ChatGPT is one of the fastest-growing technologies and platforms in history. As soon as you start using it, you’ll see why. It’s a big deal, and it is set to completely change the way we live and work.
If you’ve heard of ChatGPT, but you’re not exactly sure what it is or (most importantly) how to use it effectively, then you’re going to want to read this article.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI. It’s an AI tool that can generate human-like text based on the prompts provided to it.
ChatGPT has been trained by a MASSIVE data set. It has basically been fed the knowledge of the entire internet (up until 2021).
You can tap into this extensive knowledge by asking it any particular question you might have. ChatGPT will then provide detailed and surprisingly impressive responses to your questions in human-like language. It sometimes feels like you’re talking to a person.
You can use ChatGPT for a wide range of tasks such as drafting emails, writing content, brainstorming ideas, coding help, language translation, and much more. More on that below.
Getting started on ChatGPT
To get started on ChatGPT, you need to go to the OpenAI website.
Handy shortcut: Whenever you want to access ChatGPT, simply type ‘AI.com’ in your browser, and it will take you to the ChatGPT interface.
Create an account
First, you’ll need to create an account.
Step 1: Click ‘Sign Up’
Step 2: Create an account by following all of the necessary steps
Boom, you’re in.
Start a ‘Chat’
The ChatGPT interface is a chatbot. I’d be surprised if you haven’t used one before. All you have to do is type in a question or message (we call these ‘prompts’) into the box that says ‘Send a message’. Press enter, and ChatGPT will respond.
Step 1: Type your message in the ‘Send a message’ box.
Step 2: Hit send, and watch ChatGPT reply.
Step 3: Have a conversation. ChatGPT remembers (with some limitations) everything you talk about within one ‘Chat’. That means you can go back and forth, asking questions and requesting clarifications… just like you could in a conversation with a human being.
Your ‘Chat’ history
You can search for previous chats in the chat history section of ChatGPT. You can find that in the left-hand column of ChatGPT.
Download the ChatGPT app
OpenAI has unveiled its ChatGPT iOS app, which is currently available only in the US but is expected to roll out to other countries soon.
The ChatGPT app has a number of additional features compared to the web browser such as Whisper integration for voice-to-text and a history search bar for tracking old chats.
OpenAI has also assured that an Android version of the app is under development and will be released soon.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes, ChatGPT is free (crazy, I know). However, the free plan is limited to the GPT-3 model.
If you are a member of ChatGPT Plus ($20 / month), then you will have access to the GPT-4 model. The GPT-4 model is more accurate, creative, and reliable in solving complex problems. So, if you’re serious about using ChatGPT to help you with your life and business, a ChatGPT Plus membership is definitely worth it.
ChatGPT Plus has a number of other additional benefits such as:
- General access to ChatGPT even during peak times
- Faster response times
- Priority access to new features like ChatGPT Plugins (more on plugins below, these are HUGE news)
What can we use ChatGPT for?
Okay, now we’re getting into the juicy stuff. What can we actually use ChatGPT for? The use cases are immense, and we’re still discovering more and more ways to use this extraordinary tool. To give you an idea of the potential, here are just a few of the ways we can use ChatGPT:
- Creative: ChatGPT can be used as a brainstorming partner for creative writing, generating original ideas, plot suggestions, and character dialogues to inspire your next novel or script.
- Business: It can draft professional correspondence, assist with business plan creation, generate engaging marketing copy, and even help formulate strategic business proposals.
- Coding: ChatGPT can be a valuable aid for coding by generating code snippets, debugging code, or explaining complex programming concepts. If you want to learn more about how ChatGPT can automate your coding tasks (and how to use ChatGPT’s advanced features to boost your productivity), then make sure you check out this free ‘ChatGPT for programmers’ guidebook.
- Content
- Expand/Reduce Written Content: It can help you expand on bullet points or ideas to create detailed articles or conversely, help condense lengthy articles into concise summaries.
- YouTube Scripts: ChatGPT can assist in creating engaging and clear scripts for YouTube videos, ensuring your content resonates with your audience.
- Translation: While it’s not perfect, ChatGPT can translate text between various languages, providing a rough understanding of content in foreign languages.
- Emails: It can help draft professional and well-structured emails for various contexts, whether it’s a business outreach, a customer service response, or a personal note.
- Recap Books: ChatGPT can generate comprehensive summaries or reviews of books, helping you quickly understand the key points and themes.
- Recommendations: Whether it’s suggesting a list of books based on specific criteria or recommending the next steps in a project plan, ChatGPT can generate personalized recommendations based on the context provided.
- Start an AI business: By leveraging the ChatGPT API, you can integrate the power of GPT into your own applications, like automated content creation, customer service chatbots, name generators, and all kinds of other insanely valuable tools.
What is a ‘prompt’?
Prompts are the input texts that you provide to ChatGPT to guide its responses. They can be as simple as a single word or question, or as complex as a detailed paragraph providing context and instructions.
The way you craft your prompts has a huge impact on the quality of the results you will get. Prompting is a skill that takes time and dedication to learn. Alternatively, you can use ready-made prompts that have been designed and tested by experts. Here at WGMI, we regularly share tried and tested prompts that you can use to improve your productivity in life and at work. For example:
What are the limitations of ChatGPT?
As with anything, ChatGPT isn’t perfect and has a few limitations which are very important to remember.
1. ChatGPT is not connected to the internet
Its training data is cut off in September 2021, so ChatGPT simply isn’t aware of any events in the world after September 2021. That means you cannot use ChatGPT for:a. Current events or news: ChatGPT cannot provide updates or context on any events or developments in the world that occurred after its training data was cut-off in September 2021.
b. Real-Time Information or Data: ChatGPT can’t retrieve real-time data or perform internet-based tasks such as checking the weather, fetching stock market updates, identifying market trends, or providing live sports scores.
NOTE: This limitation is somewhat eliminated by the ChatGPT ‘Browsing’ Plugin, which gives ChatGPT direct access to the internet. This Plugin is limited to ChatGPT Plus members only.
2. Hallucinations
ChatGPT is sometimes just straight-up wrong. It can generate text that sounds plausible but is actually incorrect or nonsensical. Don’t rely on ChatGPT’s responses 100% without reading through it first and checking it is factually correct.
3. It can be sensitive
ChatGPT can be sensitive to the phrasing of the prompt and might produce different outputs for slightly rephrased prompts. It also doesn’t understand the context outside of the prompts given in the current session.
What are ‘ChatGPT Plugins’?
ChatGPT plugins have officially been rolled out to ChatGPT Plus users.
By giving ChatGPT access to real-time data, people are excited (and concerned) about the potential for plugins to completely disrupt the way we use the internet.
The beauty of plugins is that they enable users to access real-time data and insights from a variety of sources. It makes ChatGPT a much more powerful and versatile tool. You can now get comprehensive answers to questions about things that are happening right now. This is completely new territory.
How do ChatGPT plugins work?
The easiest way to understand how plugins work is through an example.
Let’s say you want to book a holiday. First off, you enable the Expedia plugin in a ChatGPT conversation and start asking it questions. You could ask for hotel options, flight details, the cheapest car hire options, the best time of year to travel, and any other travel-related query.
The plugin is connected to Expedia’s huge database of travel services and up-to-date travel information. In seconds you could receive comprehensive, personalized answers to very specific questions such as:
- “Find me the best hotel deals in New York City for the weekend of April 21-23.”
- “What are the cheapest round-trip flights from San Francisco to Paris in May?”
- “Can you recommend a family-friendly resort in Cancun?”
Want to learn more about Plugins?
Are you starting to see how these plugins can be insanely powerful? If you want to learn more about them, check out these two free articles.
