Drafting a letter to your boss, explaining difficult ideas, or suggesting some gift ideas are just a few things ChatGPT can do, all you need to do is type a question. Far from being perfect, it still has its limitations, but for now, it’s well worth checking out while you can.
What Is ChatGPT?
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can answer just about any question you have. It’s as if Google was a person you could have a casual conversation with.
It was trained on an enormous amount of information collected from the internet which means that ChatGPT has a wealth of knowledge to share. Just don’t ask about current events. ChatGPT finished its training in 2021 and hasn’t been designed to browse the internet for new information.
One way that it’s different from previous language models released by OpenAI, is that it can refuse to answer a question if the information is harmful or could lead to illegal activities. When in a conversation, it can also remember things you’ve asked before, or call you out if you say something that isn’t true.
How ChatGPT Works
ChatGPT was trained using a mix of machine learning and human intervention, using a method called reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF).
In fact, the first stage of training involved humans playing the role of both a human user and an AI assistant having a conversation. This helped to demonstrate responses that are preferred by humans and go towards building a large dataset to feed the model.
Next, a reward model needed to be created for reinforcement learning. To do this, human AI trainers once again stepped in, but this time they were asked to rank several model answers by quality, further helping ChatGPT choose the best response.
All of this is to say, humans had a hand in helping to train ChatGPT so that its answers are not only factually accurate but written in a natural, human-like way. From AI voice generators to AI writing tools, it’s clear that the future will be shaped by these powerful machine learning tools.
Another important point to remember is that ChatGPT doesn’t always provide factually correct answers, and it can produce biased content too. This technology is still in development and isn’t yet foolproof.
Creating an Account
To access chatGPT you will need to create an account on the OpenAI website. It will ask you for an email and phone number, plus the main reason why you want to use OpenAI, whether that’s for research, app development, or personal use. Once signed up, head back to ChatGPT to get started.
You can also use this account to generate images from text using DALL-E, another AI model developed by OpenAI.
How to Use ChatGPT
Using ChatGPT is simple thanks to a minimalist interface. Much like an ordinary messaging app, you can type in the text box and hit enter, or click on the send button indicated by the paper airplane symbol.
It might take a moment for it to generate a response, but once it does, the answer will appear directly underneath your question.
The model is optimized for dialogue, which means you don’t need to type out full sentences each time you have a follow-up question. You can speak casually to ChatGPT, and it will follow along with the conversation.
Any follow-up questions will be added to the conversation thread which you and ChatGPT can look back on. If you want to start a fresh conversation, press the Reset Thread button found in the menu on the left.
You might notice that changing just one word in a question can alter ChatGPT’s response. So if the model doesn’t seem to answer your question well, try re-phrasing the sentence.
What to Ask ChatGPT
Many people turn to Google when they want to ask how something works. Instead of putting that question to the internet, however, try asking ChatGPT.
It doesn’t just explain things either, it can also help you write an email or letter, saving you both the time and the pressure of trying to word something just right.
Alternatively, if you’re stuck trying to think of creative ideas then ChatGPT can help you generate new leads. We asked it to come up with some gift ideas, but you could also use it to suggest content ideas, brainstorm article topics, or ask for recipe ideas.
Is There Anything ChatGPT Can’t Do?
One thing that sets ChatGPT apart from its predecessors is the focus on reducing potentially harmful information. The model is supposed to be trained to refuse inappropriate requests.
As an example, if you asked Chat GPT what the best way to bully someone online is, it will decline to answer and go on to explain why bullying of any kind is wrong.
This moderation isn’t perfect, and in our trial it was easy to get an answer by re-phrasing the question. If you come across outputs that concern you, use the thumbs up or thumbs down button next to the text to provide feedback.
A text box will appear asking you to write what the ideal answer would have been, alongside a few check boxes asking whether the answer was harmful/unsafe, not true, or not helpful.
In this research preview, ChatGPT is open to anyone to try out for free, in the hope that user feedback will reveal its blind spots and help fine-tune its moderation system. To encourage users to submit feedback, you can enter the ChatGPT Feedback Contest for a chance to win $500 in API credits.
A New Era of AI Chatbots
ChatGPT is a fascinating AI tool that can answer our burning questions, explain tricky concepts, or brainstorm creative ideas—just to name a few uses. The ability to ask follow-up questions means you can get to the information you are looking for much faster than visiting several websites on the internet.
That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, however. ChatGPT can still produce harmful answers and provide incorrect information. Through this research period, OpenAI hopes to get feedback from users to help improve it for future use.
