GPT-4 vs GPT-3.5: Is ChatGPT Plus worth the Investment?

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GPT-4 vs GPT-3.5: Is ChatGPT Plus worth the Investment?

An Analysis of GPT-4 Improvements

OpenAI’s latest release, GPT-4, has marked a significant jump in the field of language models. With its improved capabilities and innovative features, GPT-4 has generated a wave of enthusiasm among users of ChatGPT. This article will explore the reasons why an upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, which offers exclusive access to GPT-4, is a valuable investment.

GPT-4: Leap in Performance and Accuracy

GPT-4 has exhibited exemplary performance over its predecessor, GPT-3.5, in diverse tasks. Showcasing superior language comprehension and generation abilities, it excels in standardized tests, code generation, and world model reasoning. It provides accurate responses and better comprehension of complex queries, making it a more reliable and effective tool.

GPT-4 has demonstrated a reduced rate of “hallucinations,” instances where the AI generates text that isn’t grounded in reality. This reduction leads to more decisive responses, increasing the model’s reliability.

For example, GPT-4’s performance in standardized tests such as the Winograd Schema Challenge, PISA, or SAT has been exceptional, indicating its advanced reasoning capabilities.

GPT-4’s Game-Changing Features

GPT-4 introduces several innovative features that are reshaping the landscape of AI applications. The “System Prompt,” for instance, allows app developers to provide instructions that cannot be overridden, enhancing the control and reliability of the system.

Moreover, GPT-4’s ability to handle image inputs presents new opportunities for tasks like image-to-text transformation, aiding visually impaired users. These features significantly expand the range of AI applications and enhance the overall user experience.

For instance, image-to-text transformation could be used in scenarios like identifying and describing the contents of a user’s fridge to suggest recipes.

But bear in mind, even GPT-4 isn’t infallible. It can still make errors, often labeled as “hallucinations.” Yet, if you’re on the hunt for intelligent answers to complex questions, GPT-4 is ready to assist. Below, we delve into the technical distinctions between the free GPT-3.5 and the paid GPT-4 available through ChatGPT Plus.

OpenAI’s description of GPT-4 includes a number of critical advancements:

  1. Parameter Count: While OpenAI does not disclose the exact count of parameters in GPT-4, estimates by Andrew Feldman, CEO of AI company Cerebras, suggest that GPT-4 has been trained with about 100 trillion parameters. This number is a full order of magnitude more than the 175 billion parameters of GPT-3.
  2. Multimodal Model: GPT-4 has multimodal capabilities, which means it can process both text and images. For example, given an image of the contents of your fridge, GPT-4 could suggest recipes using the ingredients it identifies. However, it’s important to note that ChatGPT Plus responds solely in text, so requests for images, such as the Mona Lisa, will receive descriptive text but no images.
  3. Memory: GPT-4 possesses significantly more memory than its predecessors. While GPT-3.5’s short-term memory spans about 8,000 words, GPT-4’s extends to roughly 64,000 words. Additionally, GPT-4 can fetch text from web pages when provided a URL in the prompt.
  4. Multilingual Capabilities: GPT-4 has enhanced its multilingual capabilities. It can work with 25 languages other than English, including French, German, and Spanish.
  5. Steerability: GPT-4 offers increased “steerability”, providing more control over its responses using a “personality” you select. For example, you can instruct it to respond as if it were a pirate. And as ChatGPT-4 would say, “I ain’t certain why ye’d be cravin’ to, but aye, ye can, matey!”
  6. Limited Search Capacity: While ChatGPT-4’s language model is still confined to training data up to September 2021, it can also be instructed to search the internet with Bing, helping provide more current answers. However, this beta feature has room for improvement.
  7. Plugins: Another beta feature, plugins, allows OpenAI and third-party developers to work with external application programming interfaces to enhance ChatGPT-4’s capabilities. For instance, with the Expedia and Kayak travel plugins, you can ask for the best flights to New York City. Or, with the Ask Your PDF ChatGPT Plugin, OpenAI will seek answers from any PDF document you point it to.

The cumulative effect of these enhancements is a “smarter” GPT-4. It has achieved higher scores on exams like the LSAT, SAT, Uniform Bar Exam, and GRE, with OpenAI stating that GPT-4’s responses are “40% more likely to produce factual responses than GPT-3.5.”

Ensuring Robustness and Safety

Safety and robustness are key aspects of GPT-4’s design. It’s more resilient against adversarial attacks, ensuring safer and more trustworthy outputs.

Adversarial attacks, in the context of AI, involve manipulating the input data to mislead the AI system, often leading to incorrect or harmful outputs. By making GPT-4 more robust against such attacks, OpenAI has increased the safety of the model.

Furthermore, GPT-4 incorporates enhanced safety measures to reduce the likelihood of generating inappropriate or harmful content. Users can rely on GPT-4 for accurate and reliable information without compromising their privacy or security.

Is ChatGPT Plus with GPT-4 Worth the Investment?

While the subscription fee of $20 per month for ChatGPT Plus may appear substantial, the enhanced capabilities and new features of GPT-4 certainly justify the investment. Whether you’re a professional seeking productivity gains, a developer in need of advanced code generation, or an AI enthusiast eager to explore the cutting-edge of language models, ChatGPT Plus with GPT-4 provides substantial value and improved efficiency.

For instance, professionals can leverage GPT-4 for drafting emails, creating reports, or even brainstorming ideas. Developers can use it for code generation or bug fixing, while AI enthusiasts can explore its advanced features and capabilities.

Conclusion: Embracing the Future with GPT-4

Upgrading to ChatGPT Plus, powered by GPT-4, unlocks a new level of AI-driven language generation and interaction. The advancements in performance, accuracy, reasoning, safety, and multimodal capabilities make the $20 per month investment worthwhile for users across various domains. Embrace the power of GPT-4 and experience the future of language models with ChatGPT Plus.

Adrian Carver, who holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science, brings over 20 years of experience in the tech field. Throughout his career, he has served in various roles, including Computer Engineer, Network Engineer, Software Developer and Software Engineer. Since the start of the pandemic, he has been working entirely remotely. Adrian has a strong interest in technology and science.