now that this feature is upgraded to GPT-4o, the AI Learning Assistant is better equipped to help you learn tech skills and concepts faster. In OpenAI’s model evaluations, GPT-4o was even better than GPT-4 Turbo (OpenAI’s previous high-intelligence model) at extracting reasoning from text. GPT-4o can also generate text two times faster than GPT-4 Turbo, so it’s more efficient, and it has more advanced coding knowledge.   

Want to discover more ways to take advantage of GPT-4o during your learning journey? Read on and be sure to check out all of our new AI-powered platform tools and mobile upgrades.  

How to use GPT-4o while you learn 

Before we added the AI Learning Assistant to our platform, you used to have to open a new window and prompt ChatGPT with background information about what you’re working on every time you had a question. Constant context switching can get tedious and distract you from the lesson or project you’re focusing on.  

Now you can start a conversation right in the middle of an exercise. Since the AI Learning Assistant is highly contextual, it bases its response on your position in an exercise and the code you’ve written. For instance, instead of having to write a long-winded prompt like, “I’m working on a beginner Python 3 course and I am creating boolean expressions, here is the code I’m writing, help me understand it,” you can just highlight the code in question and click “Explain code.”  

Use GPT-4o to get personalized explanations of the code you write in our courses and paths.

We like to think of the AI Learning Assistant as a more experienced and knowledgeable dev that you can instantly turn to resolve doubts and explore complex concepts. For example, when you’re learning a new programming language, AI can help you understand syntax, debug code, and even suggest improvements in real-time. While it might seem like this is cutting corners, it actually facilitates a deeper and more practical understanding of coding concepts.  

Not to mention, incorporating AI into your workflow is a standard part of being a productive and capable developer today. If you can familiarize yourself with industry-standard AI tools like GPT-4o while you’re learning, you’ll be even more prepared to enter a professional environment where these tools are the norm. In professional settings, developers often use AI to streamline tasks like code completion, automated testing, and data analysis.  

“This is another realistic way of learning,” says Chirag Makkar, Senior Software Engineer at Codecademy who worked on the AI Learning Assistant. “It’s not really about how deep you can get into a particular technology or a language, it’s actually about how quickly you can build projects, learn things, and move ahead.”   

More ways to leverage AI in your learning journey 

At Codecademy, we’re always looking for ways to weave the latest technological advancements into our learning environment. OpenAI’s product demos last week gave us a taste of what’s possible with this new model, so keep an eye out for more announcements about how we’re leveraging GPT-4o’s full capabilities.  

In the meantime, grow your AI skills and start learning the basics of the technology behind these tools. Our free courses Intro to OpenAI API, Learn How to Use AI for Coding, and Learn How to Use AI for Data Analysis will help you get comfortable using GPT tech in your daily coding work. And if you want to advance your AI knowledge and work towards a career in this rewarding area, the career path Machine Learning/AI Engineer teaches you all of the skills plus enables you to work on projects that you can put in your professional portfolio.   

This post was originally published on May 30 and has been updated to include that the AI Learning Assistant is available in all major content types and uses GPT-4o.