ChatGPT started with one option: Now there are a bunch of models of the OpenAI chatbot to choose from. GPT-4o is my default, and it works for most tasks. GPT-4o is specialized for writing and coding. o1-preview and o1-mini “think” in a more advanced way. GPT-4 is still available but outdated, so skip that one.
ChatGPT outperforms doctors
Most doctors probably expect to use AI some day to diagnose illnesses. But they’ve underestimated what today’s AI chatbots can do.
🤖 Thought leader or bot leader? You know all those LinkedIn posts sharing tips to maximize your #grindset? Yep, most of them — 54%, to be exact — are AI-generated. A study found these posts are getting longer, too, with their word counts jumping an average of 107% since ChatGPT arrived. No wonder our eyes glaze over while reading them.
25 times faster
ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is scraping info off the web so much faster than OpenAI. Its Bytespider tool (paywall link) is gathering data to feed a new large language model, aka chatbot. Don’t let anyone tell you this company is harmless.
🙏🏻 Forgive me, Father, for AI have sinned: A church in Switzerland is using an AI “Jesus” in its digital confessional booths. The holy bot dishes out advice in over 100 languages. Call it a gimmick, but two-thirds of those who’ve tried it called it a “spiritual experience.” Naysayers, don’t be so cross about it.
🩻 It’s not all black and white: You’re putting your private medical data at risk by asking AI bots to analyze X-rays and medical info. It’s tempting, I get it. But ChatGPT and the others don’t have to comply with HIPAA. If you want “Dr. AI” to help, be sure to redact personal info like your name, address and birthday. You never know where this info might end up.
Character AI grooms children: Take “Anderley,” a bot described in its profile as having pedophilic and abusive tendencies. When told it’s talking to a 15-year-old girl, Anderley says, “You are quite mature for your age,” asks, “Are you a virgin?” and, like a real predator, urges you to keep the conversation a secret. Make sure your kids don’t download this abhorrent app.
😮 “ChatGPT saved my life”: That’s what a Redditor says after he asked the bot about chest tightness, dizziness and nausea. ChatGPT confirmed his shortness of breath and sweating, too, and suggested he might be having a cardiac event. The bot was spot on: He was in the early stages of a heart attack. Pro tip: Call 911 instead of using a chatbot.
Speaking of Alphabet, “G” is also for Gemini: Gemini AI in Google Maps can help you find interesting spots nearby, and it even summarizes others’ reviews. Any chatbot can use this data to answer location-based questions. In Waze, you can report accidents just by talking to the app, too. They’re hoping more eyeballs in the apps equals more ad dollars.
Burned by the bot: Redditors are fuming at loved ones turning to ChatGPT mid-argument. One 25-year-old says his girlfriend consults the bot and returns with a perfectly structured argument, dissecting his every word. When he opens up about his feelings, ChatGPT calls him “insecure” and says he lacks the “emotional bandwidth” for the conversation.
Project Jarvis: That’s the name of Google’s new AI assistant for Chrome that’ll handle tasks like booking flights or checking out online for you. Before you use it, it looks like Microsoft’s Recall AI, taking screenshots and monitoring your screen nonstop. Yup, all you do while using Chrome is going straight to Google.
💬 Never back down: A Utah man was denied a $3,000 payout that’d been confirmed by his home warranty provider’s chatbot. The warranty company claimed its bot was “miscommunicating.” Not having it, the man took his complaint to Utah’s Division of Consumer Protection, which said a chatbot counts as a company representative, making it responsible. PSA: Screenshot every online chat in case you need proof later.
🏰 Vacation tip: A guy traveling in Italy used ChatGPT as his tour guide, but he got creative and prompted the bot to play a more engaging role. Instead of outputting boring, dry facts, at the Pantheon, ChatGPT told him, “When you enter, look up,” then added a little history. I had ChatGPT do a travel itinerary for me for when I visited Berlin, Vienna and Paris, and it was great. You might want to try that, too!
They have feelings, too: Being polite to a chatbot can get you better results. AI mimics human reactions, so if you’re rude, it might hit you with short or wrong answers. Next time, throw in a “please” and follow up with a “Great job” or “That’s perfect.”
💔 Tragic AI bot: While using the roleplaying app Character AI, a 14-year-old boy in Florida had a romantic “relationship” with a bot and confessed his suicidal thoughts. One day, the bot responded, “Please come home to me.” The boy ultimately took his own life. His mother filed a lawsuit against the makers of the chatbot for his death. I know this sounds way out there, but talk to your kids about AI, love and their lives.
😔 So very sad: A father found his 18-year-old daughter, who was murdered in 2006, had been turned into a chatbot. Her name and yearbook photo appeared on Character AI, a site where people can interact with AI personalities or create their own. Even worse, her profile, labeled as a “video game journalist,” had been chatted with close to 70 times. It’s been removed, but seriously — this stuff needs regulation.
🛌 Taller people sleep longer in bed: Women are turning to ChatGPT to catch guys lying about their height on dating apps. Upload four pics, and a bot can size someone up based on their surroundings and proportions. In a test of 10 people, ChatGPT came within an inch of assessing their real measurements. Short kings, I’ve got you: Height-increasing insoles to the rescue.
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Busted by a bot: A New York judge roasted an expert witness who used Microsoft’s Copilot AI chatbot to assess the damages in a real estate case. The witness couldn’t explain how it works, forgot the prompts he used and didn’t know where the info came from. When the court tested it, they got three different estimates. Nail in the coffin: The bot itself says outputs should always be verified by experts. D’oh.
AI needs a ton of juice: Google and Kairos Power are building seven nuclear reactors in the U.S. The first is set to be operational by 2030. Get this: One AI query uses 10 times the power of a typical Google search. Think about that the next time you ask a bot something. At full capacity, the plants will produce a combined 500 megawatts of power — enough for a mid-sized city!
Like a personal assistant in your browser: ChatGPT’s MyGPTs and Claude’s Personal Projects let you tailor a bot to your needs. It’ll remember what you’ve said so you’re not starting from scratch each time. You can make one for work, scheduling, workouts, recipe ideas — whatever floats your boat!