ChatGPT

Introduction

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI, first released in November 2022. It is built upon large language model (LLM) technology, specifically the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) series, and is credited with accelerating the global AI boom.

Core Functionality

The service operates on a freemium model, allowing users to interact through text, audio, and image prompts. It is designed to generate human-like text and carry out a wide variety of conversational and creative tasks.

Purpose and Applications

ChatGPT serves as a versatile AI assistant for tasks ranging from writing and debugging code to composing music, translating languages, summarizing documents, brainstorming business ideas, and simulating interactive environments.

Features

Multimodal Interaction

Users can interact with ChatGPT through conversations consisting of text, audio, and image inputs and outputs. User inputs are referred to as prompts, which guide the AI's responses.

Advanced Content Generation

ChatGPT excels at generating diverse content formats. This includes writing and debugging computer programs, composing music, scripts, fairy tales, essays, and generating business concepts. It can also simulate environments like a Linux terminal or text-based games.

Information Processing and Transformation

The tool is frequently used for translation and summarization tasks. It can process complex information and provide answers, sometimes at a level exceeding that of an average human test-taker.

Memory and Personalization

An optional "Memory" feature allows users to tell ChatGPT to memorize specific information for recall in future conversations, enabling more personalized and context-aware interactions.

Image Generation Capabilities

Initially integrated with DALL-E 3, ChatGPT now generates images using GPT Image. It excels at creating images with text, useful for branded content, and can generate new images based on user-provided references. All images include C2PA metadata for verification.

Extensive Context Window

ChatGPT supports a massive 400,000 token context window as of 2025, allowing it to interpret and work with extremely long prompts and documents, a significant expansion from earlier versions.

Tiered Subscription Model

OpenAI offers a free tier with limited capacity and several paid plans: ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) for priority access, ChatGPT Team, ChatGPT Enterprise, and a Pro tier ($200/month) that launched with the advanced o1 model. Region-specific plans like ChatGPT Go are also available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot and assistant developed by OpenAI, based on large language model technology. It responds to user prompts to generate text, speech, and images.

Who created ChatGPT?

ChatGPT was created by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research and deployment company.

How does ChatGPT work?

It is based on GPT foundation models fine-tuned using supervised learning and reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF). Human trainers helped rank responses to create reward models for continuous improvement.

Is ChatGPT free?

Yes, ChatGPT operates on a freemium model. A free version with limited capacity is available. Paid subscription plans (Plus, Team, Enterprise, Pro) offer additional features like priority access, faster responses, and advanced models.

What can I use ChatGPT for?

Common uses include writing and debugging code, composing music and stories, language translation, document summarization, answering complex questions, brainstorming ideas, and generating images from text descriptions.

What are ChatGPT's limitations?

Its knowledge is based on its training data, which has a cutoff date. It can sometimes generate incorrect or biased information. Outputs are moderated to reduce harmful content, and safeguards are in place for image generation.

How does ChatGPT handle my data?

OpenAI collects data from user interactions, including upvotes/downvotes and text feedback, to further train and fine-tune its services. Users should refer to OpenAI's privacy policy for detailed information.