A Beginner's Guide to ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the AI tool everyone’s talking about, but for the uninitiated, here’s all you need to know.

The last few months have been dominated by AI, specifically the program ChatGPT. This tool has been getting a lot of attention, for good and bad reasons, but what is ChatGPT and what can businesses with chatbots learn from it? Let's show you the good, the bad, the ugly, and the lessons.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT, short for Chat-based Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a type of artificial intelligence AI technology known as an NLP (Natural Language Processing) model that can be found in many chatbots. Created by the AI research and development company OpenAI, it uses machine learning algorithms to analyse and understand language and generate responses based on the queries.

ChatGPT is a tool that can have a conversation, answer questions, or generate text based on a specific prompt. You can ask it anything and it will generate a response. Many people have tested ChatGPT in a number of ways that have helped people create essays in seconds, brainstorm side hustles, and even a whole new Marvel movie!

What Are the Benefits of ChatGPT?

It Can Handle Diverse Topics

ChatGPT can provide a variety of coherent responses to complex questions. We all have different turns of phrase, and therefore, ask things differently. ChatGPT is trained on a huge amount of data and can interpret human text to provide relevant responses. It does not just help with questions related to complex subjects, but it can also recognise if someone is inputting a question with imperfect grammar or using colloquial terms in their queries.

NLP Capabilities

Natural Language Processing is improving in leaps and bounds and is something we see reflected in chatbots. Businesses looking to create chatbot tools could benefit from utilising ones that incorporate NLP capabilities. ChatGPT can understand human text, making it ideal for answering questions and generating understandable responses and conversations between human and bot.

Can Generate Answers Quickly

Unlike humans who create essays after conducting research, AI does not need a break, and is a great solution for real-time applications like virtual assistants and chatbots. Its fast and efficient model can generate responses quickly in real-time, so those looking for detailed answers on a subject do not need to go trawling the internet.

The Best Ways to Use ChatGPT

As a Personal Assistant

You can use ChatGPT as a way to provide useful insight into your everyday life. For example, if you don’t know what movie to watch, you could get personalised recommendations.

To Summarise Text

If you want a shortened version of the latest research on a specific topic, it can be summarised into a paragraph or report.

To Explain Complicated Topics

ChatGPT has a wealth of information to draw from which is why it has been used to create degree-level essays. It is the perfect tool to help people understand complex topics in a concise manner.

As a Great Brainstorming Tool

ChatGPT can generate ideas around certain themes, making for less time thinking and more time creating.

Where ChatGPT Falls Flat

Limited Knowledge

While its knowledge base is more diverse than most humans, its failings lie in the fact that it does not know anything beyond 2021, meaning it does not have access to the latest information, which could be critical in real-time scenarios where the latest news is essential to the outcome, such as current political trends.

May Display Bias

One of the ongoing criticisms of ChatGPT is that the data may contain inaccurate or biased information. If the training data contains factual errors, these may be reproduced or reinforced in their responses which can compound problems further as the people who asked ChatGPT for the information will interpret it as factual. ChatGPT learns from a variety of different data sets, including forums, so the model relies on input data that can be potentially flawed with inaccuracies.

No Common Sense

While many people utilise AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance their thinking, there is a potential for irrelevant or inaccurate responses. It requires a very specific selection of commands or prompts to generate a sensible answer and may not be able to understand the specific context or meaning of a sentence.

Unable to Understand Emotions

A lack of emotional intelligence may mean it can struggle to recognise emotions that we use in everyday conversation, such as humour, irony, or sarcasm.

What Can We Learn From ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is, essentially, a sophisticated chatbot. If you are thinking about integrating a chatbot into website interactions, ChatGPT is a great example that we can learn from. As ChatGPT does not have comprehensive knowledge and is only able to give information based on what it has been trained on, we need to learn from this and ensure it provides up-to-date information.

We can also utilise chatbots more effectively by understanding their limitations. ChatGPT is considered the top-tier AI tool, and while it does not display emotional intelligence, common sense, or may not be able to understand the context of a question, these limitations can severely hinder our relationship with a customer. ChatGPT has made a seismic impact on the world, and while it is being used to create essays, literature, and provide information in an easy-to-understand manner, ChatGPT is bound by limitations. We can benefit from using ChatGPT as a template for our chatbots, so if you are looking to create chatbot interactions, ChatGPT is a benchmark we can all aim for.

While ChatGPT is the one tool that has made waves, it is one of many generative AI tools available, including Microsoft Bing AI, Character AI, Google Bard, and many others. Generative AI is a real game changer that can help us train our chatbot to provide accurate information to improve customer service queries that will, over time, boost our business. If you are looking at integrating a chatbot into website practices, there is a wide variety of models out there to give you some inspiration. While ChatGPT is the big one, there will be more coming through the pipeline as the capabilities improve, and anyone using chatbots on their website should keep a close eye on how it may boost their interactions with customers.