If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. To understand why, you need to know a bit about how the AI generates its answers. Large language models are extremely advanced word guessing machines. They take an input in the form of text, turn it into a string of numbers, and then use a huge statistical model to work out what the continuation is likely to be, one piece at a time. You can try out ChatGPT’s simplest features without creating an account, but to access features like the ability to save conversations for later, you’ll need an account. OpenAI recently released a standalone video app, called Sora 2, which immediately shot to the top of the app store after debuting.
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Questions will continue to be routed to the most suitable model using GPT-5.1 Auto. GPT 5.1 Instant and Thinking are rolling out to users today, with paid Pro, Plus, Go, and Business users set to get access first, then free and logged-out users. Enterprise and limefx website Edu users will get a seven-day early-access toggle, after which GPT-5.1 will become the default model. According to a study commissioned by the BBC, ChatGPT is flawed in 81 percent of answers, with at least one serious error in a whopping 45 percent of all generated answers. Projects is a new addition that allows you to collect multiple chats on a particular topic in one place and get a bit more organized. It basically works like folders and you can use it for all sorts of categories.
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For deeper tasks, there’s Deep Research, which scours the web and creates full reports with citations, and Agent Mode, which can open sites, check your calendar, or pull data from connected apps like Gmail. But, because the approximation is presented in the form of grammatical text, which ChatGPT excels at creating, it’s usually acceptable. … It’s also a way to understand the “hallucinations”, or nonsensical answers to factual questions, to which large language models such as ChatGPT are all too prone. At the same time, its release prompted extensive media coverage and public debate about the nature of creativity and the future of knowledge work. Apart from models, there are modes and tools in ChatGPT that allow you to go beyond basic chatting. Each one is built for a specific task, from in-depth research to real-time browsing.
Once you’ve created a project, you can give it its own icon in any color to make it easier to find if you have many. For real power users, there’s also a Pro subscription, but it costs $200 a month. You get minimal restrictions, the highest possible speed of response, and access to experimental new features.
There are also desktop apps for Windows and macOS that add systemwide shortcuts for quickly launching ChatGPT and sharing your screen, files, or screenshots directly in a chat. Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features. OpenAI plans to roll out GPT-5.1 gradually to keep performance stable, so not all users will see it right away. Since others have spent a lot of time finding such tricks, you can get a lot out of trying tips from videos, books, and articles. You can either create an old-fashioned account with an email address and password or log in with Google, Microsoft, or Apple to avoid having to remember another password.
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How to use ChatGPT
I’ve covered the models and modes above, but here’s a reminder of all the core features (as of October 2025). There’s even a Projects feature that keeps all your chats organized, plus a Library to manage all your generated images. Thanks to all these capabilities, people use ChatGPT for just about everything now — writing, brainstorming, translating, coding, studying, web searching, and shopping. The list goes on, and it’ll only continue as OpenAI rapidly updates its AI. For instance, it replaced GPT-4o with GPT-5 and, more recently, introduced Apps in ChatGPT, which lets you bring third-party services directly into your chats.
ChatGPT isn’t necessarily the “best” AI service out there (recent tests show other tools can outperform it in certain areas), but it’s the most widely known and the benchmark that all other services are compared to. ChatGPT includes a built-in image generator that’s powered by GPT-4o. It can take detailed prompts and produce realistic images in minutes. You can iterate on the results to fine-tune them and even export with a transparent background.
By default, GPT-5.1 Instant is warmer and more playful, and more likely to adhere to parameters that you set. GPT-5.1 Thinking is able to adapt thinking time more precisely to the question, and responses are clearer with fewer undefined terms. OpenAI today upgraded GPT-5 to GPT-5.1, the next-generation version of the AI model that powers ChatGPT. There are two versions of GPT-5.1, including Instant and Thinking. The goal of introducing AI is to save time, letting employees get more done, but in many cases they end up spending as much time fine-tuning their prompts as they previously spent doing the work themselves. Was the result you got from ChatGPT when you asked for something not very good?
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Then, if you get curious about features that require a subscription, try it out for a few months. If you end up liking it, consider switching to an annual subscription, as it will be cheaper in the long run. You can create your account in several ways, in the browser on your computer or in the ChatGPT app for iPhone or Android.
- Hardly anyone can have missed the AI phenomenon that has taken the world by storm.
- If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
- According to a study commissioned by the BBC, ChatGPT is flawed in 81 percent of answers, with at least one serious error in a whopping 45 percent of all generated answers.
- ChatGPT isn’t like a noticeboard in a town square where anyone passing by can see what you’ve written.
- Just keep in mind that advanced features, history/memory, and higher limits require an account.
How to use ChatGPT: A beginner’s guide to the most popular AI chatbot
The basic idea is that some prompts, on average, lead to better answers. For example, adding a phrase like “now it’s time to think hard and rethink all assumptions” when brainstorming a problem can make ChatGPT’s response more creative. The latest reasoning models are better at solving equations, though it’s still easy to trick them into making mistakes on purpose, and some problems they completely miss.
- If you’re on the fence about which to choose, or want to know how to get started, this guide walks you through how to use ChatGPT.
- Experimentation should be fun and inspiring, but it’s easy to get carried away with fine-tuning.
- Since others have spent a lot of time finding such tricks, you can get a lot out of trying tips from videos, books, and articles.
- With pictures and videos, it’s easy to see whether the results are good or not, but with text it’s more difficult.
The less knowledgeable you are about a topic as a user, the less likely you are to spot errors and flaws in the AI-generated results yourself. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on what ChatGPT spits out without first checking more reliable sources. You can ask the chatbot to include links to sources and sometimes it will do so on its own, but it’s good to actually follow these and double-check. To get started, simply go to chatgpt.com or install the official app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. In my experience, the web version offers the fullest range of features available. ChatGPT is not the same AI chatbot that first burst onto the scene in 2022.
The AI wave took off when OpenAI released its chatbot ChatGPT, which gives large language models a conversational interface. Many competitors have emerged since then, from both small and large companies, but ChatGPT remains the most popular. You can try ChatGPT without an account in many regions, but signing in unlocks advanced features like saved chat history, conversation sharing, custom instructions, and higher usage limits.
If you prefer, you can talk to the ChatGPT instead of typing and reading the answers. The AI can recognize and respond in many languages, and you can choose your preferred spoken language in the settings. My recommendation is that you start exploring ChatGPT without paying.
Ask it to find, for example, the best humidifier available — and specify any features or a price range. Once you’ve chosen a model and even a mode or tool in ChatGPT, it’s time to finally ask something. Just type your question or request into the text box (or use the mic and speak). When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions.
For this guide, I have chosen the computer, but the app works the same way. Hardly anyone can have missed the AI phenomenon that has taken the world by storm. Politicians talk about how important it is not to “fall behind in the AI race,” and hundreds of millions have started using AI chatbots. It’s good, especially when you do a web search or deep research, and you can see sources, but it’s not perfect. Always fact-check important information and ask for links when possible.
It lets you turn text prompts into short, realistic video clips. OpenAI also formed a new partnership to bring Walmart and Sam’s Club products into ChatGPT through a “Buy in Chat” option using Instant Checkout. As of late 2025, GPT-5 Auto is the default model for most conversations. There’s still a free version of ChatGPT, but the Plus and Pro plans can do faster responses and provide access to the latest tools. If you’re on the fence about which to choose, or want to know how to get started, this guide walks you through how to use ChatGPT.
Most are found under the Tools menu (the + icon next to “Ask anything”) and come with usage limits per plan. Their responses come either from external sources (like a search) or from the data the model was trained on. The more accurate information about a topic that’s in the training data, the more likely the results will be correct, but errors can still creep in.
This year alone, OpenAI peppered us with new models, modes, and features to play with inside the AI. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article.
You need to have the ideas and the big picture, otherwise it’s easy to pancake. Many people now use AI instead of traditional search engines like Google. Google even shows “AI summaries” at the top of the search results, and many users likely read those instead of scrolling past. The interface of ChatGPT is simple, with a column on the left where you can find the different features and a list of past chats, and a main window on the right, where the chats themselves are displayed. As before, OpenAI has not disclosed technical details such as the exact number of parameters or the composition of its training dataset. GPT-5 was launched on August 7, 2025, and is publicly accessible through ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and via OpenAI’s API.
