The Little ChatGPT Book Endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

This book: What Is ChatGPT Doing ... and Why Does It Work? is as old as ChatGPT, first published in 2023, yet one of the most compelling bodies of work by Stephen Wolfram, an award-winning scientist and best-selling author, and the creator of some of the best software systems like Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha, and the Wolfram Language. He has also been the CEO of Wolfram Research.

And Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, reflecting on this book remarked, “This is the best explanation of what ChatGPT is doing that I have seen.”

Indeed, a massive endorsement from the creator of ChatGPT.

Here’s another trivia: in the Netflix series What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates, which premiered in September 2024, this five-part series delves into pressing global issues such as artificial intelligence, climate change, and misinformation, featuring Gates engaging with experts and exploring technological solutions. Gates was seen holding this book.

Why This Book?

While there are many books on ChatGPT, why this is a must-read is how it unpacks the subject. If you are on the road to becoming a GenAI pro, this book is a must-read for the following reasons. Its a great starter.

Wolfram covers two broad areas among other things:

Foundations of Neural Networks and Machine Learning: Wolfram goes into core concepts such as embeddings, loss functions, and the training processes of neural networks. He stresses how models like ChatGPT predict the next word in a sequence by evaluating probabilities derived from vast textual datasets.

Mechanics of ChatGPT: The other major aspect the author delves into is the architecture of ChatGPT. He explains how it processes inputs through multiple neural network layers. Wolfram also discusses the model's limitations, including its challenges with mathematical reasoning and factual accuracy. He highlights the integration of tools like Wolfram|Alpha to augment ChatGPT's computational capabilities.

And Wolfram also navigates through the very soul of ChatGPT through the following decodes:

• Tokenization and Embedding
• Probabilistic Text Generation
• Attention Mechanisms
• Computational Irreducibility

All through the book, Wolfram leans on the philosophical implications of AI, reflecting on how machines can emulate aspects of human thought and language. He draws parallels between modern AI developments and historical philosophical inquiries into language and cognition.

The best of all—this book is available free at: What Is ChatGPT Doing ... and Why Does It Work? Also, the paperback version is available on Amazon.

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