ChatGPT for Idiots – Written by an Idiot Using ChatGPT

You’d be hard pressed these days to find someone who hasn’t at least heard about the latest breakthrough of the 21st century. I am of course talking about GPT (or Generative pre-trained transformers) large language models. GPT systems have, in fact, been around a few years now and available on OpenAI since 2018 but it is only in 2023 when this technology has really made it into the public eye (I bet your nan has even heard of it).

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Most notably of course is ChatGPT (released Nov 2022) which has been discussed far and wide and has been a real game changer. What I have found, however, is that many people I’ve spoken to are unsure how to interact with ChatGPT and some even consider it cheating or a dishonest working practice (it’s not but I can see why they’d come to this conclusion).

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Honestly this hilarious clip from a bit of Fry and Laurie summarises it perfectly for me when people ask me about using ChatGPT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FZuWAOAcc8

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I thought now is a great time to start some discussions around this topic with you all with full disclosure that I am certainly no expert when it comes to GPT systems or utilising ChatGPT!

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How I have been using ChatGPT -

1.????? Writing assistant - I’m a big fan of the 80/20 method where appropriate and ChatGPT provides an ideal tool for this approach. The ability to provide a solution to generate 80% of a task so I can focus on the 20% that matters is powerful indeed. I often use this approach to collate my thoughts and rapidly structure several of my tasks. I cannot understate just how much time I have saved so far using ChatGPT.

In fact, although I chose to write this article the ‘good old-fashioned way’ I still used ChatGPT to optimise it.

2.????? Administrative tasks – ChatGPT has really taken away the dull repetition of routine admin tasks for me whether it has been drafting generic email responses, generating highlight reports, or rapidly organising meeting minutes and notes.

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3.????? Social media – If I’m in a hurry and want to post something quickly on behalf of my employer or on my own account ChatGPT can take the basic premise of my post and turn it into something ready to publish in a matter of seconds.

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4.?????? Research – I have used this several time for getting a head-start for market research competitor analysis and general information about a new topic. ChatGPT gathers relevant information from the web and presents it in a concise manner which I find very useful.

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Other functionalities I’ve come across that could be useful to a non-tech audience -

With the ability to understand context and continuously tweek initial queries the versatility of ChatGPT and similar solutions is vast, and it is likely that many of us will only scratch the surface of its functionality. Here are some additional ideas to consider when using ChatGPT as a lay user:

-???????? Why not create a learning plan? ChatGPT can provide explanations and answer your questions to help you understand complex topics.

-???????? Feedback on writing – Grammatical checks, structure or ask for ideas on what could be missing (brits bear in mind that the software is automatically set to American English).

-???????? Information about a new topic when you don’t know where to begin.

-???????? Create structured to do lists and work with ChatGPT to optimise them.

-???????? Condensing document to achieve word limits or simplified versions of text.

-???????? Draft legal documents to get you started.

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Concerns when using ChatGPT:

It's natural to have concerns about new technology. Some worry about ChatGPT replacing jobs or compromising creativity. However, it's important to note that ChatGPT is a tool meant to enhance human capabilities, not replace them. People might perceive ChatGPT as "cheating" due to traditional work ethics valuing manual effort, lack of understanding about AI capabilities, fears of job displacement, ethical concerns about plagiarism, and resistance to technological change. When used ethically and responsibly, it can be a powerful ally in various tasks, fostering innovation and efficiency without jeopardizing human ingenuity. The more we talk about this the more normalised it will become.

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Academia and ChatGPT – I wanted to touch on this topic as many of you work with or within academic institutions. Interestingly academia has met this ‘revolution’ with a somewhat mixed response. Some have embraced it openly and others have outright banned its use entirely opting to return to a purely in person written exam style system for assessing student capability. Truth be told ChatGPT isn’t even the best option available to academics (check Trinka.ai if you’re interested). I personally feel resistance is somewhat futile here and adaption/modernisation of education to align with GPT solutions is the way forwards and this presents an array of new opportunities for education (I’m sure the scientific calculator was met with similar resistance back in the day). For example, this now provides a range of platforms for students and academics to gather information rapidly to enable critical discussion and assessment of the material provided by ChatGPT. The key is to train individuals in the limitations of the software, discerning bias from generated content and ensuring appropriate referencing to prevent plagiarism. These are certainly all practical skills in my book!

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There are several other articles worth reading on this subject if you are keen to learn more:

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/chatgpt-and-future-university-assessment

https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/chatgpt-and-ai-text-generators-should-academia-adapt-or-resist

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Future Developments:

The future of ChatGPT holds exciting prospects. As advancements continue, we can anticipate features like multilingual support, nuanced emotion recognition, and enhanced contextual understanding. These developments will open doors to even more sophisticated applications, revolutionising how we interact with technology.

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Resources and Further Reading:

For those eager to delve deeper into the world of ChatGPT, I recommend exploring resources such as “GPT-3 and Beyond: Language Models for Next-Gen Applications” by AI Experts. Additionally, online platforms like Coursera offer courses on natural language processing, providing in-depth knowledge for enthusiasts and professionals alike.

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I’d love to hear from you all about how you have been using this software (especially for non-AI experts like myself) and your feeling towards it so let’s start the discussion.