What is ChatGPT?

In the world of AI, new developments are on the rise. That includes one of the newest chatbots in town, ChatGPT. This AI bot is a powerful tool from OpenAI that allows you to ask questions and get conversational answers. Not just that, though—this bot also remembers the ongoing dialogue and uses previous conversation points to inform future responses. 

Where does it get the information? Where does anyone get information these days? That’s right—ChatGPT generates its answers from the volumes of information readily available on the Internet. 

This tool is making waves because it’s much more interactive and is capable of following the conversation. It has even been shown to write poems and generate blog content, although the developers at OpenAI encourage everyone to be careful when using ChatGPT. After all, it is a machine gathering information from a digital space, and it could get the information wrong. 

So, while no one will be promoting this tool to take over content writing anytime soon, it does seem to have a lot to offer. Let’s take a closer look at chatbots and their evolution, as well as what ChatGPT is, how it works, and more. 

The imitation game

Chatbots and AI have been of interest for decades. Companies seeking a better way to help customers get information and answers along with a host of AI researchers attempting to conquer the Turing Test, also known as the Imitation Game, which was proposed in 1950 by a computer scientist by the name of Alan Turing. The question posited was simple:

Can a human, when conversing with a human and a computer respectively, tell which is which?

Many consumers and company leaders say, resoundingly, yes—in one study, 72% even went so far as to say chatbots were “a waste of time.” 

And yet, within just a few days of launching, ChatGPT had more than a million users trying it out. So, what gives?

How is ChatGPT different?

The secret is that ChatGPT isn’t that different. It’s an AI chatbot system just like all the others before it. Granted, it’s a large, powerful system that can do a lot more than any of its predecessors, which is why it’s getting so much attention. You can ask simple questions about things you want to know, or even ask the chatbot to write you a poem and “make it more exciting” to punch it up some—just don’t expect poetry awards to come flowing in. 

ChatGPT doesn’t actually “know” these things. It’s an artificial intelligence platform that’s trained to recognize patterns in the vast collections of text found on the Internet, only it’s been further honed to deliver a more useful, natural-sounding dialogue. Answers may even sound downright authoritative, but remember that they might not always be right. 

ChatGPT has a broad database of knowledge and impressive capabilities in following conversations. It can keep up with you even when you don’t give it the prompt every time, and it can use information from earlier in the conversation to inform answers to questions you ask later. It will even tell you that you can’t ask questions that are “discriminatory, offensive, or inappropriate. This includes questions that are racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise discriminatory or hateful." 

And don’t bother trying to ask it to do anything illegal, because it’s smart enough to turn that down, too. 

Can ChatGPT write software and generate content?

Yes, ChatGPT can do both of these things, but again they come with warnings. First and foremost, this is an AI bot and it does not understand the nuances of human language. Therefore, even the best technology will not deliver the highest quality content, no matter what you ask it to write. 

As far as software is concerned, ChatGPT can generate actual programming code. Again, however, it’s up to you to double-check and make sure that it’s not messing up the programming or using tools that aren’t effective. So, check it out, play with it a bit, but don’t start relying on ChatGPT to do any work for you. 

The downside: Trust issues keep Google on top 

Many people assume that a tool like this will surely run the likes of Google out of business, or at least cause them to resign themselves to second place. However, while Google gives you multiple options for information that it feels is most relevant, ChatGPT can deliver a superior answer that’s more direct, which is what people like. 

We know what you’re thinking—okay, so what’s the downside? The downside here is the same as it has been: the chatbot might be wrong. Plus, it becomes immensely more difficult to vet the information given by ChatGPT, as opposed to a site found on Google, which includes a title, URL, and plenty of other identifying information. ChatGPT could pull information from anywhere and you may never find it or be able to prove that it is, indeed, a reputable source. 

For now, people will continue to be part of the content production and customer service process. Even if it’s just to oversee the AI and ensure that it’s working properly, there will still be a need for a human connection in business, even with the best chatbots and other tools. So, if you use a tool like ChatGPT, remember to use it with caution. 

Automate and outsource to save time and money 

Instead of a chatbot, why not outsource to a team of live virtual receptionists who will be available to answer the call 24 hours a day, seven days a week? At Smith.ai, we can serve as your 24/7 answering service, along with providing support for lead intake, appointment scheduling, and your live website chat so that you don’t have to rely on the hit-or-miss success of a chatbot. 

We understand that your time is valuable and you don’t need to spend it on tedious admin work when you could be working with clients or on projects that require your attention. That’s why we offer a host of solutions for your admin and communications needs, along with a custom strategy to manage all the details. To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai. 

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