What is GPT-4 and Why Does it Matter?

What is GPT-4?

GPT-4 has been developed to improve model "alignment" - the ability to follow user intentions while also making it more truthful and generating less offensive or dangerous output. 

To keep updated with the most recent models, you can view our guides on GPT-4 Turbo and our GPT-4o articles to give more details.

GPT-4 performance improvements

As you might expect, GPT-4 improves on GPT-3.5 models regarding the factual correctness of answers. The number of "hallucinations," where the model makes factual or reasoning errors, is lower, with GPT-4 scoring 40% higher than GPT-3.5 on OpenAI's internal factual performance benchmark.

It also improves "steerability," which is the ability to change its behavior according to user requests. For example, you can command it to write in a different style or tone or voice. Try starting prompts with "You are a garrulous data expert" or  "You are a terse data expert" and have it explain a data science concept to you. You can read more about designing great prompts for GPT models here. 

A further improvement is in the model's adherence to guardrails. If you ask it to do something illegal or unsavory, it is better at refusing the request.

Using visual inputs in GPT-4

One major change is that GPT-4 can use image inputs (research preview only; not yet available to the public) and text. Users can specify any vision or language task by entering interspersed text and images.

Examples showcased highlight GPT-4 correctly interpreting complex imagery such as charts, memes, and screenshots from academic papers. 

As of June 2024, GPT-4's image input capability has been made available to a broader group of users. For example, I asked GPT-4o to analyze a picture of one of my plants. And, while I still don’t have access to the integrated vision features seen in GPT-4o, I had to take a picture and ask ChatGPT what plant it was:

This isn’t a bad effort, although it’s not quite accurate. While it is a bonsai tree, it’s an Ilex crenata rather than a Carmona retusa. Still, the two look pretty similar so it’s an easy mistake to make and I appreciated the extra context on how to take care of the plant.

Below, we can also see an example of the visual reasoning from a chart: 

GPT-4 Performance Benchmarks

OpenAI evaluated GPT-4 by simulating exams designed for humans, such as the Uniform Bar Examination and LSAT for lawyers, and the SAT for university admission. The results showed that GPT-4 achieved human-level performance on various professional and academic benchmarks.

OpenAI also evaluated GPT-4 on traditional benchmarks designed for machine learning models, where it outperformed existing large language models and most state-of-the-art models that may include benchmark-specific crafting or additional training protocols. These benchmarks included multiple-choice questions in 57 subjects, commonsense reasoning around everyday events, grade-school multiple-choice science questions, and more.

OpenAI tested GPT-4's capability in other languages by translating the MMLU benchmark, a suite of 14,000 multiple-choice problems spanning 57 subjects, into various languages using Azure Translate. In 24 out of 26 languages tested, GPT-4 outperformed the English-language performance of GPT-3.5 and other large language models.

Recent testing indicates that GPT-4 continues to lead in multilingual capabilities, particularly in underrepresented languages, demonstrating superior performance in 28 out of 30 languages tested against the latest models.

Overall, GPT-4's more grounded results indicate significant progress in OpenAI's effort to develop AI models with increasingly advanced capabilities.

How to Gain Access to GPT-4 and Its Variants

Want to tap into the power of GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-4o, and GPT-4o mini? Here's how you can do it:

Using ChatGPT

1. Free Tier:
   • Access GPT-4o by default, with limited message caps.
   • Advanced tools like data analysis and vision capabilities are also available.
2. ChatGPT Plus and Team:
   • Subscribe to Plus or join a Team for larger usage caps.
   • Send up to 80 messages every 3 hours on GPT-4o and up to 40 on GPT-4.
3. ChatGPT Enterprise:
   • Designed for large organizations with unlimited access to GPT-4o and GPT-4.
   • Includes extra features like enterprise-grade security and advanced tools.

Using OpenAI API

1. API Access:
   • Sign up for an OpenAI API account.
   • Make a $5 payment to access GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo.
   • GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini are available to all API users.
2. Pricing and Limits:
   • GPT-4o is cheaper and faster than GPT-4 Turbo.
   • Check OpenAI’s API pricing page for details.
3. Data Handling:
   • Your data is secure and not used for training unless you opt-in.

Model Capabilities: All models support text, image, and audio inputs/outputs.

OpenAI has open-sourced OpenAI Evals, a framework for automated evaluation of AI model performance, to allow anyone to report shortcomings in their models and guide further improvements. 

Take it to the Next Level

In the meantime, you can learn AI and read more about topics such as GPT-4 and ChatGPT, in the following resources: 

• Learn how to use ChatGPT effectively course
• Learn how to create your own deep-learning text generation models in the Natural Language Generation in Python course.
• Download this handy reference cheat sheet of ChatGPT prompts for data science.
• Listen to this podcast episode on How ChatGPT and GPT-3 Are Augmenting Workflows to understand how ChatGPT can benefit your business.