February 07, 2023 (GMN) – ChatGPT is a large language model, basically a neural network that has been trained to generate language.
The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. ChatGPT is a sibling model to InstructGPT, which is trained to follow instructions in a prompt and provide a detailed response.
Since OpenAI released its blockbuster bot ChatGPT in November, users have casually experimented with the tool, with even Insider reporters trying to simulate news stories or message potential dates.
To older millennials who grew up with IRC chat rooms a text instant message system the personal tone of conversations with the bot can evoke the experience of chatting online. But ChatGPT, the latest in technology known as "large language model tools," doesn't speak with sentience and doesn't "think" the way people do.
That means that even though ChatGPT can explain quantum physics or write a poem on command, a full AI takeover isn't exactly imminent, according to experts.
Chatbots like GPT are powered by large amounts of data and computing techniques to make predictions to string words together in a meaningful way. They not only tap into a vast amount of vocabulary and information but also understand words in context. This helps them mimic speech patterns while dispatching encyclopedic knowledge.
Other tech companies like Google and Meta have developed their own large language model tools, which use programs that take in human prompts and devise sophisticated responses. OpenAI, in a revolutionary move, also created a user interface that is letting the general public experiment with it directly.
Generative AI is the catchall term for artificial intelligence that can create something new text or images for example from existing data when given prompts. OpenAI's generative AI tools can seemingly do anything from writing poetry and code to producing frame-worthy art, triggering huge excitement in the space.