Stack Overflow has banned the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT for creating content on the platform due to the high rate of incorrect answers produced by these tools.

This article discusses the transformative potential and current limitations of generative AI like ChatGPT, noting that while it excels in tasks like coding and generating drafts, it struggles with complex tasks that require specific programming. It highlights the need for a vision that matches AI solutions with practical applications, emphasizing that identifying and integrating these into daily workflows remains a significant challenge.

OpenAI's ChatGPT has varied performance in code generation, with success rates ranging from less than 1% to 89% depending on factors like task difficulty and programming language.

OpenAI, the brains behind the wildly popular ChatGPT, aims to rival Google Search by offering a new AI-driven approach to finding information online. SearchGPT compiles its answers using data from Bing and other sources. Reports from early users say that the tool sometimes provides information that is inaccurate or “hallucinated,” presenting confident but incorrect answers.

An AI-powered answer engine with a generative UI.

OpenAI's GPT Store has become a mix of innovative tools and questionable content, including potentially copyright-infringing GPTs and bots promoting academic dishonesty.

This author tested ChatGPT-4o's ability to solve a math problem using five different approaches. They experimented with text-only prompts, multi-modal prompts with images, and prompts with chain-of-thought prompting. The most successful approach was the text-only prompt with chain-of-thought prompting, which resulted in consistently correct answers. The multi-modal prompts led to incorrect answers because the AI misinterpreted the image details.

In this article, OpenAI's Evan Morikawa provides insights into ChatGPT's inner workings, covering input text processing and tokenization to prediction sampling using large language models. ChatGPT operates by turning tokens into numerical vectors (embeddings), multiplying them by a weight matrix of billions, and selecting the most probable next word. The tech is grounded in extensive pretraining to predict text based on vast internet data.

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are increasingly producing fraudulent research papers, infiltrating databases like Google Scholar alongside legitimate studies. These papers, often on controversial topics like health and the environment, pose significant risks to scientific integrity and public trust. Enhanced vigilance and more robust filtering in academic search engines are essential to curb this growing issue.

Stack Overflow users are upset about the site's new partnership with OpenAI, which will use Stack Overflow's content to train OpenAI's AI models. In protest, users are deleting or altering their posts, while Stack Overflow is banning them for doing so.

Recent research has highlighted a concerning trend in the performance of larger artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, revealing that as these models grow in size and complexity, they are increasingly prone to generating incorrect answers. This phenomenon is particularly troubling because users often fail to recognize when the information provided by these chatbots is inaccurate. The study, conducted by José Hernández-Orallo and his team at the Valencian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence, examined three prominent AI models: OpenAI's GPT, Meta's LLaMA, and the open-source BLOOM model. The researchers analyzed how the accuracy of these models changed as they were refined and expanded, utilizing more training data and advanced computational resources. They discovered that while larger models generally produced more accurate responses, they also exhibited a greater tendency to answer questions incorrectly rather than admitting a lack of knowledge. This shift means that users are likely to encounter more incorrect answers, as the models are less inclined to say "I don't know" or to avoid answering altogether. The study's findings indicate that the fraction of incorrect responses has risen significantly among the refined models, with some models providing wrong answers over 60% of the time when they should have either declined to answer or provided a correct response. This trend raises concerns about the reliability of AI chatbots, as they often present themselves as knowledgeable even when they are not, leading to a phenomenon described as "bullshitting" by philosopher Mike Hicks. This behavior can mislead users into overestimating the capabilities of these AI systems, which poses risks in various contexts, especially when users rely on them for accurate information. To assess the models' performance, the researchers tested them on a wide range of prompts, including arithmetic, geography, and science questions, while also considering the perceived difficulty of each question. They found that while the accuracy of responses improved with larger models, the tendency to provide incorrect answers did not decrease proportionately, particularly for more challenging questions. This inconsistency suggests that there is no guaranteed "safe zone" where users can trust the answers provided by these chatbots. Moreover, the study revealed that human users struggle to accurately identify incorrect answers, often misclassifying them as correct. This misjudgment occurred between 10% and 40% of the time, regardless of the question's difficulty. Hernández-Orallo emphasized the need for developers to enhance AI performance on easier questions and encourage models to refrain from answering difficult ones, thereby helping users better understand when they can rely on AI for accurate information. While some AI models are designed to acknowledge their limitations and decline to answer when uncertain, this feature is not universally implemented, particularly in all-purpose chatbots. As companies strive to create more capable and versatile AI systems, the challenge remains to balance performance with reliability, ensuring that users can navigate the complexities of AI-generated information without falling prey to misinformation.

Many new AI businesses are wrappers around existing LLMs like ChatGPT, especially in the content marketing space. While there are promising applications of AI, these wrapper businesses are not among them, as they often produce generic, unoriginal content.

CriticGPT is a new AI model from OpenAI designed to identify mistakes in code generated by ChatGPT. Based on the GPT-4 family of large language models, it analyzes code and points out potential errors, making it easier for humans to spot mistakes that might otherwise go unnoticed. CriticGPT was trained on a large number of inputs containing deliberately inserted mistakes. Its capabilities extend beyond just code review - it is able to identify errors made by ChatGPT in some other tasks as well. OpenAI plans to integrate CriticGPT-like models into its RLHF labeling pipeline to provide its trainers with AI assistance.

A Pew Research Center survey indicates ChatGPT usage among U.S. adults has increased from 18% to 23% since July 2023, with upticks in occupational, educational, and entertainment contexts. Young adults and those with higher education are more likely to use ChatGPT. Reflecting general wariness about AI and politics, 40% of Americans distrust election information from ChatGPT. Despite tech companies' efforts to combat AI-generated misinformation, only 2% of Americans have used ChatGPT to seek election-related facts.

OpenAI has recently unveiled a new interface for ChatGPT called "Canvas," designed specifically for writing and coding projects. This innovative feature introduces a separate workspace that operates alongside the traditional chat window, allowing users to generate text or code directly within this canvas. Users can highlight portions of their work to request edits from the AI, enhancing the collaborative experience. The Canvas feature is currently in beta, available to ChatGPT Plus and Teams users, with plans to extend access to Enterprise and Edu users shortly thereafter. The introduction of editable workspaces like Canvas reflects a broader trend among AI providers, who are increasingly focusing on creating practical tools for generative AI applications. This new interface is similar to offerings from competitors such as Anthropic’s Artifacts and the coding assistant Cursor. OpenAI aims to keep pace with these competitors while also expanding the capabilities of ChatGPT to attract more paid users. While current AI chatbots struggle to complete extensive projects from a single prompt, they can still provide valuable starting points. The Canvas interface allows users to refine the AI's output without needing to rework their initial prompts, making the process more efficient. Daniel Levine, a product manager at OpenAI, emphasized that this interface facilitates a more natural collaboration with ChatGPT. In a demonstration, Levine showcased how users can generate an email using ChatGPT, which then appears in the canvas window. Users can adjust the length of the email and request specific changes, such as making the tone friendlier or translating it into another language. The coding aspect of Canvas offers unique features as well. For instance, when generating code, users can request in-line documentation to clarify the code's functionality. Additionally, a new "review code" button allows users to receive suggestions for code improvements, which they can approve or modify. OpenAI plans to make the Canvas feature available to free users once it exits the beta phase, further broadening access to this enhanced collaborative tool.

OpenAI has recently unveiled a new interface for ChatGPT called "Canvas," designed specifically for writing and coding projects. This innovative feature introduces a separate workspace that operates alongside the traditional chat window, allowing users to generate text or code directly within the canvas. Users can easily highlight sections of their work to request edits from the AI, enhancing the collaborative experience. The Canvas feature is currently in beta, available to ChatGPT Plus and Teams users, with plans to extend access to Enterprise and Edu users shortly thereafter. The introduction of editable workspaces like Canvas reflects a growing trend among AI providers, who are recognizing the need for practical tools that facilitate the use of generative AI. This new interface aligns with similar offerings from competitors, such as Anthropic’s Artifacts and the coding companion Cursor. OpenAI is actively working to enhance its capabilities and attract more paid users by introducing features that meet the demands of its audience. While current AI chatbots struggle to complete extensive projects from a single prompt, they can still provide valuable starting points. The Canvas interface allows users to refine the AI's output without needing to rework their initial prompts, making the process more efficient. OpenAI's product manager, Daniel Levine, emphasized that this interface offers a more intuitive way to collaborate with ChatGPT. In a demonstration, Levine showcased how users can generate an email using ChatGPT, which then appears in the canvas window. Users have the flexibility to adjust the length of the email and request specific changes, such as making the tone friendlier or translating the text into another language. For coding tasks, the Canvas interface offers unique features tailored to developers. Users can prompt ChatGPT to create code, such as an API web server in Python, and utilize an "add comments" button to generate in-line documentation. Additionally, users can highlight code sections to receive explanations or ask questions, and a new "review code" button will suggest edits for user approval. If users approve the suggestions, ChatGPT can attempt to fix any identified bugs. OpenAI plans to make the Canvas feature available to free users once it exits the beta phase, further expanding access to this innovative tool.

OpenAI has recently unveiled a new interface for ChatGPT called "Canvas," designed specifically for writing and coding projects. This innovative feature introduces a separate workspace that operates alongside the traditional chat window, allowing users to generate text or code directly within this canvas. Users can highlight portions of their work to request edits from the AI, enhancing the collaborative experience. The Canvas interface is currently in beta, available to ChatGPT Plus and Teams users, with plans to extend access to Enterprise and Edu users shortly thereafter. The introduction of editable workspaces like Canvas reflects a broader trend among AI providers, who are increasingly focusing on creating practical tools for generative AI applications. This new interface aligns with similar offerings from competitors, such as Anthropic’s Artifacts and the coding companion Cursor. OpenAI aims to enhance its capabilities in response to competition and to attract more paid users. While current AI chatbots struggle to complete extensive projects from a single prompt, they can still provide valuable starting points. The Canvas feature allows users to refine the AI's output without needing to rework their initial prompts, making the process more efficient. OpenAI's product manager, Daniel Levine, emphasized that this interface facilitates a more natural collaboration with ChatGPT. In a demonstration, Levine showcased how users can generate an email using ChatGPT, which then appears in the canvas. Users can adjust the email's length and request specific changes, such as making the tone friendlier or translating it into another language. The coding aspect of Canvas offers unique functionalities as well. For instance, when users prompt ChatGPT to create a web server in Python, they can add comments to the code for clarity and ask the AI to explain specific sections or suggest edits. A new "review code" feature will allow users to approve or modify the AI's suggestions for code improvements. Once the Canvas feature exits beta testing, OpenAI plans to make it available to free users, further expanding access to this innovative tool.

ChatGPT works by predicting the next most likely word. After ChatGPT receives text, it breaks down the text into tokens. These tokens are converted into numerical vectors that represent their meaning and relationships to other words. The vectors, called embeddings, are multiplied by a massive matrix of weights (parameters) that have been learned during the training process. The result of the multiplication is a probability distribution over possible next words. ChatGPT samples a word from this distribution to continue the text.

The latest Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report reveals a surge in AI-driven creative tools, particularly in content generation and editing across multiple modalities like video and music. 30% of the companies featured are also new. ChatGPT remains the top product, but competitors like Perplexity and Claude are gaining traction. Bytedance is expanding its presence with several new AI apps, and a new category of AI tools focused on aesthetics and dating has emerged. Discord remains a key platform for AI product engagement and community building.

7 takeaways about ChatGPT's new search engine for SEO professionals. SearchGPT seems to be much better at giving correct answers and avoiding hallucinations compared to Google's AI Overviews. It also includes more external citations, in many cases showing 5+ citations in the content itself. SearchGPT appears to favor affiliate and aggregator sites for software and commerce queries, more so than individual product or landing pages.

Discord builds products with generative AI quickly by identifying suitable use cases early and then prototyping with off-the-shelf LLMs. It evaluates prompts deeply before deploying at scale. Discord leans towards using off-the-shelf LLMs before thinking about using self-hosted ones because it saves engineering resources. Often, if the target problem can't be solved with GPT-4, then it probably can't be solved yet with generative AI at all.

AI-generated content is becoming a big problem in Google Search results. About 10% of Google results now consist of AI content, posing challenges for Google's algorithms. There are concerns that this may lead to a collapse in model quality as AIs feed on each other's output.

AI hallucinations, when AI models generate plausible but incorrect outputs, pose a significant challenge and cannot be fully solved with current technologies. These issues stem from the fundamental design of generative AI, which relies on recognizing patterns in data but lacks an understanding of truth, leading to random occurrences of misleading information.

OpenAI's SearchGPT aims to rival Google Search by offering a new AI-driven approach to finding information online. It compiles its answers using data from Bing and other sources. Reports from early users say that the tool sometimes provides inaccurate or hallucinated information. The tool is not yet ready to challenge Google's dominance.

As AI-powered chat programs like ChatGPT and others become prominent, marketers need to prepare for negative brand mentions in search queries. Tracking how large language models perceive brands and measuring "share of model" will become crucial. Marketers will need to optimize content to align with model preferences and establish metrics comparable to traditional marketing indicators.

Google's AI Overviews are now visible in fewer than 7% of queries, particularly dropping in education, entertainment, and e-commerce sectors. The presence of AI-generated content has been reduced due to issues with incorrect and hazardous answers, with Google focusing on enhancing accuracy and reducing reliance on user-generated content from sites like Reddit and Quora.

OpenAI announced a new AI model yesterday called GPT-4o that can converse using speech in real time, read emotional cues, and respond to visual input. It will roll out over the next few weeks for free to ChatGPT users and as a service through API. Paid subscribers will have five times the rate limits of free users. The API will feature twice the speed, 50% lower cost, and five times higher rate limits compared to GPT-4 Turbo. A 26-minute long video that introduces GPT-4o and demonstrates its abilities is available in the article.

OpenAI has announced a live stream event scheduled for May 13 to present updates related to ChatGPT and GPT-4, possibly including the launch of an AI-powered search engine.

OpenAI's revenue is estimated to be $3.4B, much of that coming from its ChatGPT services.

OpenAI and Stack Overflow's recent partnership announcement has raised concerns for some users that their data is being used without permission. Some users who wanted to delete their answers have had their accounts suspended. The site does not generally allow the deletion of posts if the questions have any answers. Stack Overflow moderators say that it doesn't allow users to remove posts as they hurt the company as a whole. While the GDPR gives users in the EU the right to be forgotten, websites have a right not to delete data if it doesn't contain identifiable information to prevent the flow of a topic or question from being disrupted.