First looks – GPT-4

AI Personal

I've been testing GPT-4 for the past few days, and I wanted to share my initial impressions. Having been a beta user of GPT-3.5, I was curious to see what improvements the latest version would bring to my daily workflow.

My Common Use Cases

Before diving into the comparison, let me outline how I typically use these AI tools in my work:

  • Rewriting paragraphs - Improving clarity and flow in documents
  • Creating bash scripts - Automating routine system tasks
  • Writing formulas - Excel and analytical calculations
  • Summarizing text - Distilling long documents into key points
  • Creating lists - Organizing information and action items

GPT-4's Standout Improvements

More Concise and Direct

The most noticeable improvement is in response quality. GPT-4 is better at being more concise and to the point. Where GPT-3.5 might provide verbose explanations, GPT-4 cuts straight to what you need.

Superior Summarization

GPT-4 excels at summarizing long-form content up to 25,000 words. This is a game-changer for processing research papers, reports, and lengthy documents. The summaries are accurate and capture the essential points without losing nuance.

Enhanced Complex Reasoning

Complex questions that would sometimes confuse GPT-3.5 are handled more reliably. The model seems to have better contextual understanding and can maintain coherence across longer conversations.

Improved Multilingual Capabilities

While I primarily work in English, the enhanced multilingual performance is noticeable when dealing with international projects and documentation.

Image Prompt Support

One of the most interesting new features is the ability to accept image prompts (though output remains text-only). This opens up possibilities for analyzing charts, diagrams, and visual documentation.

Persistent Limitations

However, GPT-4 isn't a revolution - it's an evolution. Several limitations remain:

Still Not "Intelligent"

GPT-4 isn't significantly more "intelligent" than its predecessor. It's a better pattern matcher and text generator, but it's not displaying genuine understanding or reasoning.

Training Data Cutoff

The training data still appears to have a cutoff around September 2021. This means current events and recent developments aren't in its knowledge base.

Mathematics Struggles

GPT-4 continues to struggle with basic mathematics. It can discuss mathematical concepts eloquently but often fails at simple calculations.

Future Potential

What excites me most are the potential future improvements mentioned by OpenAI:

  • Web browsing capabilities - This could solve the training data cutoff issue
  • Real-time information access - Making the model truly current
  • Enhanced reasoning modules - Potentially addressing the mathematics limitations

Bottom Line Assessment

"GPT-4 is better at being more concise and to the point. It's a meaningful improvement for daily work, but it's not the AI breakthrough some are claiming it to be."

For my use cases - document processing, script generation, and summarization - GPT-4 is a clear upgrade. The improved conciseness alone makes it worth the switch. But anyone expecting artificial general intelligence will be disappointed.

GPT-4 is an excellent tool that's getting better at being a tool. And sometimes, that's exactly what you need.

Practical Recommendation

If you're already using GPT-3.5 in your workflow, the upgrade to GPT-4 is worthwhile for the improved response quality and enhanced capabilities. Just don't expect it to replace human thinking - think of it as a very sophisticated research assistant and text processor.

The real test will be how these capabilities evolve with the promised future features. Web browsing capability, in particular, could be a game-changer for many professional use cases.