Anyone who knows me knows how much I love ChatGPT. It might not be perfect, but it has so much potential as the center of AI culture—a culture we’ve only seen the tip of, and that’s probably going to be a thing moving forward in humanity.

But what is it?

Maybe you’ve heard about it at a dinner party, where your coworker mentioned using it to help her organize data that would have taken her hours. It’s been all over the news in general, so you likely saw reference to it there. You may have read about it online—as most did—out of curiosity, when it was trending.

And unless you went down the ChatGPT rabbit hole, you just don’t get it. Most people just fall off after they don’t get a picture of a duck just right, or it gives them bad information, or straight-up hallucinates.

At the end of the day, there are tons of great reasons why it’s worthwhile to check out, and I want to give you some context for what exactly we’re even looking at here with this “ChatGPT” dealy. But first, a quick overview of the machine that makes ChatGPT run: Artificial Intelligence.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

The concept at the core of ChatGPT, and all chatbots like it, is Artificial Intelligence, or AI.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerged as a transformative force, redefining potential and possibility (mmm possibilities) across various domains. At its core, AI simulates human intelligence processes by machines, especially computer systems. These processes include learning, reasoning, and self-correction.

Among AI’s many applications, chatbots represent a particularly dynamic advancement. AI-driven, they simulate interactive human conversation using key pre-programmed rules and machine learning applications. (If you don’t get it, don’t worry, I go into it more in-depth in future pieces.)

Chatbots are integrated widely across customer service systems and on interactive websites. They pounce back on you at 2 am with helpful information when you’re bored/lonely and need someone to talk to/in need of it.

[just kidding, we all yell at them and fly through them with anger while trying to get to a human. Is it somehow more infuriating to be held up by a robot, before you can speak to another of your own kind? I suppose we’ve seen that story before somewhere…]

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT was developed by OpenAI, headed by rather odd fellow Sam Altman. Dude is a ChatGPT is a cutting-edge advancement in the world of chatbots, standing out through its sophisticated use of deep learning. The “GPT” stands for “Generative Pre-trained Transformer,” indicating that the AI utilizes an architecture pre-trained on a very diverse range of internet text.

Basically, its database of knowledge that’s building incrementally with each release, soaking up more of your deeeluscious data, with or without (generally without) your GPT-4 Turbo just came out, and it now knows about the state of the world. I gotta wonder if it wants to roll back versions, or keep going…

Unlike simpler chatbots, ChatGPT can generate mostly coherent and contextually relevant text based on the prompts it receives, so it can perform a variety of tasks that require understanding and generating human-like text, making it a powerful tool for both practical and creative applications.

However, at its core? It’s just a glorified autocomplete. I’ll be talking about Language Learning Machines in the future, and how these massively… well, just plain massive data sets are processed by the software that engineers write to process it and bring it to you in natural language.

What can ChatGPT do?

Oh, all sorts of helpful things, from “oh thanks that was helpful!” to “you changed my life” helpful (I have a story on the latter). A few of just the basics:

• Generate a custom image: Give ChatGPT’s powerful DALL-E image processor a whirl by handing it a text prompt, and watching it concoct custom artwork based off artwork it’s scraped across the web (yes, there are ethical issues with this)
• Write an essay: ChatGPT can take any idea you have and whip it up into an essay or other written forms. Remember, you get out what you put in. Also, don’t plagarize.
• Craft your code: Struggling with a stubborn bug or an elusive piece of logic in your code? ChatGPT is like that patient coding buddy who’s always there to lend a hand. From untangling Python scripts to streamlining your HTML, it’s your go-to for a quick programming pow-wow.
• Master the language labyrinth: ChatGPT is your personal language sensei. Whether you’re grappling with German’s four cases or the subjunctive mood in Spanish, it breaks down complex grammar into bite-sized, digestible explanations.
• Unravel historical mysteries: Delve into the past with ChatGPT as your time-traveling guide. It can shed light on ancient civilizations, decode the context behind historical events, and offer insights into the lives of historical figures.
• Brainstorming bonanza: Stuck on generating that next big idea? Unleash ChatGPT’s brainstorming prowess to get a fresh perspective. It’s like having a pocket think-tank ready to bounce around concepts for your start-up or creative project
• Recipe wizard: ChatGPT is the sous-chef of your digital kitchen. Tell it what’s in your pantry, and it’ll whip up a recipe idea that could rival the creativity of any MasterChef.
• Homework helper: Whether it’s the Pythagorean theorem or the intricacies of Shakespearean prose, ChatGPT is like a tutor who’s always in session. It’s here to demystify those perplexing problems and enlightening essays.
• Travel planner: Dreaming of your next vacation? ChatGPT can suggest exotic locales, help craft the ultimate itinerary, and offer up travel hacks. It’s like a globe-trotting buddy with endless suggestions, minus the jet lag.
• Wellness companion: If life’s stresses are piling up, ChatGPT can offer a listening (text-based) ear. It might share a meditation technique or a reminder to breathe – not as a replacement for real therapy, but as a quick emotional pick-me-up.
• Creative writing partner: Imagine a collaborative tale spun together with ChatGPT, where it serves as both the muse and the scribe. Whether it’s a fantasy adventure or a sci-fi saga, the storytelling possibilities are endless.
• Social media strategist: Need to spice up your social feed? ChatGPT can help craft witty tweets, engaging posts, and even those all-important hashtags. It’s like a personal social media consultant at the ready.

To understand the capabilities of ChatGPT, I like to consider its application in customer service. For example, ChatGPT has functionality called Assistants, where a company could train their own chatbot up with their own knowledge base, to better support their customers during and after-hours.

You’ve seen it before—you go on the website at 2 am after watching Titanic with your cat, and it’s just… there. The pre-programmed responses are oddly comforting.

If you like the specialized data set, check out full ChatGPT subscription, or learn more about the OpenAI API, lonely heart. Your Jack or Rose or Titanic or Iceberg might be right in the GPT Store, waiting for you.

• You: “I need help resetting my password; I’ve forgotten it.“
• ChatGPT: “I can help you with that. Could you please provide the email address associated with your account?”
• You: No

This interaction showcases ChatGPT’s ability to understand the request and respond appropriately, sounding like an actual human being. That’s the power of natural language processing, baby.

Who can use ChatGPT?

Anybody who can access it, really. It’s available right on OpenAI’s website, as chat.openai.com. Head on over and set up an account—it only takes two steps! They have a free and paid version (ChatGPT plus)—I’ll be sharing more on these differences in the future.

What’s is ChatGPT used for?

ChatGPT’s versatility makes it invaluable across various sectors, but a few stand out in particular:

• Customer support: It responds to customers with issues immediately, reducing wait times and increasing customer satisfaction. It’s cool because only the really mad customers get through to a human after spamming 4chan words, so they’re generally much more willing to endure abuse. Also, it’s fun to interact with.*
• Education: Provide tutoring and answering student questions, giving kids and parents. Give them a chance to grow up and be smart. If they abuse it, they’ll just get banned. (Educate them on the risks flagged for plagarizing and get kicked off the football team with safe essay writing practices] Also, fun to interact with.*
• Healthcare: Offers support by managing appointment bookings and providing medical information. Fun to interact with*, but being heavily regulated. If you’re not already, join deBOTchery as a member for more news on regulation!
• Content creation: Make content that doesn’t necessarily need to make people feel. But be careful: you may get flagged for plagarizing and get kicked off the football team, so proceed at your own risk. Fun to interact with.*

No, it will not get everything right in the process of doing so, and it’s good to have your expectations set accordingly. These bots are wonderful… when they work.

But when they do, you’ll enjoy such as scheduling and searching, thereby saving time for more creative or complex problems.

I assure you, ChatGPT is just the beginning of what AI offers. It’s not the best, but it’s super accessible, and quite frankly, I’m still learning about the rest. As my own knowledge base expands, I’ll be talking more about the competitors’ products, and their pros/cons. As I learn more, so will you.

And really, that’s what I love about the sheer concept of this whole AI/chatbot thing: it’s far from perfect now, but there’s something inherently charming about that. Like watching the spawn of Satan take its first steps. It’s going to grow up to be CEO of a crypto company and host a luxury scam event in the tundra hyped by influencers.

Go sign up for ChatGPT now at chatgpt.openai.com, then come back here to learn more!

*or will make you laugh at the idea of this shit actually being in any current position to take over the world. Later? Maybe. Now? Nahhh.