ChatGPT is a chatbot developed by OpenAI. This type of artificial intelligence (AI) can generate text, code, images and much more. Used correctly, AI can be a great help. But be careful: ChatGPT in particular is not as error-free as you might think.
Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) models are based on previous “conversations”. ChatGPT, for example, has been trained on a large pool of data and can now combine words according to probability. This allows it to perform a variety of tasks, including:
– In dispenser service, you can use GPT models to have conversations that feel natural to answer customer queries.
– In communication, you could implement measures more quickly, such as writing emails and social media posts.
– You are able to generate creative formats more quickly, such as poems, codes, scripts, pieces of music, images, etc.
Practical use cases
What you can do with GPT models like ChatGPT:
– Gather knowledge : Use ChatBots for research. To do this, activate the Bing search in ChatGPT (currently only possible in the paid version) or use Bing (Microsoft) directly to display the sources. Be sure to check these.
– Summarize text: Enter a text or URL and ask ChatGPT to summarize the most important points or convert the text into short bullet points.
– Shorten or rephrase text: Enter text and ask ChatGPT to rephrase it into more understandable language or shorter paragraphs. This option is particularly helpful for foundation applications, as you often write more than you can enter.
– Finding and structuring ideas: Would you like to collect initial ideas on a specific topic or create a workshop structure? Ask ChatGPT to give you key terms. ChatGPT can create headlines for you that contain the most important keywords and thus help you with search engine optimization.
– Programming: Enter an incorrect code and let ChatGPT correct it.
– Translate: ChatGPT can translate texts from one language to another.
– Complete text: Enter text and ask ChatGPT to complete the text you have started. The original writing style is retained.
– Analyze text: ChatGPT can analyze the tone, mood, keywords and much more in a text.
– Create images and texts: Create images, texts for social media posts, newsletters, mailings and much more.
– For videos: With ChatGPT you can automatically generate or describe scripts, scenes and actions that can be used by video editors. GPT-4 can also be used to create subtitles or voiceovers.
– For search engine optimization (SEO): Ask ChatGPT to perform an SEO analysis for your text or keyword research.
GPT models make everyday life easier, especially when it comes to communication. However, you should also approach this technology with a critical attitude.
Are you also critical of the AI hype?
You normally search for information on the Internet. They know the sources of the content and can assess whether they are trustworthy. If you use GPT models and ask for the unknown, you will get a nicely formulated text. This seems logical and closes the gaps in your knowledge. Nevertheless, you should definitely check the correctness. For example, if you ask the chatbot for sources, it will give you information immediately. Verify this information, as it can occasionally lead to empty pages or outdated website sources.
GPT models such as ChatGPT are equipped with mechanisms to prevent prejudice, violence and hatred on the Internet. Current studies are investigating how algorithms can help to further reduce these negative effects. The intelligence of machines cannot solve all our problems at the touch of a button. Human involvement and creative solutions are still needed to successfully overcome the challenges of our time. The interaction between man and machine enables cooperative collaboration in order to achieve the best possible results.
Think about what specific benefits GPT models can offer you. For example, they enable efficient communication and translations into several languages with just one input. However, please also bear in mind that the results can sometimes be unreliable. You should therefore consider whether the usual Internet research to find out the source is not more reliable and even more efficient.
How to get started with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is currently available free of charge on the OpenAI website and via the mobile app for iOS and Android. How to create your OpenAI account to be able to use ChatGPT:
– Open the website: chat.openai.com
– Click on “Sign up”, enter your login details and complete the registration process
– After logging in, you will see a chat window. In the upper part you can switch from GPT-3.5 to GPT 4 if you have a paid PLUS subscription.
– Now enter your first command, a so-called “prompt“.
The art of prompting
A prompt is a question or a sentence that you ask the GPT model. It helps to give you the best answer. Make sure that your prompts are easy to understand and as specific as possible. When creating prompts, you should follow a kind of framework: Context, the desired result and information on length, format and style. The more information you provide the chatbot with, the better it can meet your expectations and fulfill them.
Example of a longer formulated prompt
“Write as a fundraiser. Write a compelling subject line for the November 2023 newsletter that highlights the successes and progress of your work at the Nature Park in the spring. Your subject line should be informative, clear and compelling enough to entice subscribers to open the email. Also, consider formatting techniques such as personalization or urgency to make the newsletter stand out in crowded inboxes. Finally, keep the subject line short to ensure it fully reflects the content of the newsletter without being cut off due to length restrictions.”
After you have pressed Enter, GPT will provide you with a subject line variant.
The extent to which the result depends on individual details of the prompt can be seen in the next example. If only the first word is changed, the output is different.
“Act as a fundraiser. Write a meaningful subject line for the November 2023 newsletter that highlights the successes and progress of your work in the Nature Park in the spring. Your subject line should be informative, clear and compelling enough to entice subscribers to open the email. Also consider formatting techniques such as personalization or urgency to make the newsletter stand out in crowded inboxes. Finally, keep the subject line short to ensure that it fully reflects the content of the newsletter without being cut off due to length restrictions.”
Example of a shorter formulated prompt
Prompt:
“I am a fundraiser and I am creating a newsletter for the month of November 2023. The newsletter will contain news about our work at the Nature Park in the spring. What would be an appropriate subject line for my email?”
You can always refer to the previous conversation with ChatGPT in any chat. This makes it easier to understand the course of the conversation and establish a better context.
You can now enter further prompts in the chat:
“Point 3 is interesting. Please shorten this subject a little”.
You can now enter another prompt in the chat:
“Very good. Now translate this sentence into English (UK), French and Swiss German (Zurich dialect).”.
Please always check that the results are correct. In this case, ChatGPT has made a mistake. The correct spelling would be “Wachstum” instead of “Wachse”.
More sample prompts for inspiration:
Specify text length
Prompt:
The text should not be longer than 50 words. ### INSERT YOUR TEXT ###
Format text automatically
Prompt:
Add a suitable main heading, subheadings, numbered lists, bold and italics to structure the text. ### INSERT YOUR TEXT ###
Create table
Prompt:
I am looking for new software and would like to compare the features of the different tools in a table. Please help me with my decision and give me an overview of the features of the software in tabular form.
Create social media posts
Prompt:
Create a Facebook post with a cheerful tone. ### INSERT YOUR TEXT ###
Prompt:
Write a LinkedIn post. ### INSERT YOUR TEXT ###
Current GPT models and developments
OpenAI has developed the GPT-3 and GPT-4 models. Microsoft is significantly involved and one of the largest investors in this project. Using the Bing extension for ChatGPT from Open AI, it can now access the Internet directly again as soon as you enable the Bing option in the settings:
You can use many external plug-ins with ChatGPT to benefit from additional functions. And ChatGPT could become your new voice assistant with the current five new voices. This means you can also control everything by voice.
ChatGPT (paid version) can not only generate images directly in the chat with Dall-E3, but also recognize images. You upload images and can edit them with ChatGPT. For example, you could recreate a website with the help of a screenshot. At the recently held OpenAI DevDay, numerous other potentially breakthrough functions were also announced, such as individually configurable GPTs.
Microsoft has also announced Copilot for Windows 11, which will soon be available to business customers.
Bing Search and Bing Chat and Bing ImageCreator, which is used by Microsoft, will receive an update for even more personalized answers based on your own search history. Here, too, you can work with the new Dall-E3 image AI.
LaMDA stands for “Language Model for Dialogue Applications”. It was developed, financed and operated by Alphabet Inc, the parent company of Google, in 2022. PaLM 2 “Pathways Language Model 2” followed in 2023, which is even more powerful than LaMDA and can perform more complex tasks. For example, LaMDA could be used to create personalized recommendations for products, donations and services, while PaLM 2 could be used to develop new drugs or treatments for cancer, for example. Another language model (LLM) from Google is BARD (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), which is still in the beta phase. It has a lower capacity than LaMDA and PaLM 2. Google recently announced that it will integrate BARD into its own apps such as Gmail, Docs, Drive, Maps, YouTube, Google Flights and Hotels. Bard can also recognize images.
GPT free of charge:
– OpenAI GPT-3 is free of charge and will also be able to access the Internet with Bing in the future. At the moment, Internet can only be used with the paid GPT-4 version.
– Bing Chat: The chatbot from Microsoft is free of charge, uses GPT-4 and is connected to the Internet via the Bing search engine.
– Google’s BARD chatbot is also free and uses Internet results.
Free GPT providers give you the opportunity to try out GPT models. However, they usually do not offer the same service as paid ones and may be subject to restrictions such as a limited number of requests per day.
Stay on the ball
In the coming months, GPT models will show remarkable developments and change the communication landscape permanently. Areas that deal with text and images in particular will experience these changes. The automation of many tasks will not only save time and resources, but also create space for strategic and planning activities. However, always question these developments critically and learn through practical application – stay on the ball. Be open to new things, test and try them out. Internal dialog and transparency will be crucial in order to gradually implement innovative processes that benefit all employees.
