I like to think of language models like ChatGPT as a calculator for words.
This is reflected in their name: a “language model” implies that they are tools for working with language. That’s what they’ve been trained to do, and it’s language manipulation where they truly excel.
Want them to work with specific facts? Paste those into the language model as part of your original prompt!
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A calculator for words is an incredibly powerful thing.
“A calculator for words” is a great analogy for language models. It is the framing the ultimately clicked for me when ChatGPT first made it clear that generative AI was going to quickly change some of our longstanding education paradigms.
From a post I wrote in December 2022:
The most exciting path forward is one where we frame Large Language Models as “a calculator for text”. Just as the invention of pocket calculators was a giant disruption that forced us to re-evaluate our approach to mathematics education, language models will continue to force us to re-evaluate our approach to research and writing. Done correctly this will open the door for us to learn more quickly, use our time more effectively, and progress further than we possibly could before.