What is ChatGPT?
In simple terms, it’s an AI chatbot.
When you’re using ChatGPT, it’s like you’re chatting with someone, except that “someone” isn’t another person.
It’s software, lines of code.
To be more accurate, it’s a large language model (LLM) with access to a lot of data that uses natural language processing (NLP) to engage in human-like conversation.
Wait, why am I trying to explain this? We can just ask ChatGPT …
According to itself, ChatGPT is “an advanced language model … trained on a vast amount of text data … capable of understanding and generating human-like text responses.”
— ChatGPT
But already we see one of the limitations of ChatGPT: it sometimes provides incorrect information.
In the image above, ChatGPT says that it’s “based on the GPT-3.5 architecture,” even though GPT-4 was released on March 14, 2023.
Now, this is technically true because I’m using the free version that still runs on GPT-3.5. To get access to the version powered by GPT-4, you have to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus for $20/month.
Still, if I trusted the answer it generated to be 100% accurate, it might mislead me to believe that GPT-3.5 is the latest version.
Despite some limitations, ChatGPT is still legitimately useful for a wide range of applications, as long as you bear in mind that it’s not completely perfect.
Let’s take a closer look at how ChatGPT works, what you can use it for, and how to use it for free.
How does ChatGPT work?
If you really want to understand how it works under the hood, you should probably just visit the OpenAI website and read their research.
Here’s the post they published when ChatGPT was first released on November 30, 2022.
If you’d rather read a short summary in simple terms …
ChatGPT is powered by the GPT models built by OpenAI.
“GPT” stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer.
The “training” process involves supplying a vast amount of text data (e.g., books, articles, web pages) to the model so that it can learn to recognize patterns between words, phrases, and sentences. The model then begins to understand grammar, context, and even the subtle nuances of human dialogue.
It’s actually very similar to the way that humans learn. The model is like a brain and the training process is like going to school.
If you want to get a better understanding of how exactly the model “learns,” you can read more about deep learning—this is a broad term that encompasses the techniques that it uses to recognize patterns between words, understand context, and generate human-like responses.
Now, that’s as technical as we’ll get.
Understanding every small detail of how exactly ChatGPT works gets very complex, but you don’t need a Ph.D. in Computer Science to use it.
Let’s explore some of the most common ways that it’s being used.
What is ChatGPT used for?
It’s been less than a year since ChatGPT became available to the public and new use cases are being discovered every day.
We won’t be able to cover everything that ChatGPT is used for, but here are some of the most common use cases …
Education
- Write an essay
- Do your homework
- Solve a math problem
- Simplify a complex topic
Writing
- Come up with topic ideas
- Overcome writer’s block
- Write a first draft
- Edit grammar and spelling
Business
- Write a resume or cover letter
- Come up with business ideas
- Respond to customer support inquiries
- Write product descriptions
- Write a blog post
- Write a social media post
Technical
- Write code
- Debug code
- Explain code
- Provide documentation
- Troubleshoot technical issues
Personal
- Someone to talk to
- Get relationship advice
- Plan your day
- Make a travel itinerary
- Make a to-do list
Interested in trying one of those use cases for yourself?
It’s easy to get started.
And it’s free.
Can I use ChatGPT for free?
Yep!
There’s a free version and a paid version called ChatGPT Plus that costs $20/month.
Here’s how to sign up for the free version:
- Go to chat.openai.com
- Click “Sign up”
- Create your account with an email address, Google account, Microsoft account, or Apple account
Looking ahead
ChatGPT, and AI in general, is still in its early stages.
Established AI companies are charging ahead with their research and new AI startups are popping up every day.
We’ve already seen AI dramatically change the way we work and interact with each other, and there’s no sign of that stopping anytime soon.
The good news: AI is available for everyone. You can use AI tools like ChatGPT for your work, education, and personal life.
If you’re interested in learning how to use AI for writing, visit AI Writers Academy to learn more.