Wharton professor Ethan Mollick looks to cut through the mess surrounding new AI systems in his latest piece, An Opinionated Guide to Which AI to Use: ChatGPT Anniversary Edition. With so many new models, launching, his guide is a great resource for regular people – from everyday users to founders – to pick the best one for their needs.
This also fits into one of the big concepts we teach in our Innovating with AI incubator – there are SO MANY options that you should be building your products and workflows with the assumption that you’ll change models in the future – OpenAI isn’t the only game in town any more.
That said, Mollick makes it clear that one AI still leads the pack: OpenAI’s GPT-4. Despite rivals from Google’s Gemini and others, he argues none yet match GPT-4’s flexibility, smarts, and unique mix of abilities.
Mollick spotlights the big jump from GPT-3.5 to version four, showing GPT-4’s talent for boosting work, sparking ideas, and displaying a deeper impression of intelligence than its predecessors.
GPT-4 Shows Off Next-Level Skills
Mollick shines light on numerous advanced abilities allowing GPT-4 to stand out across uses:
- Web browsing
- Processing images and speech
- Whipping up original images
- Coding and making sense of data
- Conversational competence
The system also boasts ample memory, privacy controls, and enough context savviness to handle complex prompts. Mollick shows this talent by displaying GPT-4 summarize info in multiple languages, design posters, write poems, and more.
Why Not Just Stick With ChatGPT?
Mollick notes the huge popularity of ChatGPT, a free chatbot using old GPT-3.5 tech. However, he argues this dated version cannot fully show what modern systems like GPT-4 now make possible. To really see AI’s expanding abilities, he says to try upgrading from ChatGPT’s limited skills.
Finding Your Way to GPT-4
The issue is actually accessing GPT-4. Previously, OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus offered the simplest route, but with subscriptions on hold, Mollick shares alternatives:
- Microsoft Bing’s chat feature grants access to GPT-4 powers through its Precise or Creative modes. However, putting a search engine lens on GPT-4 can yield bumpy experiences.
- Perplexity and Poe sell GPT-4 access for those needing reliable search chops.
- For most users, Mollick suggests Bing Chat now provides the best bridge to GPT-4.
AI Options for Specific Needs
Mollick also talks up alternatives fit for certain uses. Claude 2.1 from Anthropic sports robust memory and safeguards. Pi focuses on friendly, emoji-filled chats. New offerings like Elon Musk’s Grok or Google’s Gemini-based Bard chatbot also deserve caution as they smooth out kinks.
Preparing for an AI-Powered Future
As new advances continuously reshape the AI space, Mollick expects integrations into apps and tools we can’t yet fathom. He suggests trying out modern systems now to prep for AI’s expanding role across industries and life.
In an ever-changing environment, Mollick provides illuminating guidance for everyday folks navigating promises and pitfalls of cutting-edge technology. His spotlight on demystifying chatbots clears hype, shows GPT-4’s special value, and may ease worries around increasingly “clever” algorithms.