Chatting With ChatGPT – 10 Important Questions with Answers

There are many tutorials and hacks on how to get the best out of a Large Language Model (LLM) like ChatGPT. Like most of you, I spend hours trying to learn as much as possible from the Internet. I have even tried paid ones 🙁. I am sorry but most of them are, at best, slightly useful. Some of them that give “ready-made-prompts” are the worst.

So I decided to get it straight from the LLM. Here are 10 questions I’ve asked – with the responses edited for brevity.

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Table of Contents

• If I am using ChatGPT 4.0 for some time, do my prompts "train" the model to give me very customized responses?
• How do you define a "session"?
• What duration of inactivity will close the model down?
• Within a session, I want to start a related topic but don’t want the model to consider previous responses. How do I do it?
• How can I refer to a previous response given much earlier, but in the same session?
• Can I ask the model to number each response so that I can just refer to the number later?
• If there is a long string of responses, can I search for what I want easily?
• If I praise/complain about the model’s responses or click on "Thumbs up/down", how does it use these responses from the user?
• If I use proprietary data during my interactions, will confidentiality and privacy be compromised?
• Can ChatGPT 4.0 used within an organization with proprietary data to ensure data security?

10 Questions about ChatGPT Answered by ChatGPT

1. If I use ChatGPT 4.0 often, will my prompts "train" the model to give me very customized responses?

[ChatGPT]

Your prompts don’t directly "train" the model in the traditional sense of machine learning where the model's parameters are adjusted based on the inputs.

Instead, here's how it works:

How ChatGPT Learns

1. Static Training: ChatGPT is trained on a large dataset and when it is done, the model's parameters are fixed. OpenAI periodically updates and retrains models, but this is done separately and not based on individual user interactions.

2. Contextual Adaptation: During a single session, ChatGPT can "remember" what was said earlier in the conversation to maintain context. However, this memory is session-specific and does not carry over to future sessions.

3. Customize Prompts: ChatGPT doesn’t learn from your interactions in the sense of updating its model. However, you can still achieve a high degree of customization by refining how you prompt the model.

Refining Prompts

1. Give Detailed Context: Carefully describing a detailed context, format of the answer, or examples can help the model understand exactly what you are looking for.

2. Assign a Role: You can set up system-level instructions that guide the behavior of the model. For example, "You are an experienced clinical psychologist with years of counselling adolescents…”. The model will pull out responses from that perspective.

3. Session Management: Within a session, you can build up context by referring to previous parts of the conversation, which helps ChatGPT maintain coherence and relevance.

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Remember!

1. No Long-Term Memory: ChatGPT does not retain information from past interactions. Each session starts with no memory of previous conversations.

2. No Direct Learning: Your individual interactions do not alter the model’s parameters. The model remains static until it is retrained by OpenAI with new datasets.

2. How do you define a "session"?

[ChatGPT]

A "session" in the context of interacting with ChatGPT or similar AI models refers to a single instance of a conversation or interaction between the user and the model.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of what a session entails:

1. Start and End: A session starts when you begin interacting with the model by entering a prompt and ends when the interaction is concluded, either when you stop the conversation, closing the interface, or the model timing out due to inactivity.

2. Session Duration: Sessions can vary in length from a single prompt-response pair to extended multi-turn conversations. The length is determined by the user's needs and the complexity of the interaction.

3. Session Boundaries: When the user exits the browser, logs out, or otherwise ends the interaction or when there is a period of inactivity that exceeds a certain threshold, the session might be considered ended.

3. What duration of inactivity will close the model down?

[ChatGPT]

The duration of inactivity before a session times out can vary depending on the platform and specific implementation of the ChatGPT model. However,

typically, sessions might time out after around 10-15 minutes of inactivity.

For extended interactions or tasks, it's important to maintain activity within the defined period to keep the session active. Simple interactions like sending a message or prompt can reset the inactivity timer.

If you anticipate periods of inactivity, consider saving the state or context of your session. Some platforms may offer features to save and resume sessions.

4. Within a session, I want to start a related topic but don’t want the model to consider previous responses. How do I do it?

[ChatGPT]

To start a new, related topic within the same session without the model considering previous responses, you can explicitly instruct the model to ignore previous context.

Here are a few strategies to achieve this:

1. Explicit Instruction: Begin your new query with a clear instruction to ignore the previous context. For example: "Ignore the previous conversation and answer the following question: [your new question]." Or "Start a new topic: [your new topic]."

2. Context Reset Prompt: Use a prompt that explicitly tells the model to treat the following as a new and unrelated question: For example, "Disregard earlier responses. Now, I have a new topic to discuss: [your new topic]." Or "Let's switch topics completely. Here’s a new question: [your new question]."

3. Separate Prompts: If you are using an interface that allows it, you can start a new prompt in a separate input field or restart the conversation in a new session. For example, "Ignore all previous messages. Now, can you explain the [new topic]?"

4. Context Reset: "Let's start fresh. Can you provide an overview of renewable energy sources?"

5. How can I refer to a previous response given much earlier, but in the same session?

[ChatGPT]

To refer to a previous response given much earlier in the conversation, you can explicitly mention the relevant part of the earlier response in your current prompt.

1. Restate the key points of the previous response within your new prompt to provide context.

2. Mention specific details or quotes from the earlier response to guide the model.

For example, "Earlier, you mentioned that fiction, poetry, drama, magical realism are popular literary genres. Can you explain what defines magical realism."

6. Can I ask the model to number each response so that I can just refer to the number later?

[ChatGPT]

Yes, you can ask the model to number each response so that you can refer to the response by its number later. This can help you easily reference earlier points in your conversation.

For example, "Please number each of your responses. First, can you explain the basics of SEO?" Later, you may ask, "Now, can you expand on content optimization from response 10?"

7. If there is a long string of responses, can I search for what I want easily?

[ChatGPT]

Searching within a long string of responses directly can be challenging, as the model doesn't have built-in search capabilities like a text editor or search engine.

However, here are some strategies you can use to make this process easier:

1. Numbered Responses: As previously mentioned, asking the model to number its responses can help you quickly refer to specific points.

2. Summary and Key Points: Periodically ask for summaries or key points of the conversation to consolidate information. This can help you find relevant parts later.

3. Use Clear and Specific Prompts: When you need to refer to previous information, be as specific as possible about what you're looking for. Mention key phrases or topics discussed.

4. Manual Search: If you have a very long conversation, you can manually search through the text by using the browser's built-in search function (Ctrl+F or Command+F). This is particularly useful if you’re using a platform that supports this feature.

5. Keep a Log: For extensive projects or ongoing conversations, you might consider keeping a log with note-taking apps or even simple text documents.

8. If I praise/complain about the model’s responses or click on "Thumbs up/down", how does it use these responses from the user?

[ChatGPT]

When you interact with ChatGPT and provide feedback, such as praising the model for its response or clicking on the "thumbs down" button, here’s how OpenAI uses that feedback:

1. Immediate Impact on the Session: Feedback such as “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” helps the model understand which responses are helpful or unhelpful. This can immediately guide the conversation quality within the same session to some extent.

2. Model Training and Improvement: OpenAI collects feedback to understand user preferences and identify areas where the model performs well or poorly. Feedback is aggregated and used as part of the training data for future iterations of the model. This helps improve the overall quality and accuracy of responses over time.

9. If I use proprietary data during my interactions, will confidentiality and privacy be compromised?

[ChatGPT]

When using ChatGPT, it's important to understand how your proprietary data will be handled, and the associated confidentiality and privacy implications.

Here’s a detailed overview based on OpenAI’s data usage policies:

1. Data Usage: OpenAI may collect and store conversation data to improve the model's performance. This data can include the content of your interactions with ChatGPT.

2. Confidentiality: Be aware that any data input into the system can be stored and reviewed as part of the ongoing efforts to improve the model.

3. Proprietary Data: If you use proprietary data, there is a risk that this information could be stored and potentially accessed by OpenAI for model training and improvement purposes.

Recommendations for Using Proprietary Data

1. Avoid Sharing Sensitive Information: As a best practice, avoid sharing proprietary, confidential, or sensitive information in your interactions with ChatGPT.

2. Data Masking: If you must discuss proprietary topics, consider using anonymized or masked data to minimize the risk of exposing sensitive information.

3. Review Privacy Policies: Regularly review OpenAI’s privacy policy and terms of service to stay informed about how your data is handled and any changes to data usage practices.

4. Use Secure Channels: Use secure, private communication channels that offer robust data protection measures.

10. Can ChatGPT 4.0 be used within an organization with proprietary data to ensure data security?

[ChatGPT]

Using ChatGPT 4.0 within an organization to handle proprietary data requires careful consideration of data security and privacy measures. While OpenAI offers different options to ensure data security, we need to properly implement these tools to protect sensitive information.

Options for Ensuring Data Security

1. Custom API Integration: You can integrate ChatGPT into your systems using OpenAI's API. This setup allows for control over how data is handled within the organization's infrastructure.

2. Data Encryption: Use encryption for data in transit and at rest to protect proprietary information. Ensure that all API communications are secured using HTTPS.

OpenAI's Enterprise Solutions:

1. Dedicated Instances: For higher security needs, OpenAI offers dedicated instances that provide enhanced data privacy and control. These instances can be tailored to meet specific security requirements of an organization.

2. On-Premises Solutions: Some organizations may opt for on-premises deployments of AI models to keep all data within their internal network. This offers the highest level of security but requires significant infrastructure and management resources.

3. Confidentiality Agreements:

Contracts and Agreements: Ensure that there are strong confidentiality agreements in place with OpenAI, specifying how data will be handled, stored, and protected. These agreements should align with the organization's security policies and compliance requirements.

That’s a Wrap

That’s all for today, folks! Stay tuned for more “gossip” from ChatGPT coming soon. In the meantime, explore how you can leverage ChatGPT for instructional design in this guide.