What is GPT-4?

EVER heard the phrase GPT-4 and wondered what it meant? You’re not alone.

Here’s a quick guide to the GPT-4 machine learning model, what it might do, and when it could finally launch.

1

What is GPT-4?

GPT-4 stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4.

It’s basically an artificial intelligence system that can create human-like text.

That’s much the same as GPT-3, but this time it’s smarter.

You can feed it a prompt, and it will create a chunk of text that continues on.

And if it works correctly, it will read in natural language as though it was written by a human.

You could use a GPT “model” to create AI-generated content – so envision a future where robots are writing more of what you see online.

Developers can use an AI model like GPT-4 to make their own content or apps.

The GPT models are created by an AI research lab in San Francisco called OpenAI.

What is the difference between GPT-4 and GPT-3?

The exact details of GPT-3 haven’t been published. As soon as it’s out, we’ll know everything.

A key part of how effective an AI model can be is linked to its parameters.

The model itself is the high-level AI “concept”, but the parameters determine how detailed and functional the model can be.

Generally speaking, if you have more parameters, the AI can do a much more detailed job.

It’s not a perfect comparison, but imagine GPT like being the Lego brand.

Other AI systems might be different brands of brick-like builders, but GPT is Lego.

And think of the parameters as types of Lego brick. The more Lego bricks (type and quantity) that you have, the better a Lego set you can build.

Parameters are more like the connections we have in our brain, but the Lego analogy is good enough.

So GPT-3 has an impressive 175billion parameters. That’s a lot of Lego bricks. GPT-2 had just 1.5billion.

A separate AI model (which broke records) created by Nvidia and Microsoft called Megatron-Turing has 530billion parameters.

Google’s PaLM recently succeeded that with a model offering 540billion parameters.

More parameters don’t necessarily mean an AI is outright better, but it’s a good sign that it has the potential to be more capable.

Sadly we don’t know exactly how many parameters the GPT-4 model will have.

Previous reports suggested that it may have as many as 100trillion parameters, eclipsing the competition.

But OpenAI CEO Sam Altman previously said that this wouldn’t be the case.

“It will not be much bigger than GPT-3, but it will use way more compute,” Altman explained.

“People will be surprised how much better you can make models without making them bigger.

“100 trillion parameter model won’t be GPT-4 and is far off.”

He did added that “GPT-5 might be able to pass the Turing test. But probably not worth the effort”.

The Turing test – or the “imitation game” – is a test created by British mathematician and early computer scientist Alan Turing.

It challenges humans to create AI that are indistinguishable from actual human behaviour and responses.

Another query is whether the GPT-4 AI model will be “multi-modal”.

Right now GPT-3 can only produce text, but a multi-modal AI would be able to create other forms of content.

Computer scientists have called for it to be a multi-modal system.

But Altman previously said that GPT-4 would “be a text model (as opposed to multi-modal”.

When is GPT-4 coming out?

GPT-3 is getting on a bit now – it was announced two years ago.

Meanwhile GPT and GPT-2 – and GPT-2 and GPT-3 – were released just a year apart.

Sadly there’s no definite release date for GPT-4.

Early release estimates put a launch in July or August 2022 – but that didn’t happen.

A since-deleted Reddit thread said it would then come out in December, or early 2023.

Unfortunately there’s still no exact date attached to the GPT-4 project, so don’t mark your calendars just yet.

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