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ChatGPT is one of the most impressive AI chatbots ever. We’ll explain what it’s all about and how to use it.
Anyone who uses a voice assistant like Alexa, Siri, and Co. has already gained a little insight into what AI assistants are capable of. They can turn on the light for you, schedule appointments or play your favorite music. They can also quickly provide you with information that you would generally use a Google search for.
However, there are also many things that they need help to do, such as writing a letter of resignation or formulating an invitation to a date. OpenAI researchers have now developed a chatbot that can do that and much more.
With the often impressive results, ChatGPT has already attracted attention worldwide in a way that no freely available text AI has been able to do before. It is conceivable that sooner or later, most people will use such an AI to find information on the Internet instead of Google.
We explain exactly what ChatGPT is, how the AI works, and how to use it yourself.
What exactly is ChatGPT?
In straightforward terms, ChatGPT is the AI form of a Google search. Whatever you would research via a Google search, you can ask ChatGPT instead. However, the AI does not use algorithms like a search engine but accesses information on which it was trained.
A considerable amount of data from the Internet was used for this. However, the training ended in September 2021, so ChatGPT cannot answer you about current events.
Otherwise, it’s possible to have entire conversations with the AI. In doing so, ChatGPT can remember things you have previously asked and relate to. In addition, the AI can refuse to respond if the information is dangerous or illegal.
It is even able to correct the user for misinformation. However, it can still happen that ChatGPT issues an answer that is factually incorrect or biased. The technology is still evolving, so some bugs may appear.
How does ChatGPT work?
ChatGPT was trained using Reinforcement Learning from human feedback (RLHF). In the first phase, simple conversations were held with the AI so that it learns how humans would respond. The result is a large amount of data that the AI can access.
In the next step, ChatGPT’s answers were ranked by humans according to quality so that the AI always delivered the best solution. The heavy involvement of human feedback in training ChatGPT results in particularly natural-sounding conversations.
Making it publicly available is another part of OpenAI’s research. The collected feedback should reveal further weaknesses of the AI and help with fine-tuning.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes, it is currently completely free to use. Greg Brockman, the CEO of OpenAI, announced in a tweet on January 11, 2023, that there would be a “professional version” would be faster and allow higher limits.
Update from February 2, 2023: The payment model ChatGPT Plus was officially released in the USA. It remains free for all users. The following section will tell you what the new subscription model entails.
ChatGPT Plus – OpenAI’s subscription service
On February 1, 2023, OpenAI officially introduced ChatGPT Plus. It is a monthly payment service that is said to cost $20 a month.
OpenAI lists the functions as follows:
- Universal access to ChatGPT, even during peak usage
- Faster response times
- Priority access to new features and improvements
For now, ChatGPT Plus will only be available in the US. According to OpenAI, a release in other countries is firmly planned. However, they did not reveal when that would happen.
OpenAI claims to be a non-profit organization, so why are they charging $20 for a subscription?
According to OpenAI, it wants to use the income to continue offering good free support for as many users as possible.
How do I use ChatGPT myself?
First of all, you have to create a user account with OpenAI. You still have to enter a cell phone number used for a two-step authentication. If you have registered with OpenAI, you can start directly with ChatGPT.
Are AI assistants the future?
ChatGPT gives us a little glimpse of what will be possible with AI assistants in the future. They make it much easier to find specific information without clicking through dozens of websites – a clear advantage over Google that could still cause concern for the search engine giant.
Such AIs also help to brainstorm ideas, complete tasks, or explain complex topics. The technology is currently still in development, but it is already imposing what ChatGPT is capable of today.
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