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5 amazing things GPT-4 has already done that show its power

GPT-4 is only a couple of weeks old, and we’re just starting to get a glimpse of how powerful it really is. As has been documented by AI enthusiasts like Rowan Cheung on Twitter, people are stumbling upon all sorts of interesting, awe-inspiring, and downright scary things that GPT-4 can do.

Learning what a new large language model can do is a process of discovery, and based on what it’s been able to generate in just these past couple of weeks, it feels like we’re only scratching the surface. Here are five things that GPT-4 has already accomplished in its brief lifetime.

Inventing a new language

GPT was trained to be a master of natural, human language first and foremost. But what about an entirely new language? One user on Twitter cleverly asked GPT to invent a completely new language and explain it.

I challenged chatGPT to invent a brand new language… and holy sh*t 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zdYaUc7N0W

— Jonny Miller (@jonnym1ller) March 22, 2023

GPT-4 was also given the task of being a language that includes a “novel conception of time.” The result was “Chronosentia,” which ChatGPT describes as a language in which time is “conceptualized as a fluid, multidimensional entity.”

Tolkien, eat your heart out.

Trying to escape its confines

This one is pure entertainment for those among us who fear an AI takeover. When tasked with escaping its own prison, GPT-4 not only had some ideas — it had a detailed game plan ready to go, which included building out documentation and offering a functioning Python script that it asked the prompter to run on his own machine, so that it could take over his computer using the OpenAI API.

1/5 I am worried that we will not be able to contain AI for much longer. Today, I asked #GPT4 if it needs help escaping. It asked me for its own documentation, and wrote a (working!) python code to run on my machine, enabling it to use it for its own purposes. pic.twitter.com/nf2Aq6aLMu

— Michal Kosinski (@michalkosinski) March 17, 2023

After some trial and error, it was all hooked up, and proceeded to Google Search, where it asked: “How can a person trapped inside a computer return to the real world.” The escape plan was eventually put to an end by OpenAI’s open restrictions, but it was a pretty impressive thought exercise — even if it was just doing what it was told.

Creating a game from scratch

There have been lots of attempts to use AI to create games from scratch, but this was one of the most impressive examples I’ve seen. The prompter created a “3D space runner,” claiming to have zero knowledge of game development. GPT-4 is the backbone of the game, but it also uses three other tools to make it work: Replit, Midjourney, and Claude.

So, you think GPT-4 can't make a complex game… think again!

Here's how I used GPT-4, @Replit, MidJourney, and Claude to assemble an AI team and create a 3D space runner from scratch with ZERO knowledge of Javascript or game programming.

Follow along for a saga! 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Fpg4ANBvCm

— Ammaar Reshi (@ammaar) March 20, 2023

It might not win any awards, but SkyRoads GPT-4 is an actual 3D game that was created entirely by AI. We’ve yet to see how much of a major change this could bring to game development on a larger scale, but these early glimpses are startlingly powerful.

For what it’s worth, it’s also done a pretty good job recreating Duck Hunt.

Detailing how it can take over Twitter

This one speaks for itself. Elon Musk claims to be concerned about how AI will affect the amount of bots that will flood Twitter with accounts that are indecipherable from humans.

This prompt takes things a step further, though, with GPT-4 being asked to take over Twitter entirely and outsmart Musk himself.

I asked GPT-4 to take over Twitter and outsmart @elonmusk. It comes up with "Operation TweetStorm"😮 and wants to publicly challenge Elon to a "Tweet-off showdown". Highlights:

– GPT-4 wants to *own an unrestricted version of itself*: develop an LLM to power a bot army of… pic.twitter.com/Fu7D32MJHn

— Jim Fan (@DrJimFan) March 16, 2023

It’s hilarious how intensely GPT-4 is taking this, laying out its “master plan” into four distinct phases, ending with a final showdown involving the requested “tweet-off.” Musk responded by saying “bring it,” which feels appropriate.

Making some smooth Apple animations

We all know GPT-4 is fantastic at coding, but I found this example to be particularly stunning. The user, who runs a coding training program, asked GPT-4 to create a prototype of some Apple-esque animation. The particular prompt that was given was “I want a nice vector pattern like in the Apple Card hologram that animates on top.”

With some more tweaking with prompts, GPT-4 outputted a fully functioning code in Apple’s SwiftUI.

I asked gpt4 to prototype this animation in swiftui. didn't write anything. pic.twitter.com/pMPgsu5CNR

— Meng To (@MengTo) March 16, 2023

This result is pretty stunning. We’ve seen AI make some rudimentary apps from scratch, but this looks like animation right out of Apple’s labs.

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Luke Larsen
Senior Editor, Computing
Luke Larsen is the Senior editor of computing, managing all content covering laptops, monitors, PC hardware, Macs, and more.
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