ChatGPT is a free AI chatbot that can write code, generate recipes, draft contracts, and answer almost anything you throw at it. Here’s how to get started and get the most out of it.
We’re getting to the point where knowledge of how to work with tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and others, are going to be vital to your success in virtually any career you might have or enter.
I’ve been playing around with AI tools for the past year, and while it hasn’t completely taken over my workflow, it has definitely made me more productive. I’ll give you some tips I’ve learned along the way. I also previously wrote an article about ChatGPT and Blogging.
First, some terminology and technologies that go into creating an advanced chat bot like ChatGPT.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT has been around since November 30, 2022, and OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, made mainstream what was once reserved for programmers, developers, and engineers. It’s an artificial intelligence Chat Bot that enables users to type in a question (which is known as a prompt, more on that later) or a series of questions and based on what was asked, the Chat bot will generate a response.
It’s a conversational AI which means it can remember your line of thinking and questions you’ve asked it in the same conversation in order to better refine the responses and build upon previous questions in the same conversation.
Here’s the Walk Through Video to follow along
What does ChatGPT stand for?
Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer is the full name which is kind of a tongue twister. But the name makes perfect sense when you think about it.
- Chat – it’s a chat bot so yeah, that fits
- Generative – it generates responses based on user input, so that makes sense
- Pre-Trained – it’s been pre-trained using machine learning algorithms along with millions of dollars worth of computer hardware, specifically advanced GPU’s from NVidia
- Transformer – the type of neural network architecture used for natural language processing. It analyzes patterns in massive amounts of text data and learns to predict what comes next in a response.
Check out my previous ChatGPT video where I spoke about its capabilities when it first debuted.
What is a Large Language Model?
An LLM is the engine behind ChatGPT. It’s a model trained on massive amounts of text — books, websites, articles — so it can predict what words should come next in a response. The “large” part refers to the billions of parameters (think of them as knobs the model adjusts during training) that allow it to handle everything from writing code to explaining quantum physics. The catch is that the training data has a cutoff date, so the model doesn’t know about recent events unless it’s connected to the web through plugins.
How Much did it Cost to Train ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is powered by a series of GPT models. When we look at the costs to train the original GPT-3 model which had a total of 175 Billion Parameters, it required around 4 million dollars of computer resources.
The resources used were 285,000 processor cores and 10,000 graphics cards, and about 800 petaflops of processing power. But that was for the initial training of GPT-3 which has since been updated through several generations.
So the training that went into the updates increased the costs significantly. GPT-4’s exact parameter count was never officially disclosed, but estimates suggest it’s significantly larger than GPT-3, and the price tag has skyrocketed accordingly.
Then there was the data that was used to train the large language model which as mentioned earlier, came from different sources. On top of all that, you also have the developer salaries which was not insignificant.
All of that adds up to a significant investment before a single user ever typed a prompt.
How do you get started with ChatGPT?
That is easy and the best part, it’s free to use. Mind you, when something is free, there’s usually some kind of gotcha. In the case of ChatGPT, it’s similar to social media sites, you pay with the data you provide it. You’re basically helping to train the AI and to make it better.
To get started, head to chat.openai.com and sign up with your email or a social login. You’ll need to verify your email and provide a phone number for a one-time verification code. The whole process takes about two minutes.
Once you’re in, you’ll see the dashboard with example prompts and information about the platform’s capabilities and limitations.
You will see some example prompts that you can use to start off with and get a feel of what ChatGPT is capable of. Some of the example prompts it gives you as of this writing and the recording of the video are:
- Explain quantum computing in simple terms
- Got any creative ideas for a 10 year old’s birthday?
- How do I make an HTTP request in JavaScript?
You will also see the capabilities and limitations that the platform has which give you an idea of what to expect with while using it.
What are ChatGPT Prompts?
Prompts are the questions you provide to the chat bot. You can provide a simple prompt and get a basic response, or you can provide a detailed prompt and get a more fine tuned response. I’ll provide you with a few example prompts from the very basic to the more advanced.
Basic Prompts
You can provide a basic prompt such as “Explain quantum computing“. Now by proving that as a prompt, you will get a general explanation that might include some scientific language that you’d have to get more information about.
You can fine tune the prompt by adding in additional information such as “Explain quantum computing in simple terms“. Now you’re saying you want it in simple terms which will be easier to understand. Another approach is to ask it to explain it to you as if you were 5 years old. “Give me an explanation of quantum computing and explain it for a 5 year old to understand“.
I encourage you to try out some of these examples so you can get an idea of the difference in response you’ll get.
ChatGPT is Conversational AI
What does this actually mean?
A conversational AI chatbot is a computer program that can have text or voice-based conversations with users, mimicking human-like interactions. It uses artificial intelligence to understand user input and generate appropriate responses.
That means you can have a back-and-forth dialogue with the chatbot in the same conversation and it’ll remember the context of the conversation. This is what makes it feel like a human in some cases.
This leads us into the next thing to learn about chatbots, and that’s priming.
Priming ChatGPT
Priming is when you warm up the chatbot with key context before asking your real question. Think of it like briefing someone before a meeting — the more relevant background you give, the better the response.
Example of Priming in AI
The fitness prompt later in this post is a perfect example. Instead of just asking “give me a workout plan,” you tell ChatGPT to act as a personal trainer, then describe your fitness level, goals, and lifestyle. That context primes the AI to give you a response tailored to your situation instead of a generic answer.
You can prime it for any role — a proofreader, a coding mentor, a recipe chef — and then follow up with specific questions. The back-and-forth builds on that initial context.
Cooking with ChatGPT
Well not in the physical sense, but it can generate full recipes with ingredients, preparation steps, and cook times. Ask it for a recipe for chicken cutlet parmigiana — one of my favorites — and then follow up with what side dish pairs best, what appetizers to serve, and what to drink with it. That back-and-forth is where conversational AI shines.
Download the free ChatGPT app to keep it handy while you’re cooking or picking up ingredients at the store.
ChatGPT can Code
This part is interesting. I said it can code, but it’s not the greatest programmer (yet). There’s a distinction there. You can prompt the chatbot for some basic code snippets, and you might be able to cobble together a small program with it, but you will still need to put in a lot of work to verify the code works and if there are any missing pieces to the code, such as security features.
For now I’m using ChatGPT and I’m also using Github Copilot to help speed up my workflow which is what they’re currently best used for. If you’re trying to figure out what programming language to learn first, AI tools like these can actually help you practice whichever one you pick.
Are you interested in developing Custom WordPress themes? If so, check out this video and article to learn more.
WordPress Theme Development Tutorial Video
WordPress Theme Development with DevWP
Here are a few example prompts when it comes to coding.
Prompt 1.
Act as a PHP developer. Write code that reads and prints duplicate records from the CSV file provided.
Prompt 2.
Act as a JavaScript developer. Write a password generator from user input.
Prompt 3.
Act as a Python developer. Write a script that prompts the user for their name and age and greets them with a personalized response.
Build a Fitness Plan
You can use the chatbot to develop a fitness plan for you based on your requirements. Obviously it goes without saying that you should consult your doctor if you have any physical conditions that might need to be addressed before you start an exercise program.
Here’s an example prompt that you can use to start off with.
I want you to act as a personal trainer. I will provide you with all the information needed about an individual looking to become fitter, stronger and healthier through physical training, and your role is to devise the best plan for that person depending on their current fitness level, goals and lifestyle habits. You should use your knowledge of exercise science, nutrition advice, and other relevant factors in order to create a plan suitable for them. My first request is I need help designing an exercise program for someone who wants to lose body fat and gain muscle mass.
Now you can already see how detailed you can get when it comes to prompting the chatbot. The more detail you give it, the better the response.
What about Privacy?
Privacy is always something we should be thinking about. Remember, the information you give while prompting, is part of how the chatbot learns. That information is sent to a server and the AI might use that info as a response to someone else’s prompt. This is different from the signup process which is private.
Playing Chess with ChatGPT
You can even try playing chess with the chatbot. In the video I demonstrate a very quick game. Check out the Chess Game vs ChatGPT. The chatbot might not have the best grasp of the game with the free version. I do have the premium version of the chatbot and I attempted a game with it, but during the game I ran out of prompts due to the paid version’s usage limits at the time.
If you’re looking to learn how to play chess, you can prompt the chatbot for the rules of the game and to provide you with some chess openings.
Prompts for Chess
- What are the rules of chess?
- Teach me chess notation with all the possible symbols
- Give me a few opening lines in a typical chess game
From there, get creative — ask it to analyze famous games or suggest openings based on your style.
Legal Contracts — With a Caveat
The reason why I say sort of is because contract law and law in general is a complex topic and there are different laws in different locations, So you can use the chatbot to get a general sense of what a contract should look like, but then make sure to have an actual lawyer review it to ensure it provides all the relevant details required for your jurisdiction and field.
In the video I created, I demonstrate ChatGPT writing a Freelance Contract so make sure to check it out.
Example Prompt for Legal Contracts
Write me a Freelance Contract for a Web Designer and make sure to put in the key parts of what a Freelance Contract should include.
ChatGPT for Blogging & Articles
You can use the chatbot to write articles and blog posts for you. Mind you, you will definitely want to treat the response as a very rough draft or as a starting point. I definitely don’t recommend just copying and pasting the response into your article and hitting publish. The response you will get is likely from another source or compilation of sources, might be dated, and could be wrong.
Check out the article I wrote about WordPress and AI.
I definitely recommend doing much further research and formatting the response into something that’s more like how you would describe things.
In the video I show you a quick demonstration of how to prompt ChatGPT for blogging.
I also show you how you can prompt the AI bot to give you some titles for your articles. This can be a time saver.
Prompts for Blogging
Act as a Proofreader
I want you act as a proofreader. I will provide you texts and I would like you to review them for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Once you have finished reviewing the text, provide me with any necessary corrections or suggestions for improve the text.
Act as a Title Generator for written pieces
I want you to act as a title generator for written pieces. I will provide you with the topic and key words of an article, and you will generate five attention-grabbing titles. Please keep the title concise and under 20 words, and ensure that the meaning is maintained. Replies will utilize the language type of the topic. My first topic is “Programming for WordPress where I teach people how to create a custom WordPress theme.”
ChatGPT for Social Media
You can use the chatbot to help you write engaging social media content and to help you create a social media schedule. This can help you with the ideation process. Check out the part of the video where I share some ideas and prompts. ChatGPT and Social Media.
Social Media Prompts
Create a Social Media Calendar for the next 30 days. I want to post on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I’ll post to each platform once per day except for YouTube where I want to post twice per week.
What are Hallucinations with ChatGPT?
You probably heard the term hallucinations used with ChatGPT. This is when the chatbot doesn’t have a solid answer but generates a response that sounds completely legit. It might cite a study that doesn’t exist, give you a statistic it made up, or confidently tell you a library function works a certain way when it doesn’t.
This happens because the model is predicting the most likely next words, not looking up facts. It’s not lying on purpose — it’s pattern-matching, and sometimes those patterns produce convincing nonsense.
ChatGPT+, Is it Worth It?
Everything I’ve spoken about in this article I did with the free version of ChatGPT. If you upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, you’ll get benefits like a more powerful model, plugin access, and priority during busy times. Pricing and features change frequently — check OpenAI’s pricing page for the latest.
For the casual user, the free version is more than enough. If you’re a power user and need the most powerful version, then upgrading might be worth it. I recommend first playing around with the free version and then decide if upgrading makes sense for you.
Will ChatGPT and AI Take all our Jobs?
These are just some of what the chatbot can do — I’ve only scratched the surface here. And the AI improves with every prompt from the millions of people using it daily.
There’s a real concern about job displacement as generative AI advances. Think about it: what kind of job can someone get today without any computer skills? Not a great one. And when you combine advancing robotics with AI, manual labor jobs will eventually be affected too.
We’re already seeing it. Remember toll-booth clerks? How many do you see now? Walk into any big-box store and count the self-checkout stations that replaced cashiers. People have already been displaced by automation, and the trend will only accelerate.
That’s why I believe learning tools like ChatGPT isn’t optional — it’s the new baseline. I also wrote about whether AI will replace programmers — spoiler: it’s more nuanced than the headlines suggest. Even OpenAI’s co-creator has told Congress that AI desperately needs regulation. That should tell you something.
The bottom line is this — ChatGPT is free, it takes 5 minutes to sign up, and once you start using it you’ll find ways to work it into your daily routine. I started with basic prompts and now I use it for coding, writing, meal planning, and brainstorming content ideas. Give the full walkthrough video a watch to see all of this in action.