The Evolution of GPTs: From Information Gathering to Proactive Assistance
Insights on the Stages of GPT Development and Their Impact on the Future of AI
While supporting other companies in their AI journey, I have had the unique opportunity to witness the fascinating evolution of GPTs, transforming from information-gathering tools to powerful, action-oriented assistants. Driven by the need for more interactive and dynamic applications, as well as advancements in natural language processing, machine learning, and computational power, GPTs have progressed through various stages of development. This post will take you through the key steps of GPT evolution from simple to complex use cases. I will also highlight this groundbreaking technology's growing capabilities and potential applications.
Understanding the importance of Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs) and their rapid evolution is crucial in today's ever-changing technological landscape, as these cutting-edge AI models hold the potential to revolutionize countless aspects of our lives¹.
GPTs are powerful language models capable of understanding and generating human-like text based on vast amounts of data, pushing the boundaries of what was once thought possible in natural language processing and machine learning. The accelerated pace of their development offers valuable insights into the transformative nature of this remarkable technology as GPTs continue to evolve and unlock new, sophisticated applications that will shape the future of AI-powered tools across diverse domains².
Language Models: Laying the Foundation for GPTs
In their early stages, GPTs were pure language models with the main goal of generating human-like language³. They were designed to form coherent sentences and make summaries of long paragraphs. While they had impressive language capabilities, the generated text usually lacked direction and content.
Information Gathering: GPTs as a database
As these language models evolved, the text generated by GPTs started becoming more factual. The models started being used as information-gathering tools. They were able to memorize huge amounts of text and then provide relevant answers or summaries based on user queries. Their primary function was to assist users in finding information quickly and efficiently, laying the foundation for impressive advancements.
For example, in 2021, Radix reshaped Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT)’s question-answering process using such a model. This allowed FIT's advisors to provide clients with accurate, actionable, and timely answers, freeing up time for more in-depth research and improving the overall quality of the process.
Context-Aware Responses: Taking Conversations to the Next Level
As GPTs evolved, they became better at comprehending the context of user input and generating tailored and relevant responses. This breakthrough⁴ allowed for more nuanced conversations and the ability to address user needs more effectively, as GPTs could answer follow-up questions, understand user preferences, and offer personalised recommendations.
With the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, and GPT-4 in March 2023, numerous new applications emerged. In a previous blog post, we discussed how organizations can best incorporate GPT-4 to increase efficiency and tailor it to their specific data.
Decision-Making Assistance: Harnessing the Power of GPTs for Strategic Insights
We are now witnessing GPTs providing decision-making support in areas like finance, healthcare, and business strategy. By analyzing data and considering multiple factors, GPTs help users evaluate options, make predictions, and identify potential risks or opportunities, unlocking new possibilities for strategic insights.
However, OpenAI⁵ and Radix both emphasize that AI should be used as a copilot to help consider different viewpoints and support decision-making, with great care taken when using language model outputs, especially in high-stakes contexts.
Task Automation: Streamlining Workflows with GPT Integration
Currently, GPTs are being integrated with various tools and platforms to automate tasks on users' behalf. By connecting with APIs, GPTs can perform actions such as sending emails, managing calendars, or placing online orders. This streamlines workflows and allows users to focus on more important or creative aspects of their work.
For instance, ChatGPT introduced plugins⁶, and Microsoft announced the Microsoft 365 Copilot⁷ - your copilot for work - in March 2023.
Proactive Assistance: Pioneering the Future of User Experience
The latest stage in GPT evolution involves providing proactive support and guidance based on user needs and goals. In the future, by understanding user behavior and preferences, GPTs will be able to anticipate needs and offer timely assistance, reminders, or recommendations, enabling a more seamless and efficient user experience.
Currently, OpenAI's API is limited to responding to questions. However, it's only a matter of time before GPTs become proactive. Researchers from Stanford and Google⁸ have already demonstrated that this is possible. OpenAI is now working on ensuring that once the proactivity API restrictions are lifted, GPTs can act safely and responsibly.
Imagine a copilot that helps managers with project planning and has access to historical company data. In a scenario where a manager is planning a project spanning the entire month of May and wants to involve a specific team member, the copilot could notify the manager that this person usually takes holidays in May. It could then suggest sending a message to check the team member's availability this year before involving them in the project. In the future, GPTs will be able to reason and perform actions without prompting, allowing users to simply state their goals and have the system look for flaws and solutions.
The possibilities are endless!
From Information Gathering to Personalized Support
The evolution of GPTs from information-gathering tools to action-oriented assistants showcases this technology's growing capabilities and potential applications. As GPTs continue to advance, they are likely to become even more versatile and integrated into various aspects of our daily lives, assisting us in making better decisions, automating tasks, and providing personalized support. The future of AI is bright, and we are only just beginning to uncover its full potential.
¹ https://openai.com/research/gpts-are-gpts
² https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/14/chat-gpt-4-new-model
³ https://paperswithcode.com/paper/improving-language-understanding-by
⁴ https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt
⁵ https://openai.com/research/gpt-4#:~:text=Show%20full%20transcript-,Limitations,-Despite%20its%20capabilities
⁶ https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt-plugins
⁷ https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/03/16/introducing-microsoft-365-copilot-your-copilot-for-work/
⁸ https://arxiv.org/pdf/2304.03442.pdf
