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On November 30, 2022, ChatGPT was released. What initially seemed like just another development in the world of chatbots quickly proved to be a revolutionary product. People started using it for everything from everyday conversations to solving complex problems and writing scientific texts.
In two years, ChatGPT has grown from a curiosity for enthusiasts to an indispensable tool on the Internet. In this article, we would like to recall the path of this chatbot – its technical basis, lightning success, and key improvements in a short period of time.
ChatGPT is based on a series of GPT language models developed by OpenAI. It all started with GPT-3, which was a breakthrough for its time, but had limited capabilities: simple dialogs, answering basic questions, and solving simple tasks.
The real breakthrough came in March 2023 with the release of GPT-4. The new version not only improved the basic functionality but also brought multimodality. Now ChatGPT has learned to work not only with texts but also with images, audio, and video.
In May 2024, the GPT-4o (omni) model was released, which further expanded the chatbot’s capabilities. Key innovations included real-time data processing, multilingualism, and better understanding of visual and audio information. The main feature of GPT-4o is the integration of different interaction formats into one system, which made the work much more convenient.
The latest update, OpenAI o1, released in September 2024, brought a new approach to working with information. This model has a unique function of “thinking” before answering, which has become crucial for complex scientific tasks. OpenAI created o1 as a complement to GPT-4o, not a replacement, releasing two versions: full (o1-preview) and simplified (o1-mini).
ChatGPT is constantly evolving, adding new features and improvements. In February 2023, a few months after the launch, OpenAI released a premium version – ChatGPT Plus. For $20 per month, users got access to the most advanced models, priority support, and unique experimental features.
Spring 2023 was a turning point for Plus subscribers. The developers of the tool added the ability to use third-party plugins, as well as the function of searching for information in real time via the Internet. During this period, an iOS app was released that supports chat synchronization and voice input using Whisper technology. A couple of months later, an Android version was released.
In the fall of 2023, ChatGPT received powerful multimedia capabilities. It can now recognize images, work with voice input, and support voice conversations. A particular breakthrough was the integration with DALL-E 3, which allows creating images based on text queries.
In early 2024, OpenAI launched the GPT Store, a platform for a chatbot marketplace. With GPT Builder, anyone can create their own bot without any programming knowledge. At launch, the platform has already offered more than three million different solutions.
ChatGPT has been actively used to search for information since its release, but for a long time it had a significant limitation – the lack of access to up-to-date information from the Internet. However, on November 1, 2024, OpenAI made a significant step forward by presenting updated functionality.
The new version of ChatGPT offers a completely different approach to search, differing from traditional search engines. The main advantages include a minimalist interface, no ads, and a more structured presentation of information. The system is already showing impressive results, outperforming other AI solutions in terms of referral traffic.
The search engine specializes in several key categories:
One of the main advantages of the system is the transparency of information sources – each answer is accompanied by links to the original sources.
Technically, the search is based on an improved version of GPT-4o, additionally trained using new data generation methods and integrated with various information providers, including Microsoft Bing.
This feature is currently available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users. OpenAI also announced further development of the system, including improved search for goods and travel destinations.
The technical search is powered by an updated version of GPT-4o, which has been enhanced with new data creation methods and integrated with various information sources, including Microsoft Bing.
This feature is currently available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users. OpenAI also announced further improvements, including product and travel search.
Although the technology has improved significantly, ChatGPT still has a number of serious limitations that have not disappeared since its launch.
Even the most recent versions of ChatGPT can make factual errors or provide inaccurate information. This is especially critical for those who use the service in their professional activities, such as marketing or working with technical documentation.
To minimize these problems, you need to check the generated texts and use the latest versions of the model. For important tasks, it is recommended to use paid versions that provide greater accuracy.
ChatGPT can show bias due to the peculiarities of the training data. This is especially true for English-language content, which affects the quality of answers in other languages.
To reduce this problem, you need to use a variety of sources and provide the bot with a more detailed context. When working with a multilingual audience, it is important to check the quality of the generated content.
Although ChatGPT generates grammatically correct answers, sometimes they do not have a logical connection. This can lead to the fact that the text looks correct but does not make sense.
To avoid this, you need to clearly formulate requests and provide additional instructions. It is important that the final assessment of the meaningfulness of the answers is made by a human.
ChatGPT may produce content that does not meet current ethical standards, including inadvertent bias or discrimination. In addition, the system has difficulty determining the credibility of conflicting sources.
The solution is to use clear ethical guidelines when formulating queries and mandatory verification of the created content.
Under high loads or complex queries, ChatGPT may give incomplete or fragmentary answers due to computing power limitations and the need to distribute resources among many users.
To solve this problem, you can break down complex queries into simpler ones and ask additional clarifying questions to get complete information.
Although ChatGPT is capable of producing well-written texts, it often lacks originality and creativity. The generated content can be too formal and template-like.
We recommend using ChatGPT to create ideas and drafts, and leave the final version to a human.
In specific areas of expertise, ChatGPT often demonstrates superficial understanding because training data may be limited.
It’s important to provide additional context and expert review of the generated information to work with such topics.
The use of third-party APIs and the need to process data through external servers can create potential risks to the confidentiality of corporate information.
ChatGPT has great potential for further development of the language model technology. Researchers and developers are focusing on several key areas to make it even better.
First, it is a deeper understanding of the context. Currently, the model is able to generate answers based on the words and phrases it receives, but it does not always capture the subtleties of their use. Improving this capability will allow for more accurate and relevant results.
The second important area is the development of multimodal learning. Integration of different types of data, such as images and videos, will allow the system to create more complex solutions based on visual information.
We should also highlight the creation of specialized versions of the model for specific applications. For example, adapted versions for the legal or medical spheres will provide more accurate results than the universal version.
The development of these areas opens up huge prospects for the introduction of technology in various industries and practical scenarios, which will make artificial intelligence more accessible and useful for solving everyday tasks.