Is ChatGPT accurate and should we believe what it says?

Modern chatbots like ChatGPT can churn out dozens of words per second, making them incredibly useful for sifting through and understanding vast amounts of data. With over 500GB of training data and an estimated 300 billion words processed, this AI language model is also capable of providing answers to many factual questions. However, despite how human-like ChatGPT’s responses may appear, a critical question lingers: just how accurate is the information it offers?

While ChatGPT can be really informative most of the time, you’ve likely heard about loads of controversies surrounding generative AI. From racial biases to harmful content, there’s a whole history of issues to think about before fully trusting anything generated by AI.

How accurate is ChatGPT?

Absolutely, ChatGPT can definitely be accurate, especially when it comes to straightforward questions with clear answers. When it comes to well-established information, ChatGPT can pull relevant data from its training and provide truthful responses. So, for a question like “What is the capital of France?”, you’re highly likely to receive the correct answer.

However, chatbots like ChatGPT often make up information when they come across a new or challenging question. This happens because generative language models are programmed to mimic how humans write, not how we think. As a result, their logical reasoning abilities are quite limited.

The issue with ChatGPT’s accuracy goes beyond what you might expect. It frequently includes completely made-up details and comes up with convincing-sounding facts in response to certain prompts. While the chatbot’s creator has implemented various safeguards to prevent these fabrications, as our tests will demonstrate later in this article, they’re not entirely foolproof.

If you’re looking for solid evidence, numerous studies have thoroughly tested ChatGPT’s accuracy, revealing a consistent pattern. ChatGPT tends to have a surprisingly high accuracy rate for typical questions. For instance, in a medical study, the chatbot scored a median rating of 5.5 out of 6 on a scale. However, ChatGPT’s regular updates can sometimes backfire, affecting its accuracy and usefulness.

Another study by researchers from UC Berkeley and Stanford University found that the chatbot’s ability to identify prime numbers dropped from an impressive 84% accuracy to just 51% within three months. In summary, it’s best not to fully trust ChatGPT’s responses without fact-checking them first.

Can ChatGPT’s accuracy be improved?

If you’re just a casual ChatGPT user, you might not have thought about upgrading to the paid tier. However, if you heavily rely on the chatbot’s responses, it’s worth considering. Upgrading can significantly boost its accuracy, making it a top priority. This is because with the $20 ChatGPT Plus subscription, you’ll gain access to the more advanced GPT-4 Turbo language model.

The GPT-4 language model outshines its predecessor, GPT-3.5, which still powers the basic chatbot experience today. OpenAI reports that the newer model scored in the 89th percentile for SAT Math, 90th percentile for the Uniform Bar Exam, and 80th percentile for the GRE Quantitative. These results are almost across the board better than those of GPT-3.5.

Scoring in the 80th to 90th percentile means that GPT-4’s accuracy doesn’t quite reach the level of expertise of human professionals in those fields. However, ChatGPT Plus also gives you access to web browsing support, which means the chatbot can look up information on Wikipedia and other online sources. It’s like having live research at your fingertips, similar to how we use Google to find the right answers.

Is ChatGPT better than Gemini?

ChatGPT and Google Gemini are starting to seem like siblings ever since Gemini Ultra 1.0 came out, giving GPT-4 some serious competition. They both offer free features, almost identical subscription plans, and their interfaces and functionalities are pretty much alike. However, if you dig deeper, that’s where you’ll find the true distinctions – in their language models.

The major difference between ChatGPT and Gemini is where they get their intelligence from. GPT-3.5’s knowledge is limited to January 2022, while GPT-4 extends to April 2023. But Gemini? It’s like a sponge soaking up fresh information from the web as it happens. What’s more, it’s selective – it only pulls data from sources that match specific topics, such as coding or the latest scientific breakthroughs.

With ChatGPT, it’s all about which version you’re using. If you’re sticking with the free version, you’re working with OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 or GPT-4. But if you’ve splurged on ChatGPT Plus, you’re diving into the premium features.

Now, Gemini offers three options: Gemini Pro, Gemini Ultra, and Gemini Nano. Pro is your versatile choice, Ultra is for those big tasks, and Nano is the compact version for mobile use. The Ultra 1.0 is the engine behind the subscription-based Gemini Advanced, outpacing the free Pro version with its speed and intelligence.