qWhat is ChatGPT and why does it

matter? Here's what you need to know

Updated: This AI chatbot's advanced conversational capabilities have generated
quite the buzz. We answer your questions.

Written by Sabrina Ortiz, Editor on Sept. 15, 2023

Reviewed by Min Shin ;Mark Samuels and Alyson Windsor

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table of contents

What is ChatGPT?Who made ChatGPT?How can you access ChatGPT? Is there a

ChatGPT app?Is ChatGPT available for free?I tried using ChatGPT and it says it's
at capacity. What does that mean?What is ChatGPT used for?How does ChatGPT
work?Is ChatGPT better than Google?What are ChatGPT's limitations?Does
ChatGPT give wrong answers?Can ChatGPT refuse to answer my prompts?Can I
chat with ChatGPT?Why are some people worried about ChatGPT? Is there a
ChatGPT detector?Is ChatGPT a good or bad thing?Will my conversations with
ChatGPT be used for training?What is GPT-4?What are custom instructions?Are
there alternatives to ChatGPT worth considering? Is ChatGPT smart enough to
pass benchmark exams?Can ChatGPT be used for job application assistance?
What does ChatGPT have to do with plugins?Is ChatGPT coming to social media?
What is Microsoft's involvement with ChatGPT? What does Bing Chat have to do
with ChatGPT?How does Bing Chat compare to ChatGPT? What is Google Bard
and how does it relate to ChatGPT?How does Google Bard compare to ChatGPT?
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you
to have human-like conversations and much more with the chatbot. The language
model can answer questions and assist you with tasks, such as composing emails,
essays, and code.

Also: How to use ChatGPT: What you need to know now

It's currently open to use by the public for free. A paid subscription version called
ChatGPT Plus launched at the beginning of February.

Who made ChatGPT?

ChatGPT was created by OpenAI, an AI and research company. The company
launched ChatGPT on November 30, 2022.

Also: My 5 favorite AI tools for school: Class is in session, and generative AI can
help

OpenAI is also responsible for creating DALL-E 2, a popular AI art generator, and
Whisper, an automatic speech recognition system.

How can you access ChatGPT?

You can access ChatGPT simply by visiting chat.openai.com and creating an OpenAI
account.

special feature

The Rise of Generative AI

A new wave of AI tools has taken the world by storm and given us a vision for a new
way of working and finding the information that can streamline our work and our lives.
We show you the ways tools like ChatGPT and other generational AI software are
making impacts on the world, how to harness their power, as well as potential risks.

Read now

You can also still use the old URL for the chatbot, which is chat.openai.com/chat.
OpenAI simplified the original URL for user convenience.

Once you sign in, you can start chatting away with ChatGPT. Get your conversation
started by asking a question. You can ask as many questions as you'd like.

For step-by-step instructions, check out ZDNET's guide on how to start using ChatGPT.

Also: Meet generative AI's 'super users': 70% of Gen Z use GenAI

You can also access ChatGPT via an app on your iPhone or Android device.

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