Technology: ​What is ChatGPT?

by Burton Kelso, The Tech Expert

     Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a concept has been around since ancient times, but in our digital world, we are beginning to see the concept come to life. Smart devices have invaded our lives in the form of smart home gadgets, as well as software-based tools like Grammarly.
     In the past few months, AI has become more evolved as ChatGPT was released by Open AI last fall. This tool allows you to ask questions using natural dialogue to which this chatbot gives answers in conversational mode. This chatbot can remember the course of your dialogue, using questions and answers you've already asked to formulate more responses as the conversation goes on.
     It can also pull answers and information from the wealth of resources on the Internet. Why is ChatGPT taking up the conversation on the Internet? Read on to find out why this system is raising so many eyebrows.

What's the big deal with ChatGPT?
     ChatGPT was released by OpenAI in November 2022 for the propose of showing what a very powerful AI system can do. Unlike many resources on the internet where you have to physically use search engines like Google or Bing, you can go to ChatGPT ask it countless questions which will usually deliver useful information.
     For example, you can ask it questions that you would look up on Google or on an old school encyclopedia. You can ask questions like "Why is the sky blue during the day", or something more complex like "Explain Einstein's formula E=MC2". You can ask it to "write me a poem" or "create a haiku". You can even ask it to write a computer program. The list is almost endless in the questions you can ask.
     The interesting thing about ChatGPT is that it doesn't really know anything, so it isn't intelligent. It simply knows how to find the information you're looking for by searching the large amount of data that's on the internet and is able to deliver it in a way that is easy for you to understand. Since ChatGPT isn't fully 'aware' and is just gathering data, sometimes the information you get from your request may be wrong.
     Chatbots like open AI have been around for years. One of the things AI researchers are trying to solve is the Turing Test which was created by Alan Turing. The Imitation Game that Turing created was designed to test intelligence with the question of "Can a human conversing with a human and with a computer tell which is which?"
     For years, companies and hackers have tried to use AI. With companies, the use of AI is to help reduce the workload of humans by having AI handle mundane customer service requests. Criminals create chatbots as a means to phish information from unsuspecting users on social media and other online mediums.

What are the Pros and Cons of ChatGPT

It's Free. At the time of this writing, ChatGPT can be downloaded and used on any device out there. Start at https://chat.openai.com/chat to start playing around with this AI and see what it can do for you.

It Remembers. Unlike most other chatbots, ChatGPT remembers previous questions and answers in the same conversation. AI can be helpful as it begins to understand what your thinking process is and help you find solutions to the questions you ask.

Bilateral interactions. As you discuss various subjects, you can provide follow-up corrections so that ChatGPT adapts its responses to better focus on what matters most to you. You can also ask it for clarity on the responses you get back.

It pays close attention to your Terms. ChatGPT pays attention to every word in your sentences or questions to provide as complex and detailed answers as you want. For example, the questions "explain how black holes work in simple terms" and "explain how black holes work in advanced terms" will result in two different answers.

It is an Ethical AI. Queries are filtered to prevent ChatGPT from producing potentially racist, sexist, violent, or non-ethical outputs.

It ain't perfect. ChatGPT is impressive, but it is absolutely not a perfect solution to every problem. It still has limitations, and the developers know it, as it may occasionally generate incorrect information, harmful instructions, or biased content, and has limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021. Also, it cannot browse the internet or provide information on websites. As with Google itself and other sources of information like Wikipedia, it's best practice to verify information from original sources before relying on it.

     Hopefully, this has given you an explanation of ChatGPT and how it impacts you. This AI is bringing us closer to a world of full artificial intelligence, but we have a ways to go. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help!