Don't Use ChatGPT Until You Watch This Video

Leila Gharani
21 Sept 202313:39

TLDRThis video provides tips on how to optimize the use of ChatGPT to get better responses. It suggests customizing your profile to include personal and professional details, setting preferences for language tone, and response length. It also demonstrates how to instruct ChatGPT to provide answers with a specific level of detail, such as Excel formulas without explanation. The video further explains how to teach ChatGPT to write in your personal style, have it self-review its text, self-prompt for better prompts, and specify output formats like tables or HTML. The key takeaway is that the quality of the output depends on the quality of the input, emphasizing the principle 'garbage in, garbage out.'

Takeaways

  • πŸ“ Utilize custom instructions to inform ChatGPT about your preferences, such as your background and desired response style, to get more relevant and efficient answers.
  • πŸ”§ Set specific instructions for ChatGPT, like providing only the most efficient solution without explanation when you're proficient in a subject like Excel or programming.
  • πŸ’¬ Choose the level of formality, whether ChatGPT should express opinions, and the desired length of responses to streamline your interactions.
  • πŸ”— Request ChatGPT to include the confidence level of its answers and provide valid URLs for factual information to ensure reliability.
  • πŸŽ“ Teach ChatGPT to write in your personal style by providing examples of your writing, which it can then emulate for future tasks.
  • πŸ“ Ask ChatGPT to self-review and provide feedback on its own text, helping to refine and improve the quality of responses.
  • πŸ€– Use self-prompting to optimize the prompts for better output, such as crafting an email, by asking ChatGPT to generate and refine prompts based on your input.
  • βœ‰οΈ When writing emails or documents, specify a word count limit in your prompt to control the length of the output.
  • πŸ“Š Request output in specific formats like tables, CSV, HTML, or even JSON and XML for easier integration into different platforms or applications.
  • πŸ–Œ Customize the appearance of output formats by refining your prompts to include details like borders and spacing for tables.
  • βš™οΈ Remember the principle of 'garbage in, garbage out' when interacting with AI; the quality of your input directly affects the quality of the output you receive.

Q & A

  • What is the main issue the video discusses regarding ChatGPT usage?

    -The video discusses the issue of poor quality answers from ChatGPT due to the lack of custom instructions, which leads to time-wasting back-and-forth interactions.

  • How can users provide custom instructions to ChatGPT?

    -Users can provide custom instructions by clicking on their profile icon and entering information about themselves, their preferences, and how they want ChatGPT to respond.

  • What is an example of a custom instruction a user might give to ChatGPT?

    -An example of a custom instruction could be: 'When I ask for Excel formulas, just provide the most efficient formula without any explanation.'

  • How does setting a confidence level for ChatGPT's answers help?

    -Setting a confidence level helps users understand how reliable the provided information is and aids in making informed decisions based on the responses.

  • What is the purpose of teaching ChatGPT to write in a user's personal style?

    -Teaching ChatGPT to write in a user's personal style ensures that the generated text aligns with the user's unique voice and writing style, making it more authentic and suitable for their needs.

  • How can users ask ChatGPT to review its own text and provide feedback?

    -Users can ask ChatGPT to act as a critic by instructing it to analyze the text and provide step-by-step feedback on potential issues and improvements.

  • What is self-prompting and how can it be used?

    -Self-prompting is a technique where ChatGPT is asked to create prompts for a specific task, such as writing an email. It helps optimize the output by refining the initial prompt through a series of questions and clarifications.

  • Why is specifying a word count important when asking ChatGPT to generate text?

    -Specifying a word count helps to control the length of the generated text, ensuring it meets the user's requirements without unnecessary information and saves time.

  • What are the different output formats that ChatGPT can provide?

    -ChatGPT can provide outputs in various formats such as plain text, tables, CSV, HTML, JSON, XML, and even as a Pandas data frame.

  • How can users ensure they get the most out of ChatGPT?

    -Users can get the most out of ChatGPT by providing clear and specific instructions, setting preferences, and utilizing advanced features like custom instructions, confidence levels, and self-prompting.

  • What is the principle that the video emphasizes for effective use of AI tools like ChatGPT?

    -The video emphasizes the principle 'garbage in, garbage out,' meaning the quality of the output is highly dependent on the quality of the input provided to the AI tool.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ€– Customizing ChatGPT for Personalized Experience

The first paragraph emphasizes the importance of customizing ChatGPT to improve the quality of responses. It suggests using custom instructions accessible through the profile icon to inform ChatGPT about the user's identity, preferences, and desired response style. The user is encouraged to provide context such as profession or regional information to receive tailored responses. Additionally, the paragraph discusses setting preferences for the language and tone of responses, including the level of formality, neutrality, and desired response length. An example is given on how to instruct ChatGPT to provide Excel formulas without explanations, and the benefits of informing about the confidence level of answers and providing sources for factual information are highlighted.

05:04

πŸ“ Teaching ChatGPT Your Writing Style

The second paragraph focuses on how users can train ChatGPT to emulate their personal writing style. It outlines a process where users provide examples of their writing, and ChatGPT saves this style under a custom label for future use. The user then specifies the topic, and ChatGPT generates content in the saved writing style. The paragraph also mentions the possibility of self-critiquing, where ChatGPT reviews and provides feedback on its own text, and self-prompting, where it optimizes its own prompts for better output. An example is given on how to ask ChatGPT to create prompts for writing an email to encourage team participation in a team-building event.

10:08

πŸ“ˆ Optimizing ChatGPT Responses with Specific Instructions

The third paragraph provides additional tips for refining ChatGPT's responses. It suggests setting a word count limit at the beginning of a request to avoid lengthy replies and shows how to adjust the length of existing text. The paragraph also covers specifying the output format, such as tables, CSV, HTML, JSON, or XML, and gives examples of how to request these formats. It demonstrates how to improve the formatting of HTML tables and emphasizes the principle of 'garbage in, garbage out,' encouraging users to provide clear and specific prompts to get the most out of ChatGPT.

Mindmap

Keywords

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an advanced language model AI designed to interact with users in a conversational manner. In the video, it is portrayed as a tool that can be customized to provide better responses by understanding the user's preferences and context. The video emphasizes the importance of setting up custom instructions for ChatGPT to ensure that the responses are relevant and efficient.

Custom Instructions

Custom instructions are a feature within ChatGPT that allows users to provide additional information about themselves and their preferences. This includes details about their profession, location, and desired tone of responses. In the video, it is shown as a way to enhance the quality of interactions with ChatGPT by eliminating the need to repeat preferences in every conversation.

Confidence Level

The confidence level in the context of ChatGPT refers to the certainty with which the AI provides an answer. It is a metric that can be useful for assessing the reliability of the information given, especially for factual topics. The video suggests setting ChatGPT to inform users about the confidence level of its answers to help gauge the accuracy of the information.

Writing Style

Writing style pertains to the unique way an individual or author expresses ideas in written form. In the video, the user teaches ChatGPT to mimic their personal writing style by providing examples. This allows ChatGPT to generate text that is more reflective of the user's voice, which is particularly useful for tasks like writing articles or blog posts.

Self-Critic

Self-critic is a strategy where ChatGPT is asked to review and critique its own text. This is demonstrated in the video as a method to improve the quality of responses by having the AI analyze its own output for clarity, comprehensiveness, and effectiveness. It can provide feedback and even revise the text to better meet the user's needs.

Self-Prompting

Self-prompting involves using ChatGPT to generate and refine its own prompts. The video illustrates this technique as a way to optimize the AI's responses by first asking it to create several prompts related to a specific task, and then selecting the most effective one based on the AI's own evaluation. This leads to more targeted and satisfactory outcomes.

Word Count

Word count refers to the number of words in a given piece of text. In the context of the video, the user instructs ChatGPT to adhere to a specific word count when generating responses. This can help in managing the length of the output, ensuring that it is concise and to the point, which is valuable for users who prefer brevity.

Output Format

Output format is the way in which information is presented or structured by ChatGPT. The video discusses various formats such as tables, CSV, HTML, JSON, and XML. The user can specify the desired output format to suit different needs, such as data analysis, web development, or database management.

Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO)

The principle of 'garbage in, garbage out' suggests that the quality of output is directly dependent on the quality of the input. In the video, this principle is emphasized as a reminder that the effectiveness of ChatGPT relies on the user providing clear and detailed instructions. High-quality inputs will yield high-quality outputs from the AI.

Optimization

Optimization in the video refers to the process of refining and enhancing the performance of ChatGPT through better prompts, custom instructions, and feedback mechanisms. It is presented as a key strategy for maximizing the utility of the AI, ensuring that it operates at its most efficient and effective level for the user's specific requirements.

Large Language Model AI

A large language model AI, like ChatGPT, is a sophisticated machine learning model that is trained on a vast amount of text data. It is capable of understanding and generating human-like language. The video showcases how to interact with such a model to get the most accurate and personalized responses, highlighting the importance of user engagement with the AI.

Highlights

Custom instructions in ChatGPT can improve the quality of responses by providing context about the user's identity and preferences.

Users can specify their profession, such as teacher, student, accountant, or lawyer, to receive more relevant answers.

Specifying a region can help tailor responses to the user's local context without revealing their exact address.

Users can set preferences for the tone and formality of ChatGPT's responses, including whether it should express opinions or remain neutral.

Setting preferences for response length can eliminate frustrating back-and-forth conversations.

Users can instruct ChatGPT to provide only the most efficient solutions without explanations for certain queries, like Excel formulas or code snippets.

ChatGPT can inform users about the confidence level of its answers and provide valid URLs for factual information.

Users can teach ChatGPT to write in their personal style by providing examples of their writing.

ChatGPT can act as a critic and provide feedback on its own text, suggesting improvements for clarity and content.

Self-prompting allows ChatGPT to optimize its own prompts for better output, such as writing emails or articles.

Users can request ChatGPT to adhere to a specific word count, ensuring concise replies.

ChatGPT can output information in various formats, including tables, CSV, HTML, JSON, XML, or even as a Pandas data frame.

Optimizing prompts with specific details can lead to more customized and effective responses from ChatGPT.

The importance of clear and specific input ('garbage in, garbage out' principle) is emphasized for maximizing the utility of ChatGPT.

Custom settings can be saved for consistent user experience across different interactions with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT can be directed to ask clarifying questions until it has enough information to create optimal prompts.

The video provides practical examples of how to use ChatGPT effectively, such as updating Excel formulas or writing personalized content.

The transcript demonstrates the potential of ChatGPT for various professional needs, including software development, marketing, and education.