What exactly is "ChatGPT"?

[bobsmith2002]

What exactly is "ChatGPT"? Is it true it can write essays for you? That it can write your resumes for you? Cover letters too? I did not have artificial intelligence when I went to high school many years ago so I don't know what ChatGPT or AI does.

 

[kattabelly]

It's a chatbot. They're prone to "hallucinations" and shouldn't be considered a reliable source without fact checking anything they say.
New Scientist article: AI hallucinations are getting worse
They're also pretty bad for the environment.
UN Environment Programme article: AI has an environmental problem
Not to mention ripping off copyrighted work created by humans and pushing them out of jobs altogether.

It's not 100% accurate but essays etc can be screened for AI input in the same way as plagiarism detention software was already being used. Lots of educational establishments and workplaces have strict rules as to how "AI" can be used, or ban it completely.

There have been cases where an "AI" chatbot was used to help with legal research and it cited case law that didn't actually exist. There are books "written" by "AI" available to buy on places like Amazon, that gives incorrect and potentially lethal advice on things like foraging for wild mushrooms. One user was advised to put glue on their pizza because a chatbot couldn't tell the difference in its source material between safe, sensible and accurate advice and a joke comment made by a teenager on Reddit.