<p>Inquiry-based learning is a widely adopted and effective teaching approach that fosters students’ deep understanding and knowledge construction. However, insufficient curiosity and self-efficacy often hinder some students from fully engaging in inquiry activities. To address this, this study developed the Automated Inquiry Prompt System (AIPS), integrating ChatGPT and image recognition technology. AIPS is designed to automatically monitor students’ behavioral performance and provide contextually appropriate prompts to support their inquiry processes. By leveraging the generative capabilities of ChatGPT, AIPS generates precise and adaptive prompts that cater to various course topics, thus overcoming the constraints of traditional classroom designs. The system provides constructive and collaborative prompts to help students establish foundational inquiry skills, complete tasks, or engage in peer discussions. Additionally, creative and critical prompts stimulate multi-dimensional thinking through thought-provoking questions or challenges, broadening students’ perspectives and encouraging deeper exploration. The findings reveal that the adaptive prompts generated by AIPS not only enhance students’ curiosity and self-efficacy but also significantly improve their inquiry skills, thereby enriching the depth and quality of their knowledge construction. These results demonstrate that AIPS effectively supports students in actively participating in inquiry activities, contributing to improved teaching outcomes and the achievement of educational goals.</p>