ChatGPT is a press release and social media dream in 2023. I first heard about it in an internal meeting at Award Solutions. I then saw the article about Microsoft investing $10+ billion in OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. However, it wasn't until I overheard a conversation at a "Big Game" football party that I became interested in ChatGPT. I overheard a conversation about someone using ChatGPT to create rap lyrics. I've been fascinated with AI and Natural Language Programming (NLP), the art of creating an AI algorithm to predict text, for many years, but this takes the concept of NLP to a new level.
Traditionally, if we can use the word traditionally to describe something in the fast-moving field of AI, NLP was accomplished using a supervised learning model. Specifically, within the supervised learning space is a field of models called Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs). RNNs take information in a sequence and learn to predict the next sequence element. Concerning NLP, it means anticipating the next word in a sentence, for example. I've seen instances where people would use the complete works of Shakespeare to train an RRN model and then use that model to create something that seemed Shakespearean.
ChatGPT is different as it's not based solely on RNNs, but also a form of reinforcement learning. OpenAI created a new model called a Generative Pre-Trained Transformer. Technically, ChatCPT is a set of three models that use supervised learning and reinforcement learning strategies. Supervised learning trains the model how to respond to a question using a large amount of data. The first of ChatGPT's three models is a supervised learning model where tens of terabytes of data train the model.
The second model uses humans, sometimes called labelers or trainers, to rank the responses to "teach" the model how to generate better responses. The ranking feeds into the third model that uses those rankings to optimize its algorithms to maximize the reward. ChatGPT is a form of Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF) algorithm.
I wanted to try it out. I'm not much of a rap fan, but I love the late great rock singer Meat Loaf. I asked ChatGPT to "write song lyrics like Meat Loaf." Here's what ChatGPT gave me:
I remember when I was just a boy
Dreaming of all the things I'd enjoy
Now I'm older, but the fire still burns
Gonna show the world what I've learned
Not too bad. The world of Natural Language Programming is fascinating, and ChatGPT is taking it to a new level. You can play with ChatGPT for free here. What have you been able to do with the recent releases of public AI?