ChatGPT is the newest buzzword among tech types, but average internet users may not understand how they can take advantage of the AI chatbot that could one day steal their jobs.
At first glance, artificial intelligence seems like just another over-hyped technology—similar to NFTs and the metaverse, perhaps. However, even in their infancy, AI chatbots have shown potential to automate mindless tasks, generate ideas, and simplify information. There's a reason Google issued a Code Red over ChatGPT and rushed Bard out the door.
ChatGPT is easy to use but difficult to master, as its chat window offers infinite possibilities. You don't need to be an AI prompt engineer to make the most of OpenAI's chatbot, though. Here are a few things you can do with ChatGPT.
1. Ask Basic Questions
Just like you use Google to get answers to your questions, you can request the same information from ChatGPT. Just submit a query and the chatbot will serve up a response; no need to click multiple links. As an example, I asked ChatGPT "what is the distance from the Earth to the Sun," which I thought would be easy enough to answer and fact check. The AI said the distance is 93 million miles, which is backed up by NASA.
However, it also offered up some extra context to note that the exact distance fluctuates over the course of the year due to the elliptical nature of Earth's orbit around the Sun. The answer offered by Google and NASA does not note this fact—at least not immediately.
As another example I asked ChatGPT "what is the power house of the cell," the answer to which is probably burned into the memory of anyone who has been through middle school science class. ChatGPT correctly responded that it's the mitochondria, but also offered extra information about ATP and cellular respiration.
2. Explain Complex Topics
ChatGPT can also help you understand complex topics that might be a bit over your head. You could use Google Search to land on the Wikipedia page of a certain topic, but it can be hard to ingest all that information and keep everything straight. This is where ChatGPT comes in.
As an example, I asked ChatGPT to explain, well, ChatGPT. It gave me a four-paragraph response about how it was trained by OpenAI feeding it a massive amount of text data. However, once it started talking about neural networks, I started feeling pretty lost and my eyes glazed over.
If this were a web page, I'd probably stop reading and move on. But this isn't a static page; ChatGPT allows you to interact with its results and ask follow-up questions.
To get an explanation that I might better understand, I asked: "Can you explain this to me as if I were a child?" It then whipped up a simplified answer that my brain could comprehend.
But you can keep going from here. Just for laughs, I asked ChatGPT to explain itself to me as if I were a caveman, and it did. This doesn't have much practical use, but it does show how easy it would be to tailor a response to your comfort level. If you're a student struggling to understand something like calculus, ChatGPT could explain a certain concept, and adjust the response until it makes sense, like an AI tutor.
That said, ChatGPT is a work in progress. It doesn't always get things right and sometimes just makes things up. So just as you might use Wikipedia to begin your research on a particular topic, use ChatGPT as a jumping off point, not as a formal source. And don't have it write your English essay; your teacher will probably figure it out.
3. Write a Resume and Cover Letter
Job hunting is exhausting. You have to find an opening that sounds right for you and pass the interview phase—something ChatGPT knows how to do. But first, you need to write a resume that details your experience and put together a cover letter that is tailored for each application.
Don't have the time? Ask ChatGPT to do it for you. I asked the chatbot to construct a resume for someone who was applying to be a Mobile Analyst at PCMag, a position that is currently open as of this writing. It not only constructed a useable template for the resume, but added career details that a person applying to this job might have on their own resume.
Unfortunately, you can't upload a document (yet?) to have it use your own information, but you can take this sample resume as a starting point and personalize it for later use. Or enter your own details and ask ChatGPT to construct a resume with that information.
Whether or not you think cover letters are a relic of the past, many jobs—especially writing jobs—still require them. I asked ChatGPT to write a cover letter for PCMag's Mobile Analyst position, and it produced a competent but generic cover letter. To really stand out, you probably want to use ChatGPT to start the process, and edit the results to make it more personal.
4. Summarize Articles
So much to read and so little time. If you need a high-level view of the latest 3,000-word article making the rounds, ask ChatGPT to summarize it. Just paste in the text of a story and ask the chatbot for a breakdown. It will spit out details of what the article has to say, like the one above for this article. You can also ask ChatGPT to summarize the article in the form of a bulleted list. Your mileage may vary, though; ChatGPT can give different answers to different people, even if they ask the same question, so don't use this to write your book report.
5. Generate a Recipe
Not sure what to cook tonight? ChatGPT can produce easy-to-follow recipes. In the example above, I asked it for a chili recipe, and it gave me a general guide with a list of ingredients and step-by-step directions to get me through the prepping and cooking stages. If you'd rather not make a trip to the store, ask ChatGPT for a recipe using whatever you have on hand.
6. Write an Email
Struggling to reach inbox zero? Make ChatGPT your personal assistant, and ask it to write emails based on your specifications. In this example, I asked it to write to my boss asking for a promotion, but you can add any parameters and then edit it further.
7. Solve Math Equations
If you struggle with math like I do, you can use ChatGPT as both a calculator and tutor. Ask it to solve a complex math equation, and the chatbot will give you the answer while also showing its work. In this example, I asked it to solve for X when X - 10 + 14 = 0. Admittedly, this is not the most difficult formula to solve, but pay attention to how it does. ChatGPT doesn't just spit out the answer, it breaks down the equation and guides you through the process of finding an answer.