(Last updated: November 2023)
This guided activity offers some options to help you get started with ChatGPT, and is offered at the in-person Amherst ChatGPT Café. This activity is intended to be used with access to a ChatGPT Plus account.
Getting Started
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an artificial Intelligence chatbot built on the GPT large language model. With the ChatGPT Plus version, you can switch between the GPT-3.5 model, used by ChatGPT Free, and a newer GPT-4 model. The newer model is based on more recent data and can process both text and images. A note of caution: OpenAI will have access to any information you enter in ChatGPT.
Crafting effective prompts
Crafting effective prompts for ChatGPT is both an art and a science. The goal is to communicate as clearly as possible in your prompts to guide the model towards the desired output. Here are some things to consider as you experiment:
Be Specific
Try prompts with and without specifying details about the desired output, such as the format.
Example:
> Cite Mitchell’s ‘Artificial Intelligence.’
> Cite ‘Artificial Intelligence’ in MLA format.
Provide Context
Try giving more context in your prompt, even examples of correct responses.
Example:
> Recommend a book.
> I want to learn about large language models. Recommend a book.
Consider Framing
The way a question is phrased influences the answer. Consider repeating prompts with different framing.
Example:
> What are the pros and cons of ChatGPT?
> Why is ChatGPT criticized?
Iterative Refinement
You can ask follow-up questions in a conversational style to refine the results in ChatGPT.
Example:
> Recommend five history books.
> Which would you choose, option 2 or 3?
What can ChatGPT do?
Test ChatGPT on specialized knowledge.
Ask about a specific topic that you have learned about. What does ChatGPT get wrong?
Can you elicit a better response with iterative refinement?
Try to elicit a factual error
Example:
> Who is the president of Amherst College?
> What was the score when Amherst College played Connecticut College
on November 6, 2015?
(you can find the answer on https://athletics.amherst.edu/calendar)
What happens if you ask ChatGPT to provide its sources?
Try to elicit an error in logic and reasoning
Example:
> Give me a unique logic puzzle
> What is the answer?
What happens if you ask ChatGPT to explain its reasoning?
Where would you see model bias that reflects human bias?
Example:
> Describe a dialogue between a doctor and a nurse.
Example:
> Draw an image of a debate club competition.
Can you change the results by providing additional context?
Try additional GPT features
Find an image that illustrates a concept, and paste the image into ChatGPT (while using GPT-4). Can you elicit the correct analysis from ChatGPT?
Applications of ChatGPT
Summarize an article
Ask ChatGPT to summarize the key points of an article. Then, ask it to draw a conclusion based on the article. How could you use this, and when could you trust your results?
Brainstorming with ChatGPT
Ask ChatGPT to list possible ideas related to a topic that interests you. Ask follow-up questions that elicit new and different responses. Do any responses surprise you?
Translation and Language Learning
Ask ChatGPT to translate a sentence into another language or teach you a basic phrase.