Launched on 30th November 2022, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot which can be found online. Similarly to a robotic customer service often found on the corner of a website or app, ChatGPT generates content and answers based on a user’s question.
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
We’re coming up to a quarter of the way through the 21st century, and AI is all around us, even if we may not realise it.
Every time you open your phone with Face ID, click on a personalised advert online, or ask your device about the weather – you are engaging with and receiving information from AI.
Over the years, AI has becomes smarter in terms of listening, learning, and solving problems – all while drawing on a massive database of information.
How do I use ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is hosted online, it is available as both a desktop application and can be accessed on a web browser.
ChatGPT’s terms of use specify that users must be at least 13 years old, and users between the ages of 13 and 18 need parental or guardian permission to use the platform; it requires you to sign in with an email address and to accept the site terms and conditions before you begin using it.
On ChatGPT you can type in a question or topic that you’d like to learn more about. For example, you could ask “What is the tallest mountain in the world?”
You can have multiple ongoing conversations which you can revisit, and ChatGPT uses information you have given it in the chat to tailor each answer it gives. This is different to other chat bots where answers are limited to each question rather than the chain of questions and information as a whole.
ChatGPT gets its data from a variety of sources on the internet, such as websites, books, and other documents.
What ChatGPT can do
Whether you work in code, struggling with a calculation, or looking to translate something into another language, ChatGPT can provide answers. It can write content for a website, draft emails, write poetry in a particular style – and much more.
We asked ChatGPT about what it can do and it gave the below examples:
What ChatGPT can’t do
Whilst there are so many possibilities when using AI, there are also some vital limitations that mean that it’s unlikely we’ll all be replaced by a robot any time soon.
In fact, we asked ChatGPT what its limitations are, and it gave us a complete response which is outlined below. Whilst you’re reading it, do you think you’d be able to spot that a bot wrote this, and not a human being?
Firstly, I’m not capable of understanding things the way humans do. I can analyze text and recognize patterns, but I don’t have the same kind of intuition or emotions that people have.
Secondly, I rely on the information that’s available to me. This means that if I haven’t been trained on a certain topic or concept, I might not be able to provide accurate or helpful responses.
Thirdly, I’m not always able to understand context or nuance. Sometimes, the same word or phrase can have different meanings depending on the situation or the tone of the conversation.
Lastly, I’m not perfect and I do make mistakes sometimes. I’m constantly learning and improving, but there are still things that I might not know or understand.
ChatGPT
Safety considerations about ChatGPT
Inappropriate content
If you are considering using ChatGPT with young people it is important to note that some conversations may not be appropriate for young people.
At Childnet we recommend having a conversation with your child about the use of any new apps, website or services, this can include discussing the content they may come across and the strategies they can use if something or someone worries or upsets them online.
By maintaining an open dialogue with your child and encouraging them to talk to you about their internet use, you can help them to access the amazing resources the internet has to offer whilst keeping them safe online.
You may decide to monitor your child’s interactions with ChatGPT depending on their age, or suggest only using the service whilst you are together as a family. There are also parental controls you can enable if you would rather your child not be interacting with it.
You could also create a family agreement to outline key decisions such as who can use ChatGPT, where in the house this can be accessed and what kind of questions your child can ask.
Reliability of information
Everybody should be reminded to think carefully about the information they are presented with when online.
They should consider its source, compare it with what they already know to be true, ask questions, form judgements and check with others if they are unclear.
As ChatGPT has told us itself, there is no guarantee that the software will provide accurate or helpful responses.
If you’re a parent or carer, we recommend going through our webpage about reliability online with your child – it talks about the many different types of inaccurate information that critical thinking can help to address.
Using ChatGPT responsibly
ChatGPT is a programme that can do many things. However, sometimes, people might use it in a negative way, for instance asking the service to write essays for homework instead of writing their themselves.
It’s important for parents and carers to talk with young people about how to use ChatGPT in a educational and safe way.
A way to go about this conversation is talk to them about how they can use ChatGPT positively: to ask questions and learn more about a topic they are interested in, or to practice their writing skills by getting feedback on their writing from ChatGPT. This can be a useful way to improve their critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity.
