ChatGPT is a chatbot that simulates artificial intelligence to predict the most likely responses to a question. Using a technology known as generative pre-trained transformers, it uses natural language processing to give the appearance that it is engaging in a conversation with users by identifying the most likely next word in a passage of text. Because its creator, Open AI, trained ChatGPT using language commonly used on the Internet, it may include misinformation in its responses, or provide biased information.
An important thing to remember about interacting with ChatGPT is that despite its appearance, it does not "know" anything, but produces what it considers the most likely response to a query.
Microsoft has recently integrated technology from ChatGPT into its Edge web browser and the Bing Search Engine, while Google has introduced Bard to a limited group of users over the age of eighteen. Unlike ChatGPT, Bard and Bing Chat can reference live information on the Internet.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The material in this guide was adapted from a variety of sources including:
ChatGPT And AI in Higher Education by Chris Levesque, University of West Florida, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
ChatGPT, AI, and Implications for Higher Education by Evangeline Reid, Jake Bailey, and Aurora University is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
ChatGPT: Resource guide to the AI software ChatGPT by Syracuse University Libraries and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.
ChatGPT & AI in Higher Education by Florida International University Libraries under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 International License