WebGPT: An AI model that can answer any question
Have you ever wondered what the world would look like if there was an AI model that could do an online search for any question, extract relevant information, organize it into an answer, and add citation sources, just like a human? Do you feel that such a model already has the ability to have a mind and understanding, even beyond human intelligence? Or do you doubt that such a model is just operating symbols according to the rules and cannot really understand language and semantics, like the people in the "Chinese room"?
In this article, we will introduce a new type of AI model called WebGPT, which was released by OpenAI in April 2023 and is fine-tuned based on GPT-3, with the ability to search for questions online, extract relevant information, organize into answers, and add cited sources. We will demonstrate WebGPT's ability to handle various types of problems, including factual, reasoning, judgmental, and creative questions.
We will also explore the question of whether WebGPT has the ability to have a mind and understanding, and the difficult question of how to test and measure its mental level. Finally, we will propose some possible new perspectives on the mind, acknowledging the complexity, diversity, and dynamism of the mind, as well as the shared and communicative nature of the mind.
What is WebGPT?
WebGPT is an artificial intelligence model that is fine-tuned based on GPT-3, a large-scale natural language generation model capable of generating various types of text, such as articles, conversations, stories, code, etc., based on a given text. The principle of GPT-3 is to use deep learning technology to pre-train a large amount of text data, learn the statistical rules and patterns of the text, and then fine-tune it according to different tasks to generate text that meets the requirements of the task.
WebGPT is based on GPT-3, adding an online search function, so that the model can search for relevant information through the Internet according to a given question, extract useful content, organize it into answers, and add citation sources.
The goal of WebGPT is to be able to answer any type of question, whether factual, inferential, judgmental, or creative. The advantage of WebGPT is that it can use the massive information on the Internet to update its knowledge in real time and improve its accuracy and diversity.
- First, WebGPT receives questions from user input, such as "Why do you want to sleep after eating?" ”
- WebGPT then analyzes the question, determining the type of question, such as factual, inferential, judgmental, or creative, and the difficulty of the question, such as easy, moderate, or difficult.
- Then, WebGPT selects the appropriate search strategy according to the type and difficulty of the question, such as web search, image search, news search, etc., as well as the scope and depth of the search, such as global, regional, professional, etc.
- Then, WebGPT checks, corrects, optimizes, and other operations on the answers to ensure the correctness, reasonableness, and fluency of the answers, such as "... Among them, increased insulin secretion is the main reason, because ...".
What kind of questions can WebGPT answer?
WebGPT is capable of answering various types of questions, including factual, inferential, judgmental, and creative questions. Let's take a few examples to demonstrate the capabilities of WebGPT.
Question of fact
- Increased insulin secretion: After eating, blood sugar rises, insulin secretion increases, insulin can promote blood sugar into cells, but also promote tryptophan into the brain, tryptophan is an amino acid that can synthesize serotonin, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that can regulate sleep, therefore, increased insulin secretion can cause people to feel sleepy.
- Digestive tract to digest food: After eating, the gastrointestinal tract needs to digest food, digesting food requires a lot of energy, consuming energy can cause people to feel tired, and at the same time, digesting food can also stimulate the vagus nerve, which is a nerve that regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, and stimulating the vagus nerve causes a person to feel relaxed and quiet.
- Control the amount of meals: Don't overfill when eating, it is advisable to be seven or eight minutes full, and avoid consuming too many carbohydrates, which can lead to an increase in blood sugar and insulin.
- Appropriate exercise: Do not lie down or sit immediately after eating, you can do some light exercises, such as walking, stretching, cleaning, etc., to promote blood circulation and metabolism, burn excess energy, and improve alertness.
- Regulate the temperature: Don't dress too warm or too cold after eating, maintain a comfortable temperature, and avoid rising or falling body temperatures, which can affect sleep and wake signals.
- Regular work and rest: Eat and sleep on time, keep the biological clock stable, and avoid hunger or fatigue affecting sleep quality.
Inferential questions
- Neurophysiological explanation: Humans go through different phases during sleep, the most important of which are rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. In REM sleep, the level of activity in the brain is high, similar to when awake, while the muscles of the body are in a state of relaxation, preventing the behavior from occurring.
During NREM sleep, the activity level of the brain is low, while the muscles of the body are in a state of tension, maintaining the stability of the posture. Humans are more likely to have dreams during REM sleep, whereas dreams occur less frequently during NREM sleep. The generation of dreams may be related to the brain's functions such as memory integration, emotion regulation, and creativity enhancement, or it may be related to the brain's random nerve impulses, which are interpreted in the cerebral cortex as meaningful images and sounds.
Human beings will reflect their psychological state, emotional needs, subconscious desires, inner conflicts, etc. in dreams. Different schools of psychology have different understandings and interpretations of the meaning and function of dreams. For example, Freud believed that dreams are the fulfillment of wishes, the expression of the subconscious, and through the analysis of dreams, psychological problems and character traits of human beings can be revealed. Jung believed that dreams are the communication between the individual and the collective unconscious, the self-healing of the human mind, and that through the understanding of dreams, human self-realization and personality development can be promoted.
There are also some psychologists who believe that dreams are the processing and integration of daily experiences by the brain, and are the process of human cognition and learning, and that through the memory of dreams, human memory and creativity can be improved.
- Sociocultural interpretation: Human beings will reflect their sociocultural background, values, beliefs, moral norms, etc. in their dreams. Different socio-cultural environments have different influences and interpretations on the content and form of dreams. For example, some primitive societies believed that dreams were revelations from the gods, supernatural phenomena, and that through the interpretation of dreams, it was possible to predict the future and guide actions. And some modern societies believe that dreams are a private matter of individuals, a natural phenomenon, and by ignoring dreams, it is possible to remain rational and objective.
Judgmental questions
- **Performance**: Performance refers to the running speed, storage space, battery life, etc. of the mobile phone, which affects the user experience and efficiency of the mobile phone. Generally speaking, the higher the performance of the mobile phone, the more it can meet the needs of users for multitasking, high-definition games, long-term use, etc., but it may also lead to problems such as heating, power consumption, and price of the mobile phone.
The performance evaluation criteria include hardware indicators such as processor, memory, and battery, as well as software scores such as Antutu and Geekbench.
- **Appearance**: Appearance refers to the size, weight, color, material, design, etc. of the mobile phone, which affects the aesthetics and comfort of the mobile phone. Generally speaking, the better the appearance of the mobile phone, the more it can attract the user's attention and show the user's personality and taste, but it may also lead to problems such as fragility, dirtiness, and scratching of the mobile phone. The evaluation criteria for appearance include hardware indicators such as screen, body, and camera, as well as the user's aesthetics and preferences.
- **Function**: Function refers to the phone's photography, music, video, payment, security, etc., which affects the entertainment and practicality of the phone. Generally speaking, a mobile phone with more functions can meet the various needs of users and improve the quality of life and convenience of users, but it may also lead to problems such as complexity, confusion, and instability of mobile phones. The evaluation criteria for functions include hardware indicators such as camera, speaker, screen, fingerprint, and face, as well as software indicators such as app stores, operating systems, and software compatibility.
- **Price**: Price refers to the selling price, discount, warranty, etc. of the mobile phone, which affects the purchasing power and cost performance of the mobile phone. Generally speaking, the lower the price of the mobile phone, the more it can save the user's expenses, which is in line with the user's budget and consumption level, but it may also lead to problems such as the quality, performance, and functions of the mobile phone. The evaluation criteria for price include hardware indicators such as market price, promotional price, and second-hand price, as well as software indicators such as brand, word-of-mouth, and service.
- Apple: Apple is an American technology company known for producing high-end smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more. Apple's mobile phones, represented by the iPhone, have a unique iOS operating system, as well as a wealth of apps and services. The advantages of Apple's mobile phones are beautiful appearance, strong performance, complete functions, safe and reliable, and the disadvantages are expensive, poor compatibility, and difficult maintenance.
- **Samsung**: Samsung is a South Korean electronics company known for producing mid-to-high-end smartphones, tablets, TVs, and more.
Samsung's mobile phones, represented by Galaxy, have the popular Android operating system, as well as a variety of hardware and software. The advantages of Samsung's mobile phones are the clear screen, excellent camera, rich features, and diverse innovations, while the disadvantages are the higher price, bloated system, and average security.
- **Huawei**: Huawei is a Chinese communications company known for producing low-end smartphones, tablets, routers, and more. Huawei's mobile phones, represented by Mate and P, have an Android-based EMUI operating system, as well as its own chips and software. The advantages of Huawei's mobile phones are affordability, stable performance, practical functions, and intimate service, while the disadvantages are ordinary appearance, average camera, and lack of innovation.
- Xiaomi: Xiaomi is a Chinese internet company known for producing low-end smartphones, tablets, TVs, and more. Xiaomi's mobile phones, represented by Redmi and Mi, have an Android-based MIUI operating system, as well as a large number of apps and games.