DECEMBER 22, 2022
YOUR DIGITAL SELF
ChatGPT is a revolutionary iteration of OpenAI’s GPT-3 neural network machine learning model. It’s trained to generate any type of text using internet data.
ChatGPT accrued more than one million users in five days when it was released this month. Maybe you’ve used it, or read stories about people creating fantastical stories with the software.
Being in love with all things artificial intelligence (AI), I was thrilled to cover today’s topic: practical uses and implementations of GPT-3.
I had an opportunity to test firsthand how good the model is at solving problems just a couple of days ago. ChatGPT saved my bacon and helped me learn new skills in record time.
As a front-end developer, it’s my job to design websites, not to perform maintenance.
I have always relied on colleagues to handle the technical aspects of our website’s server. I’ve never used Docker, worked with DigitalOcean Droplets, or even touched Ubuntu, Windows PowerShell or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). So when our NFT Business Builder website’s server suddenly stopped working two days ago, I didn’t know how to fix it. That’s when I turned to Chat GPT for help.
Through its great instructions, comments and guides, Chat GPT not only helped me solve the problem, but also taught me a lot about my server’s architecture. Now I feel more confident about handling similar technical issues.
I often describe the process as pulling roots from the ground — I started by asking one question, then the answer led me to ask more questions. Finally, after four to five hours, I knew enough to do what needed to be done: restart Docker containers that failed to start automatically after a server reboot. Even better, ChatGPT taught me how to ensure that these containers start automatically with the server after every reboot going forward.
But ChatGPT doesn’t stop here. Allie K. Miller, an AI entrepreneur, adviser and investor, made a great post about it on LinkedIn:
ChatGPT is changing the game, and I want to share real things you can do with this AI system today.
Please save this post and start testing this technology NOW so you’re ahead of the curve.
✅ Summary
Copy and paste an article, and ask, “can you summarize this article in one paragraph in a way that a 5th grader could understand it?”
✅ Coding
Ask it to write basic scripts or even more qualitative questions like “what is the most efficient way to loop through a list in Python?”
✅ Planning
Think of an overwhelming task you have on your plate and a reasonable timeline, and ask, “create a schedule for me to launch my new machine learning startup by May 1, 2023? Please include deliverables, timelines, contingency planning, team bonding, breaks, brainstorming, and user testing.”
✅ Creativity
Think of something you want to shake up in your life and ask, “I’m going to turn 40-years-old soon, and I want to celebrate my birthday in a new and different way that incorporates my passions. I love archery, Korean BBQ, musicals and axe throwing. What are three ideas for a birthday that costs under $2000 and can accommodate 10 people?”
✅ Writer’s Block
Do you have an email or blog post you’ve been meaning to write but need a little push? Just ask, “write a nice email to Tom that asks him if he enjoyed the offsite, and then to update his monthly report and send me his promotion document.” Use that as a foundation, then edit or tweak as needed.
✅ Motivation
AI is not a replacement for trained medical professionals, but if you’re feeling a little low, you can ask, “can you give me three motivational phrases to help me get through a hard day when I’m low on sleep?”
Miller couldn’t be more right. As a marketing specialist at Weiss Ratings, I often need to write or optimize copy, and having a second set of eyes is a big help. How can this copy be even more engaging? Would you use this copy to target this-and-that subset of our audience?
ChatGPT can be hit-or-miss, but it never fails to give food for thought. In my role as a social media manager, the AI model helps deliver messages more succinctly or in a more engaging way.
For journalists, ChatGPT can provide useful clues for an investigative piece. Since it’s trained on real-world data, it can be queried like Google and yield unexpected and interesting results. Although its output needs to be verified though real-world data sources since AI can be biased, it’s still a valuable tool.
Finally, there’s another use case on the horizon: customer support. As its name suggests, ChatGPT can be used as a chatbot. In this role, the model could handle a high volume of inquiries, providing quick and accurate responses to common questions and freeing up customer service representatives to focus on more complex problems.
Once OpenAI introduces fine-tuning and training for the model (as it did for GPT-3), ChatGPT will be able to provide business-specific, accurate and human-sounding answers to customer inquiries.
There are other ways to use ChatGPT. So now it’s your turn: To help make this article even more useful to other readers, share your experiences with the model in the comments section below.
I’m eager to see how you leverage this powerful technology in your business and private endeavors.
