AI, or Artificial Intelligence software, has been around for years and years now, but it recently got the whole world buzzing when OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022. People from all manner of industries and walks of life expressed varied opinions about the software. Some say it's a game-changer, others say it's the same as the rest, and there are also some who are horrified at the arrival of ChatGPT and the demise of the skill of writing. 

 

So, what is ChatGPT, and who invented it? How did it come about?

ChatGPT is an open-source AI chatbot platform powered by the GPT-3 natural language processing system. OpenAI, the same company that made ChatGPT, says that they have taught the bot to respond in a natural and conversational way.

Here are some of the things ChatGPT can do for you:

1. Generate human-like responses in text format.

2. Answer questions on a wide range of topics, including science, history, and general knowledge.

3. Generate "creative" writing, such as poetry, stories, and news articles.

4. Translate text from one language to another.

5. Condense lengthy passages of text into shorter, more concise versions.

6. Identify and extract named entities, such as people, organisations, and locations, from text.

7. Suggest additional words or sentences to complete a paragraph.

8. Generate a dialogue based on the context provided by the user.

... and so much more! We're delving into it, because we like to keep our clients abreast of everything that can affect their business - for both good and bad - and because whether we like it or not, it's here to stay, and it's only going to get bigger!

As mentioned earlier, ChatGPT is owned and developed by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research laboratory founded by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and Wojciech Zremba. Their goal is to promote and develop a friendly AI in a way that benefits humanity as a whole. But the question is: is ChatGPT good news or bad news?

The pros of ChatGPT

1. It can respond to a variety of questions with smart and properly cited text.

2. It can save you time.

3. It answers questions in a detailed way.

4. It answers questions in real-time.

5. It's easy to use.

6. It's free for now.

The cons of ChatGPT (as given directly by ChatGPT via its desktop app)

1. Bias: Like all machine learning models, ChatGPT is trained on the data it was given, which can reflect and amplify existing biases in the data.
2. Limitations in understanding: Despite its ability to understand natural language, ChatGPT is still a machine and may not always fully comprehend the nuances and context of human language.
3. Lack of context: ChatGPT can struggle with understanding the context of a conversation or the overall situation in which it is being used, leading to incorrect or inappropriate responses.
4. Cost: The computational resources required to fine-tune and use ChatGPT can be significant, making it more difficult for smaller organisations or individuals to access and utilise the model.
5. Need for human oversight: While ChatGPT is capable of generating human-like responses, it is still not capable of truly understanding human emotions or intent and thus may require human oversight to ensure ethical and appropriate usage.
6. Ethical considerations: The potential uses and implications of large language models like ChatGPT raise a number of ethical and societal questions that need to be carefully considered.

We've talked more about ChatGPT ~ The good, the bad, and the ugly in one of our podcast episodes this year; watch it below!

What's so special about ChatGPT?

"It is much more capable than previous chatbots, and it's free to use!" (Toby Walsh, AI professor at UNSW)

Is ChatGPT better than other AI tools?

Still from professor Toby: "It is a bit less clunky. Google and the like have their own versions, but they've made this one a little more directive, and it tends not to make so much stuff up! They don't necessarily always say the truth."

"ChatGPT is a real game-changer in terms of the level of sophistication." (Dr. Ben Hamer, Adjunct Professor at Edith Cowan University) 

Additionally, Dr. Hamer said that some people are using ChatGPT in the wrong way. According to him, "The hope is that people use ChatGPT to do research, to do a first draft, but still overlay it with their own unique perspective or original thinking as well."

If you're copying and pasting from ChatGPT, YOU MUST STOP!

ChatGPT is a good source for idea generation, but that doesn't mean that you can copy everything without adding your personal take on the topic. Google will penalise you for plagiarism!

AI-generated content, including ChatGPTs, is sourced from different people across the internet. This means that there are already some people who have used the exact text you've got from ChatGPT and posted it on the internet. It is fed with data in order to give the answers to your questions, and the last time it was trained on data was in September 2021. YIKES!

In one of the newsletters I've received about AI and ChatGPT, it was mentioned that AI can't tell the difference between fact and fiction. So, if you rely on it for everything, you'll surely get into trouble!

Can Google detect AI-generated content?

The answer is plain and simple - YES!

Google can detect if a particular piece of writing is AI or ChatGPT-generated by searching for patterns and inconsistencies in the style and quality of the writing. Google's Search Advocate, John Mueller, said that content generated through AI is automatically considered SPAM, which could lead to penalties.

To make sure that your content and website are safe and can rank higher in the search rankings, you much optimise them with rich and well-researched keywords, free from AI-generated content! 

Here are some content and website top tips to help you rank higher in search results:

1. Work on your SEO! Use keywords that are performing well, but don't keyword-stuff! You can use Answer the Public in searching for different keywords or topics that your ideal customers are already searching for, or  you can also use YouTube. Remember, it's a very powerful search engine!

2. Write quality content over quantity. Make sure that you're producing well-researched content that provides value. If you're suffering with a little writer's block, you can always repurpose your evergreen content. Refresh your old blog posts and see the magic! Read more about that here!

3. Focus on customer experience! Brands and businesses are losing $29 for every customer they acquire due to money being spent on ads, etc.
COLLABORATION and a focus on customer experience are more important than ever! Instead of looking for new customers/clients, work on building brand loyalty, community, and retention.

4. Obtain high-quality backlinks from reputable and trusted sources to show search engines that your website or content is valuable and trustworthy.

5. Improve your website's loading time. Longer than 3 seconds load time can lead to a high bounce rate off your website. 

Here's what other people say about ChatGPT!

 

 

Listen in to our Bite-Size podcast episode about the good, the bad and the ugly of ChatGPT below: