Writing Apps 10 min2023-05-16 00:00

What Is ChatGPT? Everything You Need to Know

what is chatGPT

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more popular as technology develops and becomes evermore impressive. One AI tool that has become incredibly popular is ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is an online chatbot built on an AI model called GPT-3.5. The tool has been developed by OpenAI, which is an AI research company. You can message the chatbot as though you are messaging a human, and the AI tool will generate an appropriate response.

You can use ChatGPT for a range of tasks, such as generating ideas, conducting light research, and resolving problems with code. The AI tool is one of many designed to help save humans time in completing simple tasks.

In this article, we’ll explain what ChatGPT is, how it works, and how you can use it for different tasks.

What Is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot style program that uses AI to create responses to users’ prompts. The ChatGPT chatbot has the ability to give detailed, personalized answers that take into account what the user has asked for and how they would like to receive information. For example, if a user asks ChatGPT to write a wedding speech, ChatGPT can add the appropriate tone and sentiment to the speech based on the user’s requests.

OpenAI has integrated natural language processing (NLP) into the program to ensure the AI understands the message you have typed, can make inferences from it, and can generate a human-sounding reply.

ChatGPT Meaning

We can better understand the meaning of ChatGPT by breaking it down into two parts. “Chat” refers to the chat design the app is based on. You enter a message to the AI, like in chatting programs, and the AI responds in the same chatty way, as though you’re having a conversation.

What Is GPT?

“GPT” means generative pre-trained transformer, which simply means a program that can realistically write as though it’s a human. OpenAI has trained the GPT program to generate responses that are logical to the question it’s been asked.

chatGPT definition

The History of OpenAI ChatGPT

OpenAI, which was founded in 2015, devotes its efforts to researching artificial general intelligence. The company focuses on developing AI that will benefit humanity. The major benefit we’re seeing from AI so far is that it can save immense amounts of time for people, but the possibilities of what else it can do are still being discovered.

OpenAI created ChatGPT as a research tool for conducting part of their research to make the best GPT model. The company relies on users interacting with ChatGPT and rating the answers it produces. The more people use it, the better the research will be.

ChatGPT currently uses a model called GPT-3.5, which can generate impressive answers to a whole range of prompt types. However, using the research they’ve gathered from ChatGPT, OpenAI has already developed a new model called GPT-4.

GPT-4 can produce more impressive responses quickly, and it’s able to create more factually accurate answers, which means it’s already a more reliable system. Many companies have already adopted GPT-4 into their software to make the most of the new technology.

What Is ChatGPT Used For?

Even though it primarily gathers data about AI models, ChatGPT has lots of uses for people who want to help with the research. There are many ways people can currently use ChatGPT, but there are also new uses being discovered every day.

Here’s a list of things you can use ChatGPT for:

  • Generate ideas for business or personal projects

  • Ask for a list of sources that would be relevant when conducting research

  • Ask for summaries of books, TV shows, and films

  • Resolve problems with code samples

  • Ask for recipe ideas that use the ingredients you have available

  • Write an outline for a blog article

  • Suggest ideas on what to include in a best man’s speech

If you’re a business that has developed software you think could use an integrated AI chatbot, you can even use the ChatGPT API’s to integrate it directly with your program.

If you’re not sure whether ChatGPT will be good for you, it can be a great idea to just give it a go to see how you get on with it. It’s also helping to develop amazing technological advances in AI science if you use it regularly and give feedback on the answers.

ChatGPT abilities

ChatGPT Explained

The way ChatGPT can take a prompt and give you a realistic human-like answer might feel like magic, but it’s actually a very technical process. ChatGPT relies on algorithms and coding, which are developed by some of the best computer scientists in the world.

We’ve looked deeper into how ChatGPT works, and what it’s capable of. As with all software and programs, ChatGPT has some limitations, but the OpenAI company is completely transparent about what the AI tool can and cannot do.

What Is ChatGPT Trained On?

The developers trained ChatGPT on GPT technology that uses datasets and learning models to create answers to prompts.

The unique learning ChatGPT uses is called Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF). When human users give the AI a prompt, and it generates a response to that prompt, if you give it a rating, you’re helping with the reinforcement of how to answer the specific prompt you used. 

Before the AI tool was released to the public for testing, AI trainers had to work on developing the AI model ChatGPT uses. Human AI trainers start off by playing both sides of the conversations, then the AI can learn how to answer new questions based on the dataset it has access to and how the trainers were responding to similar questions.

As the AI tool develops, they use a reward system which is built on ranking the different responses to prompts. Humans rank the responses, which is the feedback element of RLHF, and then the AI model uses that ranking to determine how good the response was.

Positive feedback lets the AI learn which responses are the best to use and reinforces the learning, so the cycle goes on and on as the AI becomes more and more fine-tuned in answering.

The training data gathered as more people use ChatGPT will help OpenAI to develop the next version of GPT models.

What Can ChatGPT Do?

If you’re considering different uses for ChatGPT, you’ll need to know what it can do. Despite the small list of features, ChatGPT can still do a lot to make your life easier.

Here’s a list of the capabilities OpenAI claim ChatGPT can do:

  • Remember what you’ve said earlier in the conversation

  • Let you provide follow-up corrections to your prompt

  • Decline inappropriate prompts

ChatGPT remembers what you’ve said previously in your conversation, so you can have complex conversations with it about the same subject over a long period. Each time you want to discuss something new, you can start a new conversation to ensure the tool knows you want to chat about a different topic.

If you asked the wrong question, or phrased your question in a way that confuses the AI, you can edit your prompt, even after you’ve sent it. There is an edit button next to your message, which you can click on to edit your prompt. Then you can click on “regenerate response” to see a more accurate reply to your message.

Don’t worry about seeing any inappropriate language or suggestions when you interact with ChatGPT because it’s respectful and will decline to answer any rude or explicit language. Instead, it will let you know that the subject isn’t appropriate for discussion.

What Are the Limitations of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is still one of the earliest tools developed by OpenAI, and all tools have their limitations. If you’re aware of what ChatGPT cannot do, or isn’t the best at, you can ensure you’re making the most of the tool by using it for what it can do.

chatGPT limitations

Here’s a list of the limitations of ChatGPT:

  • It sometimes generates incorrect information

  • It might suggest harmful instructions or biased answers

  • The dataset it uses is limited to knowledge up to September 2021

  • It repeats itself a lot and constantly reminds you it’s an AI language model

As the developers built ChatGPT on the GPT-3.5 model, it doesn’t always generate the most factually accurate responses, even though it might sound like it’s telling the truth. Remember to fact check anything the AI tool tells you.

There have been some examples of the AI generating harmful or biased answers because it’s still learning what it should and shouldn’t say. As the research and development continues, harmful or biased answers will probably become less of a problem.

It’s important to keep in mind that ChatGPT can only use data from before September 2021. If you ask about something that happened after that date, the AI won’t know what you’re talking about and may produce a false answer.

If you ever ask ChatGPT to do something it cannot do, it will tell you it’s because it’s a language model developed by OpenAI. It often repeats the phrase, almost as though it’s reminding you it’s not a human you’re talking to.

While it’s not strictly a limitation, you should know it can sometimes take longer to get a response from ChatGPT when lots of other people are using the tool.

The time to generate a response is improving, but you might experience outages, which can happen with any software provider. Try again at a different time to see if the speed is better.

What Is the ChatGPT Website?

You can find the ChatGPT tool on the OpenAI website, and you can get to it by searching for “ChatGPT” on Google. On the website, you’ll see an article about the tool and what it can and cannot do. There’s also a button that says “try ChatGPT.” Click on that to access the tool.

You will need to create an account to use ChatGPT because it’s still for research and it helps the developers monitor how it’s being used. Once you’ve created an account, you can log in and start having conversations with the AI.

Is ChatGPT Free?

The ChatGPT app is a free version you can use because it’s purely for research. That doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of a free tool that can speed up a lot of processes in your life.

With the limitations of GPT-3.5, it makes sense that ChatGPT is still a free tool. However, if OpenAI upgrades the technology to GPT-4 or beyond, it’s likely they will decide to make it a new version of ChatGPT and charge a subscription fee for it.

What Is ChatGPT Plus?

ChatGPT Plus is a new subscription that OpenAI is offering as part of ChatGPT. It’s completely optional, so you don’t have to upgrade to it.

The subscription costs $20 a month and gives you priority access to ChatGPT and any new updates or features. You’ll also be contributing financially to OpenAI’s research.

To subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, you’ll need to create a free account and click on the upgrade button when you’re signed in. After entering your payment information, you can activate the subscription, and then carry on using ChatGPT with the additional features.

Conclusion on What Is ChatGPT?

Now you know all about ChatGPT and how to use it. Try using ChatGPT to see if it can help you in any of your tasks. It’s worth trying out to see how ChatGPT can save you time, since there are plenty of ways to use it.

If you use ChatGPT and provide feedback each time you use it, you’ll be helping to develop the next generation of AI models. Your work will help create a better future for the technology and provide benefits for all future users.

Remember to check the accuracy of any responses, and don’t share any personal details with the AI tool. The security features are good, but it’s best not to share personal details with an AI tool.

We hope the information we’ve provided in this article helps you to understand ChatGPT and make the most of this amazing free AI tool.