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OpenAI's ChatGPT: Everything You Need to Know

A complete guide to understanding the popular AI chatbot

Are you curious about the internet phenomenon, ChatGPT? The AI chatbot can take your questions and generate detailed, human-sounding responses within seconds. This is possible due to its massive dataset that includes billions of sources on the internet. If you want to give ChatGPT a try, it's free to use on the OpenAI website; you'll just need to create an account first. This wikiHow will help you understand what ChatGPT is, how it works, and how to use it.

Things You Should Know

  • ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can generate and understand natural human language.
  • ChatGPT responds to prompts based on its training data, context, and knowledge of language patterns.
  • You'll need a valid phone number and email address to create an OpenAI account and use ChatGPT.
Section 1 of 4:

What is ChatGPT?

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    It was released on November 20, 2022, and currently has over 100 million users. This chatbot has been trained by an incredible dataset that can generate and understand most text. The ChatGPT language model can answer questions and even help you with tasks—all you need to do is ask. [1]
    • ChatGPT is free to use, though you can purchase ChatGPT Plus for extra perks, such as priority access during peak hours.
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Section 2 of 4:

How does ChatGPT work?

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    Training is the process of teaching an artificial language model how to make predictions. Instead of searching the web for answers when you ask it a question, ChatGPT knows the answer based on its training data. This two-step training process consisted of pretraining —where the AI was exposed to extensive datasets from the web—and fine-tuning —where the model was further improved based on user feedback.
    • When you ask ChatGPT a question, it evaluates your prompt or question, compares it to its training data, and delivers an appropriate response. However, unlike a human, ChatGPT doesn't know right from wrong. It only knows what it was trained to do, and the statistical patterns of language. As ChatGPT types its responses to you, it does so by predicting the next word in each sentence based on the previous words.
Section 3 of 4:

What can ChatGPT be used for?

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    Most notably, ChatGPT can be used to write essays, though recent tools make it fairly easy to detect AI in written works. As long as users generate the best prompt for their request, ChatGPT will provide a great response.
    • More common uses include:
      • Writing resumes and cover letters
      • Creating code and code fixes
      • Solving math problems
      • Crafting jokes
      • Generating job interview questions
      • Breaking down complex topics into simpler terms
      • Receiving relationship advice
      • Writing song lyrics or poems
      • Casual chatting
    • ChatGPT is constantly learning and developing, so it may occasionally provide incorrect information. Always fact-check the responses if you're using ChatGPT as a source.
    EXPERT TIP

    Tyrone Showers

    Technologist
    Tyrone Showers is a Technologist and the Co-owner of Taliferro Group, an IT consulting company based in Seattle, Washington. With over 35 years of professional experience, he specializes in API Design, e-Commerce, Operational Efficiency, and website development. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from DeVry Institute of Technology.
    Tyrone Showers
    Technologist

    Practice using ChatGPT to enhance your creative workflow. ChatGPT is a valuable tool for writers and content creators to generate creative texts and many types of content. You can unlock its full potential by mastering how to refine prompts, provide clear instructions, and understand ChatGPT's recurring patterns.

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Section 4 of 4:

How do I use ChatGPT?

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    Sign up for an account. To use ChatGPT, you must have an OpenAI account. You can sign up on the OpenAI website . You'll just need a valid email address and phone number to get started.
    • Once you're logged in, you'll see an open chat on the homepage.
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    The AI relies on well-written prompts to answer appropriately and correctly. Be as clear and informative as possible; broad prompts usually lead to irrelevant answers.
    • Here are some popular examples to get you started:
      • "Write an outline for an essay about positive uses of AI chatbots in schools."
      • "Write a 4-page personal high school essay about the Israel-Palestine conflict, showing that I feel conflicted and want a peaceful solution."
      • "Write a Python function that reverses a string using a slice."
      • "Write me a cover letter that includes [your job experience]."
    • Always follow ChatGPT's usage policies; if you don't, your account may be suspended or terminated.
    • If you have a request that generates a long response from ChatGPT, you may hit the character limit. ChatGPT may stop responding suddenly. If this is the case, you'll need to break up your request into smaller parts or provide a more specific request.
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    Once you receive your first response, you can ask ChatGPT to elaborate or add more information. Continue to prompt ChatGPT until you're satisfied with the responses.
    EXPERT TIP

    Tyrone Showers

    Technologist
    Tyrone Showers is a Technologist and the Co-owner of Taliferro Group, an IT consulting company based in Seattle, Washington. With over 35 years of professional experience, he specializes in API Design, e-Commerce, Operational Efficiency, and website development. He has a B.S. in Computer Science from DeVry Institute of Technology.
    Tyrone Showers
    Technologist

    Be specific when using ChatGPT. Clear and concise prompts outlining your exact needs help ChatGPT tailor its response. Specify the desired outcome (e.g., creative writing, informative summary, functional resume), any length constraints (word or character count), and the preferred emotional tone (formal, humorous, etc.)

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      Warnings

      • OpenAI employees may occasionally read your conversations with ChatGPT (even if you delete them) for training so it's advisable you avoid sharing personal information for your safety.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt

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