Potentials, applications and risks of AI Chat GPT

Artificial intelligence: What can Chat GPT do?

05.02.2025 — 

Everyone is talking about the AI chatbot service. And not without reason.
Chat GPT can generate text at the touch of a button and for all subject areas and purposes. The tool is said to be so intelligent that it can do more and more tasks for us. But what can Chat GPT really do? Does it really have the potential to replace people or entire job profiles? Can Chat GPT take over homework for schoolchildren in the future or can AI even lead to greater profitability for companies? There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding this innovation and the actual potential is barely tangible.

We will give you an insight into the functionality, potential and risks of AI. We also address the question "What can't Chat GPT do?", because you should also know the limits of AI in order to be able to work with it as efficiently and effectively as possible.

An overview of what Chat GPT can and cannot do

What exactly is Chat GPT?

Most users have been familiar with the term "Chat GPT" since the beginning of 2023 at the latest. However, very few people know what this AI (artificial intelligence) actually is, where it comes from and what it is actually used for. The chatbot comes from the company OpenAI and stands for Chatbot Generated Pretrained Transformer. The AI chatbot Chat GPT is a language model. It was developed to handle language processing tasks and enable human-like conversations with natural language text. Research in this direction has been going on for a long time, but with Chat GPT, OpenAI has succeeded in making the idea suitable for mass use.

OpenAI is a Californian research company founded by US entrepreneur and financial backer Elon Musk and programmer and inventor Sam Altman, among others. OpenAI specializes in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Microsoft invested several billion dollars in OpenAI in 2023 and has since integrated AI technologies into its own products, such as the Microsoft Bing search engine. According to announcements, there is currently only a waiting list to use the new Bing, find out more here.

The AI (...) just didn't yet have a user interface that was accessible to most people.

Elon Musk, US entrepreneur and co-founder of OpenAI

What can Chat GPT 3.5 do?

Chat GPT 3.5, an improved version of the original Chat GPT 3 model, offers enhanced capabilities and efficiency in the areas of language processing, information accuracy and creative writing. However, it remains important to note that although it is powerful in many areas, there are still limitations in terms of complete accuracy and contextual understanding, which will be further addressed in subsequent versions.

What can Chat GPT-4 do?

Chat GPT-4 can deliver even better results than its predecessor. With this version, OpenAI has significantly improved numerous capabilities. Compared to the previous version, GPT-4 has been trained with 100 trillion parameters - and is therefore not only significantly better than its predecessor, but also gives an idea of what can be achieved with further innovations. The most important innovations of the next AI level in brief:

  • It can no longer just recognize text, but also images
  • Implementation in the new version of Microsoft Bing makes the results up to 82% more accurate than the previous version
  • Thanks to the broader database, the AI learns faster and better
  • The improved ability to think enables use even in highly complex subject areas
  • Greater scope for text input: instead of the previous 8, there are now 32 tokens (one token corresponds to around 750 words), meaning that significantly longer documents and codes can be captured and processed
  • Individualization in operation: Improved reference to instructions, commands and previous dialogs possible

What can Chat GPT-4 Turbo do?

Chat GPT 4 Turbo is a specialized further development of Chat GPT 4, focusing on certain improvements that go beyond the basic functions of Chat GPT 4. The most important unique selling points of Chat GPT 4 Turbo are

  • Chat GPT-4 Turbo can create images based on a prompt.
  • The language model can use external sources to obtain information.
  • Chat GPT 4 Turbo is designed to respond faster to queries, which makes a significant difference, especially for complex or large queries.
  • The model can handle a larger number of requests simultaneously while remaining efficient, making it ideal for high-traffic platforms.
  • Chat GPT 4 Turbo is particularly well suited for large-scale, commercial applications as it can better respond to high loads and large requests.

These specific enhancements make Chat GPT 4 Turbo an ideal choice for specialized use cases where speed, efficiency and scalability are critical.

What can Chat GPT-4o do?

Chat GPT-4o is the latest and most powerful version of OpenAI's GPT models. It represents a major evolution and stands out from previous models with its multimodal capabilities, speed and efficiency.

The main unique selling points of Chat GPT-4o are:

  • The latest GPT model can simultaneously process and output text, audio and image as input, making interaction more natural.
  • Chat GPT-4o responds much faster to requests than previous models and is therefore even better suited to complex or extensive input.
  • The model even reacts as quickly as a human and responds to audio input within 320 milliseconds on average.
  • Compared to Chat GPT-Turbo, GPT-4o generates text twice as fast, but is 50% cheaper.
  • The biggest difference to older models is the better processing of images and sound.
  • Thanks to the improvements, Chat GPT-4o is very well suited for tasks in the areas of creativity, data analysis, customer service and much more.

These specific improvements make Chat GPT-4o one of the most advanced AI solutions, which, like its predecessor GPT-4 Turbo, is ideal for business, research and creative applications.

What can GPT-4o mini do?

GPT-4o mini is a more compact and resource-efficient version of GPT-4o. It offers many of the benefits of the main model, but is optimized for faster and more efficient processing with reduced resource consumption. For those who do not have Chat GPT-Plus, GPT-4o mini is the new standard model.

The most important unique selling points of GPT-4o mini are:

  • The smaller version of GPT-4o also supports text, audio and image input and corresponding output.
  • Chat GPT-4o mini has a context window of 128,000 tokens, which enables the analysis of extensive documents and longer interactions.
  • The model is more powerful and less expensive than GPT-3.5, making it the perfect solution for cost-intensive, high-volume tasks.
  • Chat GPT-4o mini reduces resource consumption without sacrificing multimodal capabilities.
  • The model is ideal for companies that want to integrate AI-based functions on a large scale but do not have Chat GPT-Plus.

With GPT-4o mini, Open AI gives us the opportunity to benefit from the features of the latest Chat GPT model even without Chat GPT-Plus. Thanks to its optimized structure, GPT-4o mini is ideal for applications that require a powerful but resource-efficient AI solution.

Cost models from Chat GPT

Is Chat GPT free of charge?

What can Chat GPT do in terms of costs? Unfortunately, the tool does not offer a free full version for everyone. However, via OpenAI you will find a free version with a limited range of functions and paid versions with extended functions. There are different price models for different capacities for the extended range of functions. The prices are calculated per 1,000 tokens. The pricing details and models may change over time, so it is best to obtain the latest information directly from OpenAI.

How does the OpenAI chatbot work?

The AI chatbot is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. The GPT-4 language model uses a neural network with many layers and billions to trillions of connections to analyze text data and understand natural language. The neural network uses complex algorithms to simulate the nerve cells in the brain and thus human thinking. This enables Chat GPT to recognize patterns and correlations in the input orprompt and generate context-related responses. The AI's neurons represent individual points of connection and reference. The system is also based on a broad knowledge database: the chatbot has been trained with information from books, scientific papers and publicly accessible texts from the Internet.

What can Chat GPT do?

The chatbot has become an integral part of the current news. But what can Chat GPT do as an advanced AI? The most important areas of application for the language model include question answering, text summarization, plagiarism detection and language classification. In addition, the generative and versatile language model can also be used for many other purposes.

For which applications can Chat GPT be used?

Answer general questions

Example: "What is the capital of Spain?" or "How hot is the sun?"

Help with homework or essays

Example: "How does photosynthesis work?" or "Explain to me how a search engine works."

Mathematical calculations

Example: "Solve the equation 3x + 5 = 14" or "What is the square root of 225?"

Text and image generation

Example: Creation of poems, essays, blog posts or images on request.

Language translation

Example: "Translate the sentence 'Hello, how are you?" into German."

Creative writing

Example: Development of fictional characters or the creation of imaginative fable stories.

Support with travel planning

Example: "What sights are there in Rome?" or "How do I get from the airport to the hotel in Paris?"

Programming language and coding

Example: Assistance with the programming language for code snippets, development of programming concepts and algorithmic ideas and solutions for specific applications.

Create to-do lists and reminders

Example: "Set an appointment for my doctor's visit next Tuesday at 3 pm."
Note: Calendar and AI must be linked.

Matthias Kampmann, Managing Director of DREIKON

Do you want what Chat GPT can do?

We are not closing ourselves off to innovation, but are using the new opportunities that are available to us. Chat GPT cannot yet replace human work, but it can be a strong support in content creation. In addition to strategic and analytical preparatory work, sophisticated research and years of experience in SEO, AI can be valuable to us. We question critically, evaluate individually and provide you with unique content that works.

What can't Chat GPT do?

With what Chat GPT can do, you have a powerful tool at your disposal. But the tool also has its limits. As a general rule, you should never blindly trust the AI, because Chat GPT cannot always provide 100% correct answers and can sometimes give unpredictable or inappropriate answers. This can happen even if you formulate your request clearly and unambiguously. The results should therefore always be viewed manually and critically and compared with verified sources.

In-depth expertise

Even if general information on medical contexts can be provided, it is no substitute for a visit to a trained doctor. Detailed analyses or research work always require human support.

Emotional intelligence

Chat GPT can hold conversations, but does not have the ability to provide the complex emotional support a person needs in difficult times.

Verification of information

The answers provided are not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. Chat GPT cannot guarantee that all information is accurate or up to date.

Critical decision making or predictions

Chat GPT can give advice, but it is not able to make important decisions about a person's life or health. Chat GPT is also unable to provide a glimpse into the future.

Evaluating ethics and law

Chat GPT cannot replace legal advice or the manual assessment of ethical issues. Ethical and legal issues cannot be handled with the same competence as by a lawyer or ethicist.

Protect sensitive or confidential information

The AI is not suitable for discussing personal or sensitive data, as it may not be able to protect it adequately. For identity and authentication processes, Chat GPT is also unable to securely identify or authenticate users.

Creative expression at the highest level

Chat GPT can assist in the production of creative texts, but it cannot write masterpieces like great writers.

Unlimited conversation

When you have reached a certain number of tokens, Chat GPT can cancel the conversation or repeat its responses.

Perform physical actions

Chat GPT can provide instructions for completing tasks, but cannot physically perform them, such as repairing or cooking something.

How artificial intelligence can change the world

AI is already capable of holding human-like conversations, creating images and video footage at the touch of a button and also acting intelligently in more and more fields of activity.

Potential of artificial intelligence

  • Advanced automation:
    AI can be used to further automate processes and increase efficiency. This can bring about decisive changes for various industries and companies.
  • Advanced language processing:
    AI-controlled voice assistants are already highly performant. The latest update has shown what Chat GPT can really do and how rapidly it is developing. The chatbot could understand and perform even more complex tasks in the future.Personalized medicine and diagnosis:
    It could develop personalized treatment plans for patients and assist in the diagnosis of complex diseases.Autonomous vehicles:
    AI can further advance the development of autonomous driving through autonomous vehicles. This could enable safer and more efficient mobility in the future.
  • Improved image recognition and processing:
    Images and videos could be better analyzed. This can be useful in medical imaging or object recognition for autonomous robots, for example.
  • Self-learning AI systems:
    In the near future, even more advanced self-learning algorithms and systems could be developed that adapt even better to new challenges. Extensions such as the prediction of trends, personalized recommendation systems or the optimization of business processes are conceivable.

It's about (...) finding tasks that demand sufficient human performance.

Prof. Dr. Doris Weßels, German business information scientist and university professor
Risks of Chat GPT

What are the risks of artificial intelligence?

As great as the potential of AI is, the uncertainties are just as great. The ever-increasing generative and machine-based share of artificial intelligence in professional and private life raises many questions that cannot yet be answered conclusively at the present time. What is certain, however, is that the impact on digitalization, economic efficiency and social life will be clearly noticeable. Researchers are certain that some tasks will be eliminated, many will change and new tasks are likely to be added.

However, AI has a crucial weakness: it is only as good as the data it has been trained with. If this data is insufficient, outdated or incorrect, this can lead to facts not being represented correctly. There is therefore always a risk of producing fake news, prejudices and discriminatory statements. If this information is already contained in the training data, it is not questioned by the AI systems, but simply reproduced. AI cannot yet replace human abilities such as ethics and empathy.

What can Chat GPT do with regard to copyright and data protection?

AI-generated content can raise copyright issues. The content is often plagiarized, as information from the training data is reproduced. This can not only lead to problems with term papers or essays, but can also have legal consequences, especially in a public and commercial context. Even tools for automatic plagiarism checking do not offer 100% protection.

Chat GPT can become problematic in terms of copyright for these reasons:
  • The input from the training data is difficult to assess from a copyright perspective.
  • It cannot be clearly assigned whose intellectual property the data generated with the AI is. It is not possible to identify a clear author of the creative work. Only humans can create copyright-protected works.
  • It is not always clear where the AI interferes with existing copyrights.

    For these reasons, Chat GPT may violate data protection regulations:

  • Chat GPT states that it cannot store any personal data entered during the conversation. This means that future interactions cannot be influenced. A residual risk remains.
  • It is therefore important not to enter any sensitive or personal information during the conversation. This applies in particular to third-party data for which you have not received consent.
  • Any use of Chat GPT should comply with applicable data protection laws and regulations. Companies are bound by the provisions of the GDPR anyway.
    Does Chat GPT have competition?

    Does Chat GPT have competition?

    In addition to Chat GPT, there may also be other strong AI chatbots in the future. The strongest competition is likely to be Truth GPT, also from Elon Musk, or Google Gemini (formerly Google Bard).

    Truth GPT describes itself as a "truth-seeking chatbot". This tool should be able to significantly improve accuracy, legal classification of facts and bias.
    Google Gemini should also have great potential - just like the latest Chat GPT models, Google Gemini has multimodal functions and can analyze and output images, text and audio. In addition, Google's AI is able to process information from the Internet and can therefore always provide you with up-to-date results.

    AI and SEO: What can Chat GPT do in search engine optimization?

    Search engines can potentially identify AI-generated content. However, the process is complex and not always reliable. The algorithms are designed to recognize relevant, high-quality and unique content. If AI-generated content meets these criteria, it can certainly be recognized and evaluated as relevant content. One major challenge is that the quality of AI content can vary greatly. The content may have recurring linguistic inconsistencies or patterns that can be recognized by advanced algorithms.

    Conclusion: What can Chat GPT do and what not?

    The AI chatbot is a powerful, generative tool with high-performance language processing that offers great added value when used correctly. However, the quality of the results is only ever as good as the input and therefore depends on the quality of the database and your input (prompt). The benefits of AI are diverse, but not limitless. So far, human characteristics such as empathy or emotions, but also critical attitudes, cannot be mapped. The generation of content also poses risks, as there are risks of misinformation, ethical dilemmas, data protection and copyright infringements. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to ensure that its use is responsible and complies with applicable legal requirements regarding copyright and data protection. Chat GPT cannot yet replace human action. What the future holds remains to be seen.

    Matthias Kampmann, Managing Director of DREIKON

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