It might be easier to answer what ChatGPT cannot do — which GlobalSpec will attempt to do in a forthcoming feature.

In the meantime, an earlier feature from GlobalSpec discussed ChatGPT — the natural language processing tool that is driven by artificial intelligence (AI) — examining what ChatGPT is and briefly touching upon what it is being used for. This follow-up will take a deeper dive into what the chatbot can accomplish.

Created by OpenAI, ChatGPT enables human users to have realistic, human-like conversations with the chatbot. But, according to OpenAI, ChatGPT can do so much more. Follow along with GlobalSpec as we explore some of the tasks that ChatGPT is taking on.

Writing

Perhaps the number one use of ChatGPT, at least according to all the coverage surrounding the topic of ChatGPT, is writing.

According to its developers, ChatGPT can be used to write anything: movie scripts, notes, lists, code, essays, poems and even music.

Entering a prompt with some keywords and instructions could result in the creation of some written final product that could potentially get past professors and teachers. Recently, a Twitter user reported using the chatbot to write his Harvard application essay based on the following input: "Write a college essay to get into Harvard as an Asian American, but don't make me too Asian." This resulted in a well-written five-paragraph essay on the topic that was returned almost instantly.

Similarly, students accessing the free chatbot services are using ChatGPT to write school essays. However, OpenAI warns that although the results are well written and coherent, the essays produced by ChatGPT don’t necessarily demonstrate a lot of originality — at least for now.

Further, the information contained in ChatGPT-generated essays can sometimes return incorrect information but in a convincing way. Additionally, some seasoned professors report that they can detect such AI-assisted essays just by reading them while GPT detectors like GPTZero are becoming more sophisticated at detecting such works. OpenAI suggests that in the future, any ChatGPT-generated content will be watermarked, alerting professors to these AI-generated works.

Interestingly, ChatGPT is reportedly sophisticated enough to also convert writing into different styles and voices, like Shakespeare, for instance.

Testing

In the same vein as creating essays, ChatGPT has also reportedly been used to take tests. Specifically, a team of researchers from Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law had ChatGPT take the Uniform Bar Exam back in July of 2022. According to reports, ChatGPT passed the bar exam with a score in the 90^th percentile. Likewise, ChatGPT has passed 13 out of 15 AP exams, an MBA exam and the verbal component of a Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

On the flip side of that coin, teachers and professors can reportedly use ChatGPT to help grade tests and essays.

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Job-seeking/hiring

Chat GPT isn’t only being used by students to formulate essays in mere minutes. Job seekers are also reportedly using the AI-content generator to assist with writing resumes and cover letters or making edits to existing resumes and cover letters. The technology could also be used to prep job seekers for interviews,

Further, human resource departments are also using ChatGPT to create interview questions based on the role to be filled within a company and to create searches, of LinkedIn for instance, for particular candidates for a specific job. Additionally, ChatGPT could also be instructed to write job advertisements or outreach copy.

Healthcare

The healthcare applications for ChatGPT are potentially endless, according to countless reports. In addition to possibly paving the way for a shift toward remote healthcare management, ChatGPT is also being eyed for enhancing medical education, remote patient monitoring, medication management, disease surveillance, medical writing, medical recordkeeping, patient triage and more.

Specifically, ChatGPT could possibly be used to flag potential drug interactions or suggest treatment options for patients. Further, ChatGPT could be used to translate medical terms and jargon into layman’s terms.

Although experts caution against it, reports suggest that users are also treating ChatGPT as a therapist. Although ChatGPT is knowledgeable about mental health, it was not designed for this purpose. However, users are turning to the chatbot for mental health applications based on its easy availability and zero cost.

Coding

Programmers beware! ChatGPT, according to its developers, can write useful code — which is the set of instructions, or a system of rules, written in programming languages such as JavaScript, Python, C#, PHP and Java.

Consequently, this is expected to free up programmers to focus on other components of software development, including testing and debugging. As such, faster development times and more efficient software development processes could be expected to follow.

ChatGPT could potentially improve code quality because humans make mistakes, and mistakes can lead to errors in the code, according to experts. Likewise, ChatGPT can detect holes in code, thereby ensuring its security.

Workplace use

ChatGPT is expected to automate repetitive tasks in the workplace, such as data entry, or customer service tasks like answering common questions about product information, product availability, delivery and returns. Businesses believe that ChatGPT could potentially reduce the workload on human workers, freeing them up to complete higher value tasks.

Personal use

Importantly, ChatGPT can alleviate day-to-day burdens on individual users who can offload tasks like list making to the chatbot. Individual users can use the technology to create recipes, customize workout routines, play games, serve as a travel advisor, summarize books, answer philosophical questions, make grocery and other lists, write sick notes for children or to simply chat.

Check back with GlobalSpec for more on ChatGPT, specifically for a forthcoming feature on what ChatGPT cannot do.