Tech is constantly evolving and that’s why it’s no surprise that OpenAI, the company behind the revolutionary tool ChatGPT that brought artificial intelligence to the fingertips of everyday people, is continuously innovating and releasing new models that offer even more benefits to their users.
We’re sure you know exactly what OpenAI has been up to over the last few years, but let’s provide a quick refresher on the various GPT models to understand exactly how far we’ve come:
GPT-1: introduced in 2018, GPT-1 was one of the first natural language processing models and was limited to basic tasks.
GPT-2: the second GPT model was released around eight months later and was significantly more powerful, showing great improvements in NLP models.
GPT-3: finally moving closer to what GPT models were created to be, GPT-3 was able to produce human-like responses and understand context.
ChatGPT (GPT-3.5): this chatbot, released to the world in late 2021, revolutionized how everyday people interact with artificial intelligence, bringing NLP to be included in people’s day-to-day lives.
GPT-4: the next iteration of GPT, GPT-4, was even better, with improved accuracy, conversational skills, and safety parameters.
GPT-4o: the newest GPT model, was released to the public on a limited basis in May 2024 and boasts improved text generation, context understanding, and overall abilities.
Without a doubt, OpenAI has been on the forefront of NLP model evolution, always looking to release the next best versión of the tool. In addition, they’ve been dedicated to accessibility, creating tools that don’t demand lots of tech knowledge, fast internet access, or English language skills so that it’s truly something that’s having a transformative effect on society.
So what exactly does GPT-4o bring to the table? Let’s get right into it.
What is GPT-4o?
We thought that GPT-4 was pretty incredible; from realistic, human-like responses to conversational topics to the ability to translate texts into multiple languages while maintaining tone and understanding context, we were blown away by its ability to accurately and quickly answer all sorts of queries.
The mid-May 2024 release was only a demo, so we can expect to see more capabilities released later on, but GPT-4o’s claim to fame is that its twice as fast as OpenAI’s previous model, 50% cheaper, and has five times the rate limit, in addition to a wide context model and a much more recent information cut-off date.
In addition, ChatGPT now supports more than 50 languages for settings and log-in, bringing the tool to even more corners of the globe. It’s been released on a limited scale for now, but will continue to roll out over the coming months.
Check out the release video from OpenAI here:
What can GPT-4o do?
Ready to find out what else is awaiting you next time you log into OpenAI? Prepare yourself; it’s quite the upgrade.
Enhanced artificial intelligence
We’ve always warned about relying too heavily on AI tools, but GPT-4o brings a new level of creativity, reasoning, problem-solving, and knowledge to the table that allows it to provide better and more accurate responses to a wide range of queries. Ranking better on tests and able to understand greater context (more than 25,000 words in a text!), GPT-4o surpasses previous models in its outputs--and there’s no room for argument.
Data analysis
We know that the best decisions are backed by data, but knowing how to extract the most valuable insights can be a challenge for some, especially if you’re not experienced with data analysis. With GPT-4o, you can upload data and not only receive insights and information about patterns and trends, but you can also have GPT-4o create charts and tables for you.
Although we are still in the beginning stages of using GPT-4o to analyze data, 512MB per file and up to 10 files are supported in any one conversation with GPT-4o.
Image and voice capabilities
With text outputs and understanding mastered, GPT-4o has moved on to image and voice capabilities, a completely transformative tool in the field of NLP. With the ability to view and understand images, you can send a picture of a math problem to GPT-4o and receive the solution or even a picture of your fridge and ask for potential recipes based on the groceries you currently have. On the voice front, you can now have an actual conversation with GPT-4o; ask it regular questions by voice instead of typing, request an explanation of an historical event, or simply have a conversation.
These capabilities are new and are being rolled out slowly; both present new challenges and ethical dilemmas that OpenAI is hoping to handle on a case-by-case basis. Try it out and see what you can do with it and be prepared for even more options in the future.
File uploads
Previous versions of GPT were limited to working with either the internet or the input provided by the user; GPT-4o, however, now supports the ability to upload files for the following purposes:
Analysis: upload documents and ask GPT-4o to draw conclusions based on the information, or compare and contrast various documents. In addition, GPT-4o can identify the tone, style, or layout of uploaded files.
Transformation: need to understand what a document is actually saying? Or summarize a document? GPT-4o can do just that, as well as providing feedback based on a rubric or guidelines.
Extraction: have a large file and don’t have time to comb through for the specific information you need? GPT-4o can extract quotes, dates, figures, or any other information you desire from uploaded files.
Longer memory
Early iterations of GPT did have a significant drawback, especially for those who repeatedly used the tool for similar tasks: its memory wasn’t super strong and needed details or instructions repeated at the beginning of every conversation. GPT-4o’s memory capabilities have been improved with this release and users can now count on GPT-4o to keep guidelines, such as formatting preferences, or any other restraints in mind throughout various conversations, not just one.
The potential of GPT-4o and all that artificial intelligence can do is incredibly broad and we’re eager to see where else AI can take us as more and more companies focus their efforts on AI. And if you want to be on the forefront of change, make sure your AI skills are up to par with AI School by Ironhack, the first school of its kind dedicated to teaching relevant and in-demand AI skills.
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