Prof Pi: Using Whatsapp Bots and GPT-4 for Tutoring Mathematics in Underserved Areas

Mathematics education is often a prerequisite for studying certain subjects further at tertiary institutions. Mathematics education is a type of gate keeper for further education. In underserved areas, pupils often need more help with mathematics than it is possible to provide. This could be due to financial reasons (lack of budget in the education system), geographical reasons (pupils living in extremely rural areas), or temporary health restrictions (as seen during the COVID lockdowns when schools were closed in many countries). Prior research by the authors showed that Prof Pi, a Whatsapp Bot linked to OpenAI’s GPT-4 large language model, could tutor mathematics at university level in the Arabic language. While that prior educational research was being conducted, violent unrest rocked the area where the university was located and many people started to leave the area. Sad as this was, it provided an opportunity for the researchers to observe Prof Pi operating in an underserved area.