Bianca Visagie
25 January 2023
Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve certainly noticed that ChatGPT and GPT-3 have been disrupting industries on a major scale these last few weeks. From content creation to coding, AI is everywhere, and it seems like it’s here to stay.
That’s why this week we’re taking a look at the potential of ChatGPT and GPT-3, plus what it all means for the tech (and other) industries.
What is ChatGPT?
To answer this question, we can actually ask ChatGPT.
Simply put, ChatGPT is a language modal that interacts with users in a conversational way. It can answer questions, write entire blog posts, create outlines, and converse with actual humans in a relatively human-like manner. In essence, ChatGPT is a chatbot.
How is ChatGPT different from other chatbots?
Now, AI chatbots are nothing new. You carry one around on your phone (Hey Siri). However, one key difference between ChatGPT and other AI chatbots is the way they are trained.
ChatGPT is a generative model, meaning that it can generate new text based on the input it receives. For example, you can ask ChatGPT to write blog post topics for certain industries or compile lists of keywords. Other AI chatbots, such as rule-based chatbots and script-based chatbots, rely on pre-written rules and scripts to generate responses, which can be less flexible and less adaptable.
Another difference is the way ChatGPT and other AI chatbots process the input they receive. ChatGPT is a transformer model. It uses self-attention mechanisms to process input and generate output. This allows it to handle longer sequences of text and to generate more coherent content. Other AI chatbots may use simpler algorithms to process input and generate output, which can result in less natural or coherent responses.
What is the impact on the technology industry?
How will ChatGPT and GPT-3 change the technology (and other) industries? Let’s take a look at some use cases.
Customer service
ChatGPT is already changing customer service. Now we finally have a chatbot that can understand and respond to customer inquiries and requests naturally and conversationally. This means that you can provide a more efficient and convenient customer service experience.
Application Development
There are plenty of ways for developers to use ChatGPT and GPT-3. For example, developers can use it to translate words, summarise concepts, write product descriptions, and more. It can even write small snippets of code.
Content Creation
This is arguably the area where ChatGPT has made the most waves. As I mentioned before, ChatGPT can be used to write entire blog posts, social media posts, and even video scripts. It seems like something that will revolutionise the marketing industry. And it’s left many with the question: will AI replace writers and artists?
Well, to put it briefly, no. There are many limitations on ChatGPT, which we’ll cover below. However, it’s predicted that AI will become a more standard tool in the tech stack of writers and content creators.
Limitations of ChatGPT
There are a few limitations to ChatGPT, namely:
- It occasionally generates incorrect and incomplete information,
- It can produce harmful instructions based on biased content,
- It doesn’t cover events post-2021,
- It doesn’t generate completely new content, only content it was trained on, so there is a real risk of plagiarism,
- and as of writing, its servers are overwhelmed and the platform is inaccessible for periods of time.
GPT-3 and the Future of AI
GPT-3, or the third generation Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a neural network machine learning model trained using internet data to generate any type of text. It is one of the largest and most powerful language-processing AI models to date, with 175 billion parameters. GPT-3 is being used to create articles, poetry, stories, news reports and dialogue. For example, GPT-3 can take two or three lines of text and turn it into a fully functioning website.
GPT-3’s most famous use so far has been to create ChatGPT, but what are some of its other uses? Well according to OpenAI, the company that built ChatGPT, GPT-3 is being used to power search, conversations, text completion, and other advanced AI features through their API.
For example, Lucy, the hero of Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s Wolves in the Walls, a VR experience, can have natural conversations with people thanks to dialogue generated by GPT-3.
We’ve also already covered how AI is changing the medical industry, and with the continued advances in technology, AI is sure to change even more industries.
But what are the ethical considerations?
AI and ethical concerns go together like popcorn and movies. ChatGPT is unique in that it puts a very powerful AI in the hands of the public, for the first time ever. We’re on new ground, even if AI is not new tech anymore.
Because ChatGPT is trained largely using words from the internet, it can pick up on the internet’s biases, stereotypes and general opinions. And if you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ll know that it’s filled with harmful opinions.
That means you’ll occasionally find harmful jokes or stereotypes about certain groups. It also has access to fake news and conspiracy theories, and can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s not. There are also plagiarism and copyright infringements abound (see the Midjourney lawsuit).
AI and Integrove
ChatGPT and GPT-3 are powerful language models that have the potential to revolutionise the technology industry. However, there are also concerns about the potential misuse of these models.
As we continue to unlock the potential of ChatGPT and GPT-3, it’s important to explore the full range of their uses and implications and to work towards responsible and sustainable implementation. The future of AI is promising and exciting, and ChatGPT and GPT-3 are key players in this field.
Still not sure about ChatGPT and GPT-3? Why not talk to one of our expert technology consultants about how we can help you navigate the ever-changing technology landscape.