The Times Australia
The Times World News

.
The Times Real Estate

.

why GPT-4 is notable, but not groundbreaking

  • Written by Marcel Scharth, Lecturer in Business Analytics, University of Sydney
why GPT-4 is notable, but not groundbreaking

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence (AI) research company behind ChatGPT and the DALL-E 2 art generator, has unveiled the highly anticipated GPT-4 model. Excitingly, the company also made it immediately available[1] to the public through a paid service.

GPT-4 is a large language model (LLM), a neural network trained on massive amounts of data to understand and generate text. It’s the successor to GPT-3.5, the model behind ChatGPT.

The GPT-4 model introduces a range of enhancements over its predecessors. These include more creativity, more advanced reasoning, stronger performance across multiple languages, the ability to accept visual input, and the capacity to handle significantly more text.

More powerful than the wildly popular ChatGPT, GPT-4 is bound to inspire an in-depth exploration of its capabilities and further accelerate the adoption of generative AI.

Improved capabilities

Among many results[2] highlighted by OpenAI, what immediately stands out is GPT-4’s performance on a range of standardised tests. For example, GPT-4 scores among the top 10% in a simulated US bar exam, whereas GPT-3.5 scores in the bottom 10%.

This table from the OpenAI technical report shows the performance of the model on a range of simulated standardised tests. GPT-4 often performs in the top 20% range. OpenAI

GPT-4 also outperforms GPT-3.5 on a range of writing, reasoning and coding tasks. The following examples[3] illustrate how GPT-4 displays more reliable commonsense reasoning than GPT-3.5.

An AI model that sees the world Another significant development is that GPT-4 is multimodal, unlike previous GPT models. This means it accepts both text and image inputs. Samples provided by OpenAI reveal GPT-4 is capable of interpreting images, explaining visual humour and providing reasoning based on visual inputs. Such skills are beyond the scope of previous models. GPT-4 can explain the meaning behind funny memes. OpenAI This ability to “see” could provide GPT-4 a more comprehensive picture of how the world works – just as humans acquire enhanced knowledge through observation. This is thought to be an important ingredient for developing sophisticated AI that could bridge the gap between current models and human-level intelligence. In fact, GPT-4 isn’t the first language model with these capabilities. A few weeks ago, Microsoft released Kosmos-1[4], a language model that accepts visual inputs the same way GPT-4 does. Google also recently expanded its PaLM[5] language model to be able to take in image data and sensor data collected from robots. Multimodality is a growing trend in AI research. Longer texts GPT-4 can take in and generate up to 25,000 words of text, which is much more than ChatGPT’s limit of about 3,000 words. It can handle more complex and detailed prompts, and generate more extensive pieces of writing. This allows for richer storytelling, more in-depth analysis, summaries of long pieces of text and deeper conversational interactions. In the example below, I gave the new ChatGPT (which uses GPT-4) the entire Wikipedia article about artificial intelligence and asked it a specific question, which it answered accurately. GPT-4 answers a question relating to a Wikipedia article on artificial intelligence. Author provided Limitations Even though the GPT-4 technical report[6] controversially provides no details about how the model was developed, all signs indicate it’s essentially a scaled-up version of GPT-3.5 with safety improvements. In other words, it’s not a new paradigm in AI research. OpenAI has itself said GPT-4 is subject to the same limitations[7] as previous language models, such as being prone to reasoning errors and biases, and making up false information. That said, OpenAI’s results on GPT-4 suggest it’s at least more reliable than previous GPT models. OpenAI used human feedback to fine-tune GPT-4 to produce more helpful and less problematic outputs. GPT-4 is much better at declining inappropriate requests and avoiding harmful content when compared to the initial ChatGPT release. Its arrival will continue a crucial debate among critics[8]. That being whether alternative approaches are required to fundamentally solve issues of truthfulness and reliability, or whether[9] throwing more data and resources at language models will eventually do the job. One could argue GPT-4 represents only an incremental improvement over its predecessors in many practical scenarios. Results showed human judges preferred GPT-4 outputs over the most advanced variant of GPT-3.5 only about 61% of the time. GPT-4 also shows no improvement over GPT-3.5 in some tests, including English language and art history exams. Bing AI Soon after GPT-4’s launch, Microsoft revealed[10] its highly controversial Bing chatbot was running on GPT-4 all along. The announcement confirmed speculation[11] by commentators who noticed it was more powerful[12] than ChatGPT. This means Bing provides an alternative way[13] to leverage GPT-4, since it’s a search engine rather than just a chatbot. Read more: Gaslighting, love bombing and narcissism: why is Microsoft's Bing AI so unhinged?[14] However, as anyone looped in on AI news knows, Bing started to go a bit crazy. But I don’t think the new ChatGPT will follow since it seems to have been heavily fine-tuned using human feedback. In its technical report, OpenAI shows how GPT-4 can indeed go completely off the rails without this human feedback training. Commercial applications One notable aspect of GPT-4’s release has been that, in addition to Bing, it’s already being used by companies and organisations such as Duolingo[15], Khan Academy[16], Morgan Stanley[17], Stripe[18] and the Icelandic government[19] to build new services and tools. Its commercial deployment will further heat up competition between major AI labs, and fuel investors’ appetite[20] for generative technologies. References^ immediately available (help.openai.com)^ results (openai.com)^ examples (cs.nyu.edu)^ Kosmos-1 (dailynous.com)^ PaLM (ai.googleblog.com)^ technical report (cdn.openai.com)^ same limitations (www.theguardian.com)^ crucial debate among critics (garymarcus.substack.com)^ whether (lastweekin.ai)^ revealed (blogs.bing.com)^ confirmed speculation (www.nytimes.com)^ more powerful (oneusefulthing.substack.com)^ alternative way (oneusefulthing.substack.com)^ Gaslighting, love bombing and narcissism: why is Microsoft's Bing AI so unhinged? (theconversation.com)^ Duolingo (blog.duolingo.com)^ Khan Academy (blog.khanacademy.org)^ Morgan Stanley (openai.com)^ Stripe (openai.com)^ Icelandic government (openai.com)^ investors’ appetite (www.economist.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/evolution-not-revolution-why-gpt-4-is-notable-but-not-groundbreaking-201858

The Times Features

48 Hours in Hobart: The Ultimate Weekend Itinerary

Nestled between the towering Mount Wellington and the sparkling waters of the Derwent River, Hobart is a charming city that offers an intriguing blend of natural beauty, rich histo...

Lunchtime Facelifts: Quick & Effective Procedures for Busy Professionals

Busy professionals often find themselves juggling demanding careers, family obligations, and social commitments. With such a tight schedule, it can be difficult to make time for ...

Visual Guide to Distinguishing Ants from Termites

Distinguishing ants from termites is crucial for homeowners who wish to protect their properties from structural damage. These tiny creatures, though seemingly unthreatening, can...

‘Active recovery’ after exercise is supposed to improve performance – but does it really work?

Imagine you have just finished a workout. Your legs are like jelly, your lungs are burning and you just want to collapse on the couch. But instead, you pick yourself up and ...

Plumber Rates In Canberra: What You Need To Know Before You Hire

When plumbing issues arise, most homeowners in Canberra have one major question: How much will a plumber cost? Whether it’s a leaking tap, a burst pipe, or a full bathroom renova...

Having an x-ray to diagnose knee arthritis might make you more likely to consider potentially unnecessary surgery

Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability, affecting more than two million Australians[1]. Routine x-rays aren’t recommended[2] to diagnose the condit...

Times Magazine

First Nations Writers Festival

The First Nations Writers Festival (FNWF) is back for its highly anticipated 2025 edition, continuing its mission to celebrate the voices, cultures and traditions of First Nations communities through literature, art and storytelling. Set to take ...

Improving Website Performance with a Cloud VPS

Websites represent the new mantra of success. One slow website may make escape for visitors along with income too. Therefore it's an extra offer to businesses seeking better performance with more scalability and, thus represents an added attracti...

Why You Should Choose Digital Printing for Your Next Project

In the rapidly evolving world of print media, digital printing has emerged as a cornerstone technology that revolutionises how businesses and creative professionals produce printed materials. Offering unparalleled flexibility, speed, and quality, d...

What to Look for When Booking an Event Space in Melbourne

Define your event needs early to streamline venue selection and ensure a good fit. Choose a well-located, accessible venue with good transport links and parking. Check for key amenities such as catering, AV equipment, and flexible seating. Pla...

How BIM Software is Transforming Architecture and Engineering

Building Information Modeling (BIM) software has become a cornerstone of modern architecture and engineering practices, revolutionizing how professionals design, collaborate, and execute projects. By enabling more efficient workflows and fostering ...

How 32-Inch Computer Monitors Can Increase Your Workflow

With the near-constant usage of technology around the world today, ergonomics have become crucial in business. Moving to 32 inch computer monitors is perhaps one of the best and most valuable improvements you can possibly implement. This-sized moni...

LayBy Shopping