Understanding ChatGPT: Origins, Uses, and Limitations of AI
School
Providence School**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
BIB 5
Subject
Information Systems
Date
Dec 12, 2024
Pages
2
Uploaded by GeneralIron8446
Disclaimer: This is a machine generated PDF of selected content from our products. This functionality is provided solely for yourconvenience and is in no way intended to replace original scanned PDF. Neither Cengage Learning nor its licensors make anyrepresentations or warranties with respect to the machine generated PDF. The PDF is automatically generated "AS IS" and "ASAVAILABLE" and are not retained in our systems. CENGAGE LEARNING AND ITS LICENSORS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANYAND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES FOR AVAILABILITY,ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, COMPLETENESS, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULARPURPOSE. Your use of the machine generated PDF is subject to all use restrictions contained in The Cengage LearningSubscription and License Agreement and/or the Gale In Context: High School Terms and Conditions and by using the machinegenerated PDF functionality you agree to forgo any and all claims against Cengage Learning or its licensors for your use of themachine generated PDF functionality and any output derived therefrom.ChatGPTDate:2023 From:Gale In Context Online CollectionPublisher:Gale, part of Cengage GroupDocument Type:Topic overview Length:1,235 wordsContent Level:(Level 4)Lexile Measure:1270LFull Text: ChatGPT is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) developed by the company OpenAI and launched in November 2022. ChatGPT is achatbot, or a computer program that produces words when prompted by a human user to simulate a “chat” between two or morepeople. The tool has a variety of use cases, including basic research, summarizing articles, and composing emails. However,ChatGPT also has several limitations, the chief of which is that the information it provides is not always accurate. Still, many expertsnote that the technology will only improve, and many people believe it will change the world.Critical Thinking QuestionsHow does ChatGPT replicate human communication and retrieve answers for users?What are some limitations of ChatGPT? Do you think it will overcome them in the future? Why or why not?What are some positive and negative effects of artificial intelligence (AI)? Do you think it is a mostly good or mostly badtechnology?Origins of ChatGPTSince the beginning of the computer era in the mid-twentieth century, computers have been able to gather and process data that wasprovided to them by people along with processing instructions but were unable to think or learn on their own. Over the decadescomputers became much more complicated and sophisticated, and by the 2020s, they were able to use AI that nearly matchedhuman intelligence.In 2015, a group of entrepreneurs founded a company called OpenAI. The company’s mission is to develop and build artificialintelligence systems that are safe and beneficial to humankind. Some possible benefits of AI technology include growing the globaleconomy, discovering new scientific breakthroughs, and helping to create enough resources for the world’s ever-growing population.The company acknowledges that AI may be used for an array of negative purposes but hopes to steer the technology in a positivedirection. One method is to democratize access to AI technology, meaning to make it accessible to as many people as possible so itcannot be hoarded or exploited by a small number of individuals.OpenAI has developed several AI tools, including ChatGPT. The GPT of its name stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer,which describes how it is programmed to “learn” by gathering and interpreting the input of its human users. This process is extremelycomplicated but basically means that the program searches for patterns and sequences within data, including the information it getsfrom users and information it accesses from online sources. It does this not only to gather needed information but also to better mimichuman thought, speech, and writing patterns.OpenAI launched a free preview of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, attracting significant attention from both the media andconsumers. The the service received more than one million signups within the first five days and reached more than 100 million usersin January 2023. ChatGPT Plus, a paid, premium service launched in February 2023. Numerous improvements quickly followed. InMarch 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4, an update to its AI engine. Mobile apps were released for Apple and Android devices. InSeptember, OpenAI announced that ChatGPT Plus users could access new voice and image capabilities. For example, OpenAI citedthat users could upload a photo of the contents of their refrigerator and ask ChatGPT for recopies using those ingredients.Alternately, mobile users could have a voice conversation with ChatGPT.How ChatGPT WorksChatGPT is based on the GPT large language model (LLM), meaning that it can understand and generate language. Users supply a
prompt in the form of a question or an instruction, and ChatGPT generates a response. For example, people may ask ChatGPTquestions about facts (such as which is the tallest mountain in the world) or more complex thought questions (such as why bad thingshappen to good people).As more people use ChatGPT, it will learn more about how humans think and communicate, making it more functional andsuccessful. In addition, ChatGPT users are able to rate their interaction with the program—typically with a “thumbs up” or “thumbsdown” symbol—to show whether they were satisfied with its reply. This helps the program determine which of its behaviors are moreor less acceptable to human users.Uses and LimitationsChatGPT became highly popular after its release and users have tested its abilities for dozens of purposes. Many ask it basicresearch questions, challenge it to solve math problems, or use it to chat or play games. More advanced uses include creating socialmedia posts, summarizing articles, designing new computer programs, or even composing musical works.Indeed, ChatGPT has proven more successful than previous chatbots because of its high-level application of AI to create responsesthat may seem truly human. It can also use a wide range of technologies to produce replies that are far more complex than merewords; it may be able to retrieve or even generate essays, social media posts, or even images or videos in response to user queries.While many users have been impressed by ChatGPT’s capabilities, many have discovered that the program has important limitationsas well. It has limited access to information, which means people may not be able to find obscure or up-to-date references. Just asimportantly, the attempt to mimic human comprehension and communication is still unrefined, and many users have noted that theprogram “sounds like a computer” or does not understand complex aspects of human interplay such as sarcasm and jokes. It mayalso misinterpret a person’s intended meaning or goal and have difficulty correcting itself.In addition, the quality of ChatGPT’s depend on the quality of the prompts that users provide. Prompt engineering, or the ability tocreate effective instructions, is an important skill for ChatGPT users. People need to understand how ChatGPT works and adjust thewording of prompts to achieve the desired responses. More detailed and specific prompts will likely yield a better result. For example,a user might ask ChatGPT to assume a role, such as “pretend you are a tech blogger” and then ask it for three ideas for a blog postabout artificial intelligence.Criticism of ChatGPTChatGPT has introduced tens of thousands of users to new possibilities in human-computer interaction, as well as offered new waysin which computers may help people. However, many people have also criticized ChatGPT and similar technologies on many fronts,ranging from its technical flaws to its overall impact on the future of humanity. Some people have noted that ChatGPT may be usedunethically, such as to impersonate real people, cheat on tests and assignments, spread lies or insulting attitudes, propagatecomputer viruses, or plagiarize existing works. Other observers are concerned about the loss of jobs due to the adoption of ChatGPTand other AI technologies. On a broader scale, many people are concerned that overreliance on human-computer interaction willweaken the bonds between people, potentially leading to isolation, poor social skills, and other troubling effects.Connections: The History of ChatbotsChatbots like ChatGPT have become a significant feature of science, news, and pop culture, but the technology behind them beganto develop generations earlier. The idea of a chatbot is often traced back to the 1960s, when an early computer program calledELIZA, developed by computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum (1923–2008), attempted to replicate a visit to a human therapist. Auser could tell ELIZA about personal problems or concerns, and the program would seem to offer comfort or advice. However, earlychatbots used much simpler technology than ChatGPT and might only produce stock phrases or replies that parroted the user’swords rather than providing new insights.Full Text:COPYRIGHT 2024 Gale, part of Cengage GroupSource Citation (MLA 9th Edition) "ChatGPT." Gale In Context Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/FGOOAN056745662/SUIC?u=jack63683&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=765e3a28. Accessed 21 Feb. 2024.Gale Document Number: GALE|FGOOAN056745662