Back to chatbots

By Fay Capstick

A couple of weeks ago we looked at ChatbotGPT and all the excitement about its release. Since then Google have jumped onboard and announced their equivalent, Bard, for small scale testing. This week we will try out ChatbotGPT and see whether the AI apocalypse will soon be upon us.

Google’s alternative

Google have announced that they will be releasing Bard for testing. They are hoping it will be released to the general public soon. Google have also said that AI will be built into their search engine soon. This is likely in direct response to Microsoft announcing that Bing will have ChatbotGPT built in.

Bard will be based on Google’s tech LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications). We have looked at this before when a Google worker caused interest by announcing that he felt that LaMDA was sentient (Google says they just have a very convincing chatbot).

So what happened when we tried ChatbotGPT?

This was exciting as the chatbot has caused a lot of interest for its capabilities to apparently hold conversations, write computer code, essays, and compose poems, but does it live up to the hype?

Here are some of the questions we asked and the responses that ChatbotGPT generated.

(My questions are in bold and underlined, ChatbotGPT’s answers are in italics, and my comments follow each answer.)

What is the history of the recruitment agency Parker Shaw from Southampton, England?

I'm sorry, but I don't have information on the history of a specific recruitment agency called Parker Shaw from Southampton, England. However, recruitment agencies have been around for many decades and have evolved over time to meet the changing needs of job seekers and employers. They typically provide services to help employers find the right talent for their open positions and to help job seekers find employment opportunities that match their skills and experience.

It would be best to contact Parker Shaw directly or research their website or other publicly available information to learn more about the history and services they offer.

This is good as it shows that ChatbotGPT is aware of its limitations in providing answers. It points users towards directly researching Parker Shaw themselves or looking at other publicly available information. I was slightly surprised that the chatbot didn’t undertake this itself, but it did provide a useful description of what a recruitment agency does.

Why all the fuss about ChatbotGPT?

There is a lot of buzz around OpenAI's GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer) technology, and ChatbotGPT specifically, because it represents a significant advance in the field of natural language processing. GPT models, including ChatbotGPT, are capable of generating human-like text responses, which makes them well-suited for a wide range of applications, including chatbots.

One of the key strengths of GPT models is their ability to generate high-quality text responses based on a given prompt or context. This makes them useful for tasks such as answering questions, providing information, and engaging in conversations. They have been trained on vast amounts of data, which allows them to produce responses that are relevant, informative, and often even creative.

Another factor contributing to the buzz around GPT models is the rapid pace of innovation in the field of AI and NLP. OpenAI has been at the forefront of this innovation, and the company's research and development efforts have helped to advance the state-of-the-art in NLP.

In summary, ChatbotGPT and other GPT models are attracting a lot of attention because they are highly advanced and capable of generating high-quality text responses, which has many potential applications in various industries.

I asked the ChatbotGPT the question central to our blog of a couple of weeks ago. The response is well structured and useful. Note that it tells us its responses are ‘relevant, informative, and even creative’, but it does not mention anything about being factually accurate which again highlights the problems that will be faced if users start to rely on the answers it produces.

What 8 things do job seekers want in 2023?

Here are eight things that many job seekers are likely to prioritize in 2023:

1. Flexibility: Job seekers are increasingly valuing flexibility in the workplace, such as the ability to work from home or have flexible hours.
2. Work-Life Balance: A healthy work-life balance is becoming more important to many job seekers, who are looking for employers who support this.
3. Growth Opportunities: Job seekers are looking for opportunities to grow and develop professionally, and they want employers who invest in their training and development.
4. Job Security: In a rapidly changing job market, job security is a top priority for many job seekers.
5. Competitive Compensation: Job seekers are looking for employers who offer competitive compensation packages, including salaries, benefits, and bonuses.
6. A Positive Work Culture: Job seekers are attracted to employers who have a positive, supportive work culture, where they feel valued and respected.
7. A Clear Career Path: Job seekers want to know what their career path will look like within an organization, and they want to see opportunities for advancement.
8. Social Responsibility: Job seekers are looking for employers who have a strong sense of social responsibility, and who are committed to making a positive impact in the community and the world.

These are some of the key things that job seekers may be looking for in 2023, but it's important to note that individual priorities can vary depending on factors such as career stage, industry, and personal preferences.

This is a question that I posed in our blog at the beginning of the year. ChatbotGPT provided a clearly laid out and well structured answer. It was also accurate and matched me on many of the points made. The answer does highlight the main drawback at the moment, which is that the chatbot doesn’t provide particularly long or detailed answers. It might be that this option is available to the paid users, but with answers this length it won’t be writing full essays or blog posts, which is a relief to this blog writer.

Write a haiku about an IT recruitment agency called Parker Shaw

Parker Shaw IT,

Matching tech talent with need,

Efficiency flows.

We are not skilled in the poetry department, but this seems nice and we do indeed match tech talent with need, so that is accurate.

Conclusion

The main problem is that currently ChatbotGPT only has limited knowledge after 2021, which will cause a problem for people using it for research. It acknowledges its limitations, which is positive. The concern is, as has been reported, it can generate factually incorrect responses which might not be spotted, thus promoting false information. So the key take away is to always fact check yourself rather than rely on a chatbot (for the moment at least).

Final thoughts

At Parker Shaw we have been at the forefront of the sector we serve, IT & Digital Recruitment and Consulting, for over 30 years. We can advise you on all your hiring needs. If you are looking for your next job in the IT sector please check our Jobs Board for our current live vacancies at https://parkershaw.co.uk/jobs-...;