It’s no secret that ChatGPT has been skyrocketing in popularity at an unprecedented rate, leaving even the likes of social media giant Tiktok in its dust. In fact, ChatGPT has already amassed over 100 million monthly active users since its launch on November 30th, 2022 – a feat so remarkable that it has earned the title of the fastest-growing consumer application in history, as determined by a recent UBS study.
But amidst all the hype surrounding ChatGPT’s meteoric rise, one can’t help but wonder, what exactly is this software, and why is it causing such a stir? From it not getting used in some part of the world to its status as a hot topic of conversation, there’s clearly more to ChatGPT than meets the eye.
So, what exactly is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a next-generation chatbot that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to bring human-like conversation and a whole lot more to the table. This impressive natural language processing tool is capable of answering questions and assisting with tasks such as email composition, essay writing, and even coding.
After its latest update on March 23, OpenAI has taken a giant leap forward with the announcement of its experimental support for AI plugins in ChatGPT. These specialized tools are specifically designed for language models and can greatly enhance ChatGPT’s capabilities by granting access to the latest information, running computations, or utilizing third-party services.
Now, ChatGPT is extending plugin access to both users and developers from their waitlist. The initial set of plugins includes an experimental model for browsing the internet, allowing ChatGPT to access online content with ease. Besides, an experimental ChatGPT model is included that can use Python and handle uploads and downloads, making coding tasks more accessible than ever before. Another experimental model is available that enables ChatGPT to use third-party external plugins seamlessly and efficiently.
A notable feature of ChatGPT is its ability to learn from its interactions with users. As users interact with ChatGPT, it can learn more about their preferences and tailor responses accordingly. This ability to learn from users makes ChatGPT a valuable tool for personalized interactions.
ChatGPT is a member of the innovative clan of generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) language models, paving the way for advanced natural language processing technology. Its training was fine-tuned through the powerful approach of transfer learning, using an enhanced version of OpenAI’s renowned GPT-3, aptly named GPT 3.5.
The future is here, as OpenAI released its newest language model system – GPT-4 on March 14. Boasting even greater advancements than its predecessor, GPT-3.5 – which is currently utilized by ChatGPT – GPT-4 is a multimodal model capable of accepting both text and images as input, and outputting text.
This technology can prove especially useful for analyzing uploaded worksheets, graphs, and charts. While GPT-4’s text input capabilities are currently the only ones available to the public, they can be accessed by subscribing to ChatGPT Plus for $20 per month, or through Microsoft’s Bing Chat – which has been running on GPT-4 since launch, though access is currently limited to a waitlist.
GPT-4’s unparalleled intellectual capabilities have proven superior to GPT-3.5 in a series of simulated benchmark exams, reducing the number of erroneous responses produced by the chatbot, and setting a new standard for natural language processing.
What can it do for you?
One of the remarkable characteristics of ChatGPT is its capability to learn and adapt based on its conversations with users. This means that as users interact with ChatGPT, it can understand their preferences and provide personalized responses. This unique feature of ChatGPT makes it a powerful tool for personalized interactions.
Furthermore, ChatGPT offers a vast array of functions, some of which are listed below:
- Question-Answering: ChatGPT can tackle a broad range of inquiries, ranging from trivial facts to complex philosophical issues.
- Personal Assistance: Acting as a personal assistant, ChatGPT can assist users in setting reminders, scheduling appointments, and sending messages, among other tasks.
- Education: As an educational tool, ChatGPT can help users learn new topics and concepts by providing relevant information.
- Entertainment: ChatGPT can be a source of fun and entertainment by playing games, sharing jokes, or indulging in casual conversations.
- Customer Service: ChatGPT is an efficient customer service tool that can provide swift resolution to queries and problems.
- Translation: With its language translation capability, ChatGPT can help users communicate with others who speak different languages.
- Creative Writing: ChatGPT can inspire writers and artists by generating imaginative writing, such as poetry or short stories.
- Personalization: ChatGPT can learn from past interactions and tailor responses to individual preferences, making conversations more intuitive and personalized.
Why is ChatGPT causing such a stir?
1. ChatGPT: The AI tool facing school bans across the US
Schools across the US are banning ChatGPT, citing concerns over academic integrity and critical thinking skills development. Seattle Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, New York City Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, and Montgomery County Public Schools in Alabama have all blocked access to the AI tool on school devices. The bans aim to prevent cheating and encourage original thinking and problem-solving among students.
2. The use of ChatGPT by a Colombian judge in a ruling raises eyebrows
In the Caribbean city of Cartagena, a judge named Juan Manuel Padilla has sparked controversy by revealing he utilized ChatGPT, to help him decide on whether an autistic child’s insurance should cover all of the expenses of his medical treatment. Padilla also considered past rulings to support his decision. In the end, he ruled that the child’s medical expenses and transportation costs must be paid by the insurance company, as the parents could not afford them. Although the ruling itself did not generate much attention, the mention of Padilla’s use of ChatGPT has caused a stir.
3. Banks, Tech companies, and law firms
ChatGPT has faced several controversies globally. For instance, a law firm based in London has prohibited the use of ChatGPT due to concerns over a breach of client data. Similarly, investment banks including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Deutsche are also taking measures to prevent the use of ChatGPT. Even Accenture has cautioned its employees against exposing client information over ChatGPT.
Battle of the Chatbots: Comparing Bing AI, Google Bard, and ChatGPT
Comparing the generative AI solutions of Bing AI, Google Bard, and ChatGPT is an intriguing endeavor. Each solution uses unique technologies and sources of data to generate natural language responses. Here are some distinguishing features of each platform:
Bing AI, powered by ChatGPT, was launched by Microsoft on February 7, 2023, and employs the use of GPT-4, a large language model developed by OpenAI. It is trained on a massive amount of text from the internet and supplements its knowledge by performing web searches to offer relevant information.
On the other hand, Google Bard, which became publicly available via a waitlist on March 21, 2023, uses LaMDA, a language model for dialogue applications. Google Bard’s training dataset consists of an extensive collection of books, articles, code, and scripts, and it also integrates with Google Search to provide up-to-date information.
ChatGPT, in contrast, utilizes GPT-3+, a more advanced version of the GPT-3 model, and is based on a pre-curated and pre-processed fixed dataset provided by OpenAI. However, OpenAI on March 14, 2023, released a new version of ChatGPT based on GPT-4.
Each AI solution has its own unique set of strengths and weaknesses, and different users may have different preferences depending on the conversation topic and their personal preferences. Several factors that could impact the user’s experience include the personality and tone of the chatbot, the accuracy and reliability of its responses, and its creativity and diversity.
There is no clear winner among the three generative AI solutions, as each has its own merits and limitations. It is best to experiment with each solution to figure out which one suits your preferences and needs.
Conclusion
ChatGPT is a next-generation chatbot that uses AI to facilitate human-like conversations and a wide range of tasks. It can learn from its interactions with users, making it a valuable tool for personalized interactions. The software has gained attention due to its impressive capabilities and potential applications, including question-answering, personal assistance, education, entertainment, customer service, translation, and creative writing. However, it has also faced criticism and school bans in the US and other regions over concerns about academic integrity and critical thinking skills development.
