ChatGPT: OpenAI Content Generation
Smorgasbord / Kirt's Cogitations™ #348

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Since its launching on November 30 of last year (2022), I have seen / heard a lot of news reports about the ChatGPT content generator hosted by OpenAI.org. They label it a "chatbot." The GPT suffix is an acronym for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that creates a paragraph or two about a topic which you enter in the webpage. Proponents hail it as one of the first instances of making AI available to the public, and to facilitate information search and dissemination. Opponents warn that ChatGPT is a scheme which can feed on its own self-generated inaccuracies when generated content is posted online and used later by the same algorithm.

One aspect that occurred to me whilst experimenting with ChatGPT is that while you are helping to train the AI algorithm, it is simultaneously training you to communicate effectively with it, so it's a two-way process. Sometimes it takes many iterations of a query to get the preferred results. Note that sometimes ChatGPT server is so inundated with participants that you might need to submit your query multiple times to get any result other than an error message. Feedback can be provided to ChatGPT regarding the usefulness of its reply by clicking on the up or down thumb icons.

I could go into a little more detail about ChatGPT, but why not let the chatbot extoll its own virtues? I asked, "What is ChatGPT?"

"ChatGPT is a pre-trained language model developed by OpenAI that uses deep learning techniques to generate human-like text responses based on input. It has been trained on a large corpus of text data and can generate coherent and contextually relevant responses to a wide range of topics. It can be fine-tuned for specific use cases, such as question answering, text completion, and conversation, by training on additional data. ChatGPT can be used in a variety of applications, including customer service, content creation, and language translation."

Next, I asked, "What are the dangers of using ChatGPT?" It responded with impressive honesty:

1. "Bias and Misinformation: ChatGPT is trained on text data from the internet, which may contain biases and misinformation. These biases and inaccuracies can be perpetuated in the model's responses.
2. Privacy Concerns: ChatGPT requires access to large amounts of data to function effectively, which can raise privacy concerns if personal information is used in the training data.
3. Dependence on AI: Relying too heavily on ChatGPT or other AI systems for decision making and communication can lead to a loss of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. Lack of accountability: As ChatGPT is an AI model, it is difficult to hold it accountable for the responses it generates, leading to potential ethical issues such as spreading hate speech or misinformation.
5. Difficulty in Understanding AI Responses: ChatGPT generates responses that can be difficult for humans to understand, especially in complex and technical domains, which can lead to confusion and misinformation."

Although I placed the ChatGPT content within quote marks, the fact is that according to copyright legal experts, nobody or entity own the rights to any content created by artificial intelligence. That means there is no requirement to quote it or provide a citation. The fact that it appears first on the RF Cafe website in no way entitles me to privileged ownership. You may legally use part or all of it exactly as presented without permission from me. You may not, however, reprint any of the other content on this page without my permission since U.S. copyright laws protect content generated by me as long as I can prove that it originated here first*.

ChatGPT is not limited to simple tasks. Here is the result of my asking it to create a short article about the invention of the transistor:

"The transistor is a device that is widely used in electronic circuits for amplification and switching purposes. It was invented in 1947 by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey.

Before the invention of the transistor, electronic circuits used vacuum tubes as amplifiers and switches, which were large, power-hungry, and unreliable. The transistor changed this by providing a compact, low-power, and reliable alternative.

The invention of the transistor is considered a major milestone in the history of electronics and led to the development of many modern technologies, such as computers, radios, televisions, and mobile phones. The transistor revolutionized the electronics industry and paved the way for the modern information age.

In 1956, the three inventors were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their invention of the transistor, which has since become an indispensable component in modern electronics. The invention of the transistor is a testament to the power of scientific discovery and the impact it can have on the world."

ChatGPT can do a lot of things, but its response is limited solely to text. Images and sound are not within its capabilities - at least not yet. I entered, "Show me a graph of the current - voltage relationship in a silicon junction diode."

"I'm sorry, as an AI language model, I do not have the capability to generate visual graphs. You can easily find a graphical representation of the current-voltage (I-V) relationship for a silicon junction diode by searching for "silicon junction diode I-V curve" on the internet.

The current-voltage (I-V) relationship for a silicon junction diode is characterized by a forward-biased region and a reverse-biased region.

In the forward-biased region, the diode behaves like a conductor, and the current flowing through it is directly proportional to the applied voltage. This region is typically modeled by the equation: I = Is * (e^(V/Vt) - 1) Where Is is the saturation current, V is the voltage across the diode, and Vt is the thermal voltage.

In the reverse-biased region, the diode behaves like an insulator and only a very small reverse leakage current flows through it. The voltage-current characteristic in this region is approximately constant and independent of the applied voltage.

Typically, the I-V characteristic of a silicon junction diode is plotted on a graph with the current on the y-axis and the voltage on the x-axis. The graph shows a steep increase in current in the forward-biased region and a nearly constant current in the reverse-biased region.

Next, I asked ChatGPT to write some javascript for calculating component values for a simple resistive voltage divider, and got the following result (query was "javascript code resistive voltage divider innerhtml"). It did not do as well when I asked it for code to calculate the values of a resistive "pi" attenuator pad.

This is the result of the code exactly as provided by ChatGPT.

 

The output voltage is:

"Here's a JavaScript code that displays the output voltage of a resistive voltage divider circuit in an HTML document using the 'innerHTML' property:

<p id="output">The output voltage is: </p>
<script>
  
  function voltageDivider(R1, R2, V_in) {
    let V_out = (R2 / (R1 + R2)) * V_in;
    return V_out;
  }

  let R1 = 10e3; // resistance 1 in ohms
  let R2 = 5e3; // resistance 2 in ohms
  let V_in = 5; // input voltage in volts

  let V_out = voltageDivider(R1, R2, V_in);
  document.getElementById("output").innerHTML += V_out + " volts";
</script>

This code uses the 'voltageDivider' function to calculate the output voltage 'V_out' of a resistive voltage divider circuit based on the input voltage 'V_in', and the values of the two resistors 'R1' and 'R2'. The calculated value of 'V_out' is then appended to the text in the HTML element with the id attribute equal to "output" using the 'innerHTML' property."

This barely scratches the surface of ChatGPT's capabilities. You might enjoy giving it a test drive yourself. If you don't already have one, you'll need an OpenAI account (free) to access the functionality. Don't worry about it discovering you exist; it probably already knows ;-)

Chatbots are not new to the Internet, and are notoriously busy worldwide generating posts to website forums based on what human participants (and other chatbots) are writing. Tests conducted by communications experts have shown that it is often impossible to discern chatbot-generated content from human content. Alexa and Siri are examples of voice-actuated AI that produces results in audible form and/or by initiating action from devices configured to communicate with them.

Chat GPT has no voice, so we don't know yet whether it is male or female. Just for kicks, I asked it.

"ChatGPT does not have a gender as it is an artificial intelligence model. It does not possess human characteristics or qualities such as gender. "

May 2023 Update:

I wanted a VBA macro for Microsoft Outlook 2007 that would empty the "Junk E-mail" folder. There is no built-in command other than selecting the folder and clicking "Delete," but that only deletes one file at a time. To empty the entire folder requires selecting the group of them using Ctrl+A, then Deleting. The following ChatGPT-generated VBA code does the job all in one fell swoop. It worked and is presented exactly as provided. I don't know why it added the extra "l" in the subroutine name (between Email and Folder), but I left it that way.

Sub 
EmptyJunkEmaillFolder()
Dim objOutlook As Outlook.Application
Dim 
objNamespace As Outlook.NameSpace
Dim objJunkEmaillFolder As Outlook.Folder

Dim objItems As Outlook.Items
Dim objItem As Object

' Get the Outlook 
application and namespace
Set objOutlook = Outlook.Application
Set 
objNamespace = objOutlook.GetNamespace("MAPI")

' Get the "Junk E-mail" 
folder
Set objJunkEmaillFolder = objNamespace.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderJunk)

' Get all items in the "Junk E-mail" folder
Set objItems = 
objJunkEmaillFolder.Items

' Delete each item in the "Junk E-mail" folder

For Each objItem In objItems
objItem.Delete
Next objItem

' Clean up 
objects
Set objItems = Nothing
Set objJunkEmaillFolder = Nothing
Set 
objNamespace = Nothing
Set objOutlook = Nothing

' MsgBox "Junk E-mail 
folder has been emptied.", vbInformation
End Sub

Here are a few stories about ChatGPT that might interest you:

• What Are the Threats and Opportunities from ChatGPT?
• Who Ultimately Owns Content Generated by ChatGPT and Other AI Platforms?
• Microsoft Invests $10 Billion in ChatGPT Maker OpenAI
• ChatGPT on Wikipedia

* I had Archive.org store a copy of this page in case I need to sue someone later for copyright content ;-)

Posted January 31, 2023