In order to use AI tools effectively, it is important to understand how they work. KI-Campus has compiled a list of introductory and explanatory videos to help you get started: https://ki-campus.org/videos/chatgpt-erklaert (in German, English resources can be found below)
In a nutshell: ChatGPT (and similar tools) lets us „talk“ to a pre-trained AI language model. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. Transformers are a special type of model for processing natural language. ChatGPT „answers“ our questions by generating sequences of words, i.e. sentences that are likely to match the question asked. The meaning behind the terms is irrelevant. It is not about the actual meaning of the words, but about statistical patterns.
You can find further helpful materials for understanding how it works here:
- Explanatory video by science communicator Kyle Hill (28min):
https://youtu.be/-4Oso9-9KTQ - „Einstein in the basement“ – Henrik Kniberg has a slightly different style of explanation (18min):
https://youtu.be/2IK3DFHRFfw - Explanation of how generative AI works in Stephen Wolfram’s blog:
https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/02/what-is-chatgpt-doing-and-why-does-it-work/ - Annotated link collection for the use of ChatGPT in higher education (Hochschulforum Digitalisierung, predominantly in German):
https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/de/blog/chatgpt-im-hochschulkontext-%E2%80%93-eine-kommentierte-linksammlung#Was%20ist?