The latest versions of ChatGPT have surpassed professional advice columnists in providing personal advice, according to new research published in "Frontiers in Psychology." This finding marks a significant milestone for ChatGPT, which has already established itself as a trusted resource for technical knowledge.
ChatGPT's Rising Popularity for Personal Advice
Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has rapidly gained popularity, with over 100 million monthly users within two months. Its paid iteration, GPT-4, showcases a language model with an unprecedented 1.76 trillion parameters, heralding a new era in AI capabilities.
Trained on extensive online text data, ChatGPT's versatility covers a plethora of subjects from academic topics to legal and medical counsel. While the accuracy of its responses should be cross-checked, its conversational finesse and breadth of knowledge have made it a go-to for users seeking personal advice.
The Value of Empathy in Advice-Giving
For advice to be impactful, especially on personal matters, it must be delivered with empathy. Research underscores that advice lacking in empathy might not only be disregarded but could also lead to a sense of isolation. Personal issues often do not have definitive solutions, making empathetic insight more beneficial than mere correctness.
GPT-3.5 Turbo's Hurdle in Social Advice
Although GPT-3.5 Turbo could comprehend users' situations effectively, its advice-giving approach was criticized for insufficient empathy, echoing the cartoon character Lucy's method—advisory over emotional support. This approach led to negative feedback, emphasizing the need for AI to consider emotional elements for truly helpful interactions.
GPT-4's Advances in Empathy
The advancement to GPT-4 addresses this concern by allowing multiple response options to a single query, aiming to improve social tact and empathy. This feature, refined through user input, signifies a leap toward more nuanced and considerate advice from AI systems.
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