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“Mastering ChatGPT: The AI Chatbot Everyone’s Buzzing About”
Inevitably, the future that’s coming is digital… And everyone wants to know how to use ChatGPT. These are probably the things most people are curious about:
☑ How to use ChatGPT?
☑ Is ChatGPT free to use?
☑ What can you ask ChatGPT?
☑ Possible errors with ChatGPT?
☑ Do you need to download ChatGPT?
ChatGPT continues to amaze the internet with AI-generated content, evolving from a new chatbot into a piece of technology powering the next era of innovation. Yet, not everyone is up to speed—many are still asking: what’s all the fuss about?
Developed by OpenAI—also known for creating the text-to-image generator DALL·E—ChatGPT is currently available for anyone to try for free. Here's what ChatGPT is, how to use it, and how it might change the future of the internet.
How to use ChatGPT
First, go to chat.openai.com. If it’s your first time, you’ll need to sign up for a free OpenAI account. You can sign in using Google or Microsoft accounts, or simply enter your email address. Then you’ll be asked to provide a phone number—note that virtual (VoIP) numbers won’t work. After verifying your number, you’ll complete the setup process.
You’ll see some guidelines about how ChatGPT works, including possible errors, how OpenAI collects data, and how users can provide feedback. Once that’s done—you’re in!
Using the chatbot is quite simple: just type your prompt, and ChatGPT will respond with relevant information.
The ChatGPT site is user-friendly and includes a results area and a text input box at the bottom where you enter your questions. While you can start with questions, OpenAI recommends phrasing inputs as statements for best results.
For example, writing “Explain how the Solar System was formed” gives a more detailed result than “How was the Solar System formed,” though both yield fairly in-depth answers. You can go even further by specifying a tone or style, such as: “Explain how the Solar System was created, as if you’re a high school teacher.”
You can also request specific formats like an essay with a set number of paragraphs, or even a Wikipedia-style article. A prompt like “Write a four-paragraph essay explaining Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” returns an impressively detailed result. You can also ask ChatGPT to revise previous answers or add more details.
If enough reliable information is available, the model will deliver accurate responses. Otherwise, ChatGPT may try to “fill in the gaps,” sometimes generating inaccurate information. OpenAI notes these cases are rare—but they do happen. Also, ChatGPT currently has “limited knowledge of world events after 2021.”
You can keep asking questions as long as the browser session is open, or reset the thread to clear your chat history. ChatGPT also supports dark and light modes.
Is ChatGPT free to use?
Yes, the basic version of ChatGPT is completely free to use. Of course, OpenAI incurs costs—it's estimated that running ChatGPT costs about $3 million per month, or roughly $100,000 a day. Aside from server expenses, training the model also involved significant efforts to reduce harmful or offensive content.
OpenAI has also released a paid premium version called ChatGPT Plus, which offers access during peak times, faster responses, and early access to new features like GPT-4.
Beyond the ChatGPT app itself, many apps have integrated the ChatGPT API, including Snapchat and Microsoft 365 apps. There’s even a way to replace Siri on your iPhone with ChatGPT.
But keep in mind—there is no official ChatGPT mobile app as of now. Many apps you see in app stores are scams, including some found via Google Search.
What can you ask ChatGPT?
AI offers revolutionary solutions for improving the precision and efficiency of advertising campaigns. Imagine a world where every ad you see is tailor-made for you, like a personal message from your favorite brand. AI now makes this possible, enabling ads to be hyper-personalized and targeted directly to each individual. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it?
Hyper-personalized direct video targeting means that the same ad will not be shown to everyone. Some ad campaigns already collect geolocation data in advance. This means that users see different versions of the same clip or ad depending on the area they live in. However, advertisers know much more about us than we might assume.
For instance, certain AI generators might address you like this: "Hello, Magdalena. How are you? Wondering how I know who you are?"
Think about it—perhaps while watching certain movies, downloading apps, or shopping online, you’ve used your personal data, like your name, or maybe you recently bought a concert or movie ticket online. This level of personalization can be exciting but also a bit eerie, don’t you think?
What can you ask ChatGPT?
That’s the fun part. Since its launch, people have been experimenting to see what ChatGPT can—and can’t—do. Some results have been astonishing.
However, it takes some trial and error to learn which types of prompts work best. Just as we’ve learned how to use search engines, it takes practice to get the most out of ChatGPT. If you're new, we have a guide with top ChatGPT tips.
Ultimately, it depends on what you want. Try using it to write a blog post from a template or even code snippets if you’re a developer.
Some of my colleagues tested whether ChatGPT could help with holiday shopping or even interpret astrology—and while there were limitations, we were thoroughly impressed with the results.
But the real fun is trying it yourself. Whether you think ChatGPT is revolutionary or a threat to the internet as we know it, it’s worth testing firsthand to see what it can do.
That said, you can’t ask just anything. OpenAI has safeguards in place to build “safe and useful AGI.” This means questions that are hateful, sexist, racist, or discriminatory in any form are generally prohibited.
Possible ChatGPT errors?
Recently, many users have been getting “at capacity” messages when trying to access ChatGPT. That’s likely led to a rise in unofficial paid apps that have scammed users into paying for something that’s actually free.
Because of the high operating costs, OpenAI seems to limit access when servers are “over capacity.” Sometimes, you’ll need to wait a few hours—but if you’re patient, you’ll get through. Among all current issues, this has been the biggest barrier keeping people from using it. Demand is so high that ChatGPT has experienced several hours of downtime for maintenance in the past few months, though access has improved recently, even during peak times.
Do you need to download ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is available via a website—no download needed. OpenAI has yet to release an official app, despite app stores being full of fake versions. Use extreme caution with those, as they’re not official ChatGPT apps.
Still, there are some ways to install ChatGPT-like shortcuts. You can save the ChatGPT website as a Windows app using Edge. Just go to the page, click the menu, and choose “Install this site as an app” so it can be launched from your desktop.
Other tools like MacGPT also let you create shortcuts for accessing ChatGPT in your browser from the desktop. Recently, OpenAI made the ChatGPT API public, which led to a wave of tools powered by the technology, including Discord’s Clyde chatbot.
Can ChatGPT be used to write essays?
Using ChatGPT for writing is a hot topic, with many observers debating how AI might transform everything from search engines to novel writing.
Writing student essays is one of the most obvious areas where ChatGPT could become problematic. It might not write this article as well—but it’s shockingly good at writing essays with ease. Some generative AI tools like Caktus AI were made specifically for that purpose.
Teachers, school administrators, and developers are already working to address this, with many schools banning ChatGPT. Others are more optimistic, seeing opportunities to use it for education—but plagiarism will undoubtedly remain an issue in the academic world.
There are even ideas for how ChatGPT might watermark its text and...
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