ChatGPT is a state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) model developed by OpenAI. It utilizes the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) architecture. The model is fine-tuned on a massive dataset of conversational text, making it capable of generating human-like responses that are both fluent and contextually appropriate. This technology can be utilized for various applications, such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and automated customer service.

One of the most striking features of ChatGPT is its ability to maintain coherence and consistency in long-term conversations, as it can remember previous conversation and make reference to it in its next response. It’s also capable of learning idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms which are commonly used in human conversation.

The model can also be fine-tuned for specific domains such as customer support, technical writing or personalized response generation.

In summary, ChatGPT is a powerful natural language processing model that can generate human-like responses in a wide range of conversational contexts. With its ability to understand context, maintain coherence and consistency, and learn the nuances of human conversation, it’s a valuable tool for various applications like chatbots and virtual assistants.

A human did not write these four paragraphs. ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot,  wrote them.

There was no extensive coding needed to produce this response either. All that was typed into the chat box was, “Write a short article about ChatGPT.” 

Every time ChatGPT is used, the software learns, grows and is better able to answer future questions. Despite its fairly recent launch on Nov. 30, it is already sophisticated enough to answer complex social and academic questions. For example, when “Good gifts for a 10-year-old girl” was given to the AI, it very quickly responded with:

Some good gift ideas for a 10 year old girl might include:

• A craft or art set

• A science experiment kit

• A diary or journal

• A book series

• A musical instrument or music lesson gift card

• A fun board game or puzzle

• A new bike or scooter

• A set of markers, colored pencils, or paints

• A cooking or baking set

• A remote control car or drone
• A new soccer ball or other sports equipment

It’s also a good idea to consider the child’s interests and hobbies when choosing a gift. If she enjoys reading, for example, consider giving her a book series or a subscription to a magazine on a topic that interests her.

There are, of course, some limitations with this type of program. The AI is somewhat easily overwhelmed by the number of users and requests, causing delays or an inability to access once the AI reaches capacity. But this AI is still incredibly powerful; for example, it was able to pass four law exams at the University of Minnesota, with an average of about a C+.

This innovative technology can be used by students to cut corners in their school work since the AI can write fairly decent essays. While certain teacher-specific guidelines cannot be met, the amount of work students have to do would still diminish.

English teacher Nicole Connolly graded a short essay, written by ChatGPT, on the themes of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She found many problems with the paper, including minor issues like the title of the play needing italicization and a lack of quotes. However, despite short paragraphs, the essay did have strong topic sentences. Connolly said that the paper felt incomplete and would have received a D-.

The AI could then, theoretically, be used as a jumping-off point for students to write essays. ChatGPT is currently unable to meet teacher-specific guidelines, but that is in the AI’s present form. Every time someone uses the program, it becomes “smarter,” so it is possible that eventually, the software could write more complete essays. For now, however, an essay from ChatGPT would have to be edited in order for a student to earn a passing grade.

Since English classes have specific requirements for essays, such as the number of quotes and citations, it makes sense that the AI has a more difficult time writing a passing essay for that subject. However, for an AP history class, this could be a different story, since AP classes across the country have the same standards and history essays have less specific requirements. AP Government, AP Seminar and AP Research teacher Bradley Boelman shared his thoughts on a ChatGPT-written practice AP Government LEQ about whether the Electoral College should be abolished or modified. 

“[The essay’s] application of this primary source is pretty effective,” said Boelman. “You would want to start with an overarching claim before you dive into your evidence so they would lose points there, but the specificity in the examples here is really pretty impressive. […] The counter is very weak. The counter needs to include foundational documents, and it doesn’t posit anything related to what the founder’s intent was. […] It’s pretty impressive. It wouldn’t get a full score, but it’s pretty close.” 

Overall, Boelman said that the essay had good context and claims and that it would receive a four out of six, which would leave a student well on his or her way to a four or five on the overall exam. Such a high score for an essay untouched by a human leads one to wonder what the implications of ChatGPT are for education in the future.

“As a new tool, I’m not sure we quite know what [ChatGPT] is yet,” said Boelman. “Is it the end of English? I’m not sure. Is it the end of history? I’m not sure. But I think if we could figure out how to utilize it more as a tool, I think it could be an effective learning tool. Maybe we teach kids how to edit more than we teach them how to do rudimentary writing, I’m not sure.”

Whether a human would be able to detect a completely or partially written AI essay, there are programs that are starting to be able to. GPT-2 Output Detector, though only in its demo form, is another program made by ChatGPT’s developer OpenAI which can be used to detect the percentage of AI-written text. Other bots are attempting to do this as well, including Content at Scale and Writer AI Content Detector. It remains to be seen how both these programs and ChatGPT will continue to develop, as the software will only become more sophisticated with use.