A new special breed of AI has been making the news lately – chat generative bots. While the concept is not new, the ChatGPT bot developed by OpenAI managed to get over 100 million users in just two months after its launch in November 2022. Those numbers are impressive, and ChatGPT suddenly became the fastest-growing consumer app ever in such a short period of time. And the chatbot is not yet available on the App or Play stores.
What is ChatGPT? In short, it is an acronym for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer. The service is built on top of OpenAI Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3, which allows the bot to answer questions and generate text with delicate precision.
How do you access it?
Even though the bot quickly gained over a hundred million users, many still wonder how to access it. The bot is unavailable as an app that users can download from the usual app stores powered by Google and Apple. However, getting to know ChatGPT’s functions is pretty straightforward – all you have to do is visit https://chat.openai.com/auth/login, sign up, and start “chatting” with the artificial intelligence bot.
Does ChatGPT have any faults?
Well, it is not a human, and users should never assume it is one. Even though the content it generates might be reasonably engaging, ChatGPT’s responses might not be factually correct and can easily be manipulated. The content often isn’t unique, either. The developers behind the chatbot admit that the system is in its early stages and might generate incorrect or misleading information. They also advise that the chatbot could generate offensive or biased content even though safeguards are in place. So users must remember that this is not intended to give advice, nor does it provide fully reliable information… yet.
Why is ChatGPT a big deal?
It creates relatively good content fast. For example, users can ask the bot to write a poem, and a poem appears in less than 20 seconds. It will likely kill jobs in the long run as the function could be very useful in industries that require content creation. The law industry would also benefit from the skills offered by ChatGPT. The services in the OpenAI system may be what might topple the need for Google’s search engine. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, realizes the threat and has made multiple moves to get up-to-speed with OpenAI.
Is ChatGPT free?
The basic version of the service is free at the moment. However, OpenAI recently released a paid ChatGPT Plus version of the bot that requires a monthly $20 subscription. Like many tech services with such fast growth, OpenAI will generate mass dependence on the system and will likely introduce usage fees. We’ve seen similar company behavior from many Big Tech companies, including Netflix, Uber, Google, etc. OpenAI seems to be going in this direction too.
What are the risks?
People with bad intentions can use the capabilities of ChatGPT. For example, bad actors can use it to generate code for malicious purposes and create propaganda, as ChatGPT is prone to bias. For example, people likely do not want to be treated by a doctor who managed to obtain a medical degree cheating through exams using ChatGPT, nor do they want to be on an airplane operated by a pilot who used ChatGPT’s help to get a license.
No one knows how ChatGPT will change the world yet, but many believe that the system developed by OpenAir is here to stay.