The AI has no knowledge, cannot distinguish between fact and fiction, and has no real understanding of anything. But it’s trained on vast amounts of existing text and conversations between humans. Since humans mostly speak coherently and stick to the topic at hand, the AI is likely to do the same. Adding more details increases the likelihood that the generated answer will be appropriate. What ChatGPT and other AI chatbots using large language models are best at is generating answers that sound good–responses that feel believable and have a clear connection to what you asked for. ChatGPT is conversationally trained, so you can ask questions, request help, or https://limefx.group/ give prompts just like talking to a human.
ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and released in November 2022. Users can interact with ChatGPT through text, audio, and image prompts. A GPT is a customized chat where each conversation starts with a set of instructions on how the AI should respond. You can upload files that the GPT has access to, choose a preferred model (for example, GPT-5 delivers stronger reasoning capabilities), and enable additional features like web search and image generation. You can probably tell by now that ChatGPT is far more than a simple chatbot. It runs on the latest GPT-5 model, has app integrations, and can do web searches and deep research and even complete tasks autonomously for you, and more.
For deeper tasks, there’s Deep Research, which scours the web and creates full reports with citations, and Agent Mode, which can open sites, check your calendar, or pull data from connected apps like Gmail. But, because the approximation is presented in the form of grammatical text, which ChatGPT excels at creating, it’s usually acceptable. … It’s also a way to understand the “hallucinations”, or nonsensical answers to factual questions, to which large language models such as ChatGPT are all too prone. At the same time, its release prompted extensive media coverage and public debate about the nature of creativity and the future of knowledge work. Apart from models, there are modes and tools in ChatGPT that allow you to go beyond basic chatting. Each one is built for a specific task, from in-depth research to real-time browsing.
- The more accurate information about a topic that’s in the training data, the more likely the results will be correct, but errors can still creep in.
- This year alone, OpenAI peppered us with new models, modes, and features to play with inside the AI.
- If you prefer, you can talk to the ChatGPT instead of typing and reading the answers.
If you find that you’ve started to think like this and that your conversations with ChatGPT don’t feel fun and mentally relieving, you may be suffering from fart fatigue. Experimentation should be fun and inspiring, but it’s easy to get carried away with fine-tuning. ChatGPT can also summarize long texts, give instructions, and answer complex questions on many topics, but you have to be careful with specific facts. Overall, it almost always gets it right, but individual numbers and other facts often get it wrong. With pictures and videos, it’s easy to see whether the results are good or not, but with text it’s more difficult.
The basic idea is that some prompts, on average, lead to better answers. For example, adding a phrase like “now it’s time to think hard and rethink all assumptions” when brainstorming a problem can make ChatGPT’s response more creative. The latest reasoning models are better at solving equations, though it’s still easy to trick them into making mistakes on purpose, and some problems they completely miss.
This year alone, OpenAI peppered us with new models, modes, and features to play with inside the AI. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.
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The AI wave took off when OpenAI released its chatbot ChatGPT, which gives large language models a conversational interface. Many competitors have emerged since then, from both small and large companies, but ChatGPT remains the most popular. You can try ChatGPT without an account in many regions, but signing in unlocks advanced features like saved chat history, conversation sharing, custom instructions, and higher usage limits.
Can I make images with ChatGPT?
There are also desktop apps for Windows and macOS that add systemwide shortcuts for quickly launching ChatGPT and sharing your screen, files, or screenshots directly in a chat. Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features. OpenAI plans to roll out GPT-5.1 gradually to keep performance stable, so not all users will see it right away. Since others have spent a lot of time finding such tricks, you can get a lot out of trying tips from videos, books, and articles. You can either create an old-fashioned account with an email address and password or log in with Google, Microsoft, or Apple to avoid having to remember another password.
How to use ChatGPT: A beginner’s guide to the most popular AI chatbot
If you prefer, you can talk to the ChatGPT instead of typing and reading the answers. The AI can recognize and respond in many languages, and you can choose your preferred spoken language in the settings. My recommendation is that you start exploring ChatGPT without paying.
New features and lesser-known changes to check out if you’re upgrading. Anders writes news, reviews and buying guides that touch most categories of consumer tech. After many years as a Macworld writer, he has recently written more and more for our sister site, PC for Alla. He schools in various subject areas such as security, networking and creative tools. This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC för Alla and was translated and localized from Swedish.
App support
For regular text chat, there’s no limit to the number of times you can ask it something. By rephrasing or adding additional details, you can often get the AI to produce significantly better results. ChatGPT is good at generating and correcting errors in code, but it’s not great at building complete systems.
- Projects is a new addition that allows you to collect multiple chats on a particular topic in one place and get a bit more organized.
- After many years as a Macworld writer, he has recently written more and more for our sister site, PC for Alla.
- It lets you turn text prompts into short, realistic video clips.
- Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services.
- OpenAI plans to roll out GPT-5.1 gradually to keep performance stable, so not all users will see it right away.
- Google even shows “AI summaries” at the top of the search results, and many users likely read those instead of scrolling past.
What can I do with ChatGPT?
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By default, GPT-5.1 Instant is warmer and more playful, and more likely to adhere to parameters that you set. GPT-5.1 Thinking is able to adapt thinking time more precisely to the question, and responses are clearer with fewer undefined terms. OpenAI today upgraded GPT-5 to GPT-5.1, the next-generation version of the AI model that powers ChatGPT. There are two versions of GPT-5.1, including Instant and Thinking. The goal of introducing AI is to save time, letting employees get more done, but in many cases they end up spending as much time fine-tuning their prompts as they previously spent doing the work themselves. Was the result you got from ChatGPT when you asked for something not very good?
You need to have the ideas and the big picture, otherwise it’s easy to pancake. Many people now use AI instead of traditional search engines like Google. Google even shows “AI summaries” at the top of the search results, and many users likely read those instead of scrolling past. The interface of ChatGPT is simple, with a column on the left where you can find the different features and a list limefx of past chats, and a main window on the right, where the chats themselves are displayed. As before, OpenAI has not disclosed technical details such as the exact number of parameters or the composition of its training dataset. GPT-5 was launched on August 7, 2025, and is publicly accessible through ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and via OpenAI’s API.
The less knowledgeable you are about a topic as a user, the less likely you are to spot errors and flaws in the AI-generated results yourself. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on what ChatGPT spits out without first checking more reliable sources. You can ask the chatbot to include links to sources and sometimes it will do so on its own, but it’s good to actually follow these and double-check. To get started, simply go to chatgpt.com or install the official app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. In my experience, the web version offers the fullest range of features available. ChatGPT is not the same AI chatbot that first burst onto the scene in 2022.
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Then, if you get curious about features that require a subscription, try it out for a few months. If you end up liking it, consider switching to an annual subscription, as it will be cheaper in the long run. You can create your account in several ways, in the browser on your computer or in the ChatGPT app for iPhone or Android.
Once you’ve created a project, you can give it its own icon in any color to make it easier to find if you have many. For real power users, there’s also a Pro subscription, but it costs $200 a month. You get minimal restrictions, the highest possible speed of response, and access to experimental new features.
The new presets join the existing Default, Nerdy, Cynical, Friendly (previously Listener), and Efficient (previously Robot) options. ChatGPT isn’t like a noticeboard in a town square where anyone passing by can see what you’ve written. But it’s also not a completely private service, so don’t share your deepest secrets on there. Your conversations aren’t encrypted, so there’s a chance OpenAI staff can see them. The likelihood of your chats being read is low, but it can happen.
ChatGPT isn’t necessarily the “best” AI service out there (recent tests show other tools can outperform it in certain areas), but it’s the most widely known and the benchmark that all other services are compared to. ChatGPT includes a built-in image generator that’s powered by GPT-4o. It can take detailed prompts and produce realistic images in minutes. You can iterate on the results to fine-tune them and even export with a transparent background.
There’s no technical difference between a correct answer and a hallucinated one. OpenAI supports limited, no-login access in many regions, so you can try ChatGPT instantly. Just keep in mind that advanced features, history/memory, and higher limits require an account. The sidebar has all your chats and settings, the chat window is where you type prompts, the model picker controls how fast it responds, and the tools menu lets you upload files or access other modes. OpenAI says that users can expect a more enjoyable communication experience, with options to more easily customize ChatGPT’s tone. There are new presets for tone, including Professional, Candid, and Quirky.
Most are found under the Tools menu (the + icon next to “Ask anything”) and come with usage limits per plan. Their responses come either from external sources (like a search) or from the data the model was trained on. The more accurate information about a topic that’s in the training data, the more likely the results will be correct, but errors can still creep in.
It lets you turn text prompts into short, realistic video clips. OpenAI also formed a new partnership to bring Walmart and Sam’s Club products into ChatGPT through a “Buy in Chat” option using Instant Checkout. As of late 2025, GPT-5 Auto is the default model for most conversations. There’s still a free version of ChatGPT, but the Plus and Pro plans can do faster responses and provide access to the latest tools. If you’re on the fence about which to choose, or want to know how to get started, this guide walks you through how to use ChatGPT.
