ChatGPT Is the Latest in Artificial Intelligence

By now, most of us have encountered “bot” technology. In its simplest form, we encounter them in phone menus, where we are asked questions by the computer to help direct the call. Another place basic bots are used is on a website chat box. In either case, if the answers you give don’t fit what the bots are expecting, the “conversation” comes to a halt with a response that indicates you were not understood.

The next generation of artificially intelligent bots was much more impressive. Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant are much better at understanding natural language and responding appropriately. Many of us have one of these digital assistants within reach for most of our day, and some rely on them heavily to manage tasks, appointments, home appliances, and more.

A Leap Forward

There is no doubt that today’s digital assistants are extremely capable. However, ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence created by OpenAI (the same firm that created Dall-E/Craiyon), is next level. Not only can you ask it questions and get detailed answers, it learns from your previous conversations.

There is one caveat, though. ChatGPT gets its information from the internet, which, as we know, is not always factual or correct. Like all AI models, it is only as good as the quality of information fed into it. Earlier AI models ended up revealing our racial biases, such as a racist HR bot or Microsoft’s Tay experiment. Even the Dall-E/Craiyon AI has equity issues. OpenAI is working to offset those issues, but many are skeptical that they can be overcome.

Trying ChatGPT

Currently, you need a free account to use ChatGPT. When you sign up, you are asked for your name and phone number, as well as the reason you want to use ChatGPT. I created one and took it for a spin to write this article. First I asked it what the best fiction book of 2022 was. The answer was a little disappointing.

Screenshot showing the AI responding that it can't access information about current events because it was trained in 2021.

So I asked about the best fiction book of 2021, and I thought this answer was great! Just like a librarian, it tried to remove the subjective “best” and provide titles popular with the general public. Although, a librarian would have asked about books you have liked in the past to personalize the recommendation.

Screenshot showing the AI stating opinions on literary quality can vary from person to person, and lists 8 popular titles.

Next, I asked a question that I didn’t think had an answer. As it turns out, ChatGPT had a pretty good answer.

Screenshot of a complicated answer about how there are many theories and beliefs and goes on to explain some. It concludes that the meaning can be different for each individual.

ChatGPT doesn’t just deal in facts. It can also make up stories, which is why some teachers are concerned.

ChatGPT created a detailed six-paragraph story about cats catching mice.

What Would You Ask ChatGPT?

Even though ChatGPT is not a mystical oracle that can guide us through life, it is a big step forward in the development of artificial intelligence technology. It’s not perfect, but it’s a work in progress. If you had access to ChatGPT, what would you talk to it about? Let us know in the comments.

What You Need to Know Before You Update to Windows 11

Is your computer offering a free upgrade to Windows 11? If so, you may be wondering if it’s a good idea. Some computers don’t handle major upgrades well, especially if the hardware inside is older and the manufacturers are no longer sending updates for it. Also, history has shown new Windows operating systems can be buggy, and early adoption can be frustrating and cause lost work time. Thankfully, Windows 11 has been out for a while now, so the operating system is fairly stable.

Are You Eligible to Upgrade from Windows 10?

Not all machines that run Windows 10 can upgrade to Windows 11. Hardware incompatibilities, inadequate processing speed, and limited storage are among the common reasons machines are left behind. Windows Update can do a preliminary scan to see if your machine is eligible. If not, this message (or one like it) will appear:

Screenshot of Windows Update screen showing warning "this PC doesn't currently meet the minimum system requirements to turn Windows 11" and a link to get a PC Health Check on the right

The “Get PC Health Check” option will scan to see if you can upgrade memory, storage, or other components to become eligible.

If you are eligible to upgrade, you will be offered the option to download and install it right away. The upgrade will go more smoothly if you prepare your computer for the upgrade first. Thankfully, Tech-Talk has written a step-by-step guide on how to get your computer ready to upgrade.

How Is Windows 11 Different?

Even if your computer can handle an upgrade to Windows 11, you may want to hold off. The user interface has changed significantly, and several popular Windows 10 features are no longer available. Wikipedia has a granular list of features that are gone.

If you are ok with giving those features up, and you’re willing to try a new interface, Windows 11 might be for you. To walk you through the new features in Windows 11, I’d suggest either watching this webinar or reading this quick reference guide from Tech-Talk. Both of these resources show where to find the functions you need and how to customize the new interface for your workflow.

Are You Using Windows 11?

Have you upgraded or purchased a new computer that runs on Windows 11? What are your favorite and least favorite things about it? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Countdown of Our Most Popular Posts from 2022

If you have been a faithful follower of this blog, you know that it has gone through long periods of inactivity over the years. This year, we made a structured effort to post weekly to share the services and tools the library provides, help people navigate their devices, and highlight emerging technologies. We took a look back to see our most popular posts of 2022 and linked them here in case you missed them.

#5 – Accessing the Times Union

We recently added one of the local papers, the Times Union, to our digital offerings for our resident cardholders. Not only is it one of our most frequently used digital resources, the post we created with a video showing how to use it was one of our most viewed posts. Note: since we created the video, the link on our website looks a bit different. There used to be one link that led to the daily paper (image format) and another to text-only articles. There is now one link, and the image format can be chosen on the next page.

Screenshot showing Times Union logo and the link to the Times Union on the eglibrary.org website

#4 – How To Spot a Fake Review on Amazon

I learned about the Fakespot service right before the holiday shopping season and had to share it immediately. Available as a browser extension or a website where a link can be pasted, Fakespot combs the listing and reviews and gives both the seller and the item a grade based on how genuine the artificial intelligence believes the reviews to be.

#3 – Check Out These Great New Email Newsletters from NextReads

NextReads is an email newsletter service the library provides to keep readers informed about new publications based on their reading preferences. Patrons can choose newsletters based on fiction genre, nonfiction subject, age group, and more. This year, NextReads came out with two new newsletter categories. This post highlights the newsletters and provides instructions to subscribe.

#2 – Wordle: The Game Everyone Is Talking About

Remember when Facebook was suddenly flooded with those Tetris-like images showing a Wordle score? We wrote a post to let people know what that was all about. Not only is Wordle still popular, but it has also spun off into similar games like Heardle, Factle, and more.

#1 – Introducing Biteable: The Best Free Image Resizer

This was, far and away, our most popular post. I was annoyed when Microsoft axed Microsoft Picture Manager, as it was a quick, easy way to compress, crop, touch up, or resize images. The new image manager in Windows is much more cumbersome, so I went looking for a simpler way to resize images. Enter Biteable, one of my favorite free tools. Given the number of people who viewed this post, I guess I’m not the only one who was looking for this type of tool

Summary

There you have it – our most popular posts of 2022. If you would like to see a tool highlighted or explained on Tech Tips in 2023, let us know in the comments and we’ll be sure to cover it. In the meantime, we wish you all a happy, healthy new year!

Easily Search For an Old Facebook Post

Have you ever wanted to find a specific post on Facebook, but didn’t feel like scrolling and scrolling through old posts to find it? Fortunately, there is an easier way.

You can easily search for a specific word or phrase on an individual’s profile or on a page or group. To begin, go to the profile, page, or group where you would like to search.

Searching a Person’s Profile

If you are searching from an individual’s profile, click on the three dots on the top header of their Facebook profile, and then click on search. If you are on the mobile app, there should also be three dots when you visit a person’s profile.

Screenshot showing menu icon on the top right, revealing search as an option

Next, a box will pop up where you can enter your search term to find posts, photos, and tags.

Screenshot showing the search box at the top

Once you’ve typed your phrase and hit enter or clicked search, you will see a list of results, if there are any. On the left side of the screen, there are options to filter your results. There is also a filter button on the mobile app.

Screenshot showing the filters in the left menu of the desktop app

Searching a Page

To search on a page rather than an individual profile, in some cases, there will be the same three dots you can click and follow the same process. If you don’t see the three dots, there should be a magnifying glass in the same area on the page. There may also be a button with a picture of a magnifying glass with the word search next to it. On the mobile app, when you visit a particular page, look for the three dots to search.

Side by side screenshots showing the page search with and without icons, including a magnifying glass, to the left of the menu icon

Searching a Group

You can also search for a specific post within a group you are a part of by going to the group and clicking the magnifying glass icon. On the mobile app, you can search a particular group by visiting the group and clicking the magnifying glass on the top row. When you tap on it, there will be “Search in [group name]” in the search box.

Screenshot showing the search box at the top showing a group name and an option to search posts you've seen or all of Facebook.

Have you tried out the search feature? Let us know in the comments!

Don’t Get Locked Out of Your Apple Account

If you’ve ever forgotten a password, you know how frustrating it can be if you don’t have a backup method to access your account. Luckily, Apple has set up a way to easily get back into your iCloud account if you forget your Apple ID password.

frustrated phone user with her hand on her forehead

Apple allows you to set up an account recovery contact. An account recovery contact is someone who can verify your identity and help you regain access to your account and all of your data if you ever get locked out or forget your password.

In order for someone to be your recovery contact, they will need to have iOS 15 or later on their iPhone, iPadOS 15 or later on their iPad, or macOS Monterey or later on their Mac. They will also need to meet other requirements.

When choosing an account recovery contact, pick someone you trust. Once you have set up a recovery contact, if you get locked out of your account or forget your Apple password, simply contact your contact. From there, you can give them instructions on how to generate a six-digit code that they can share with you. This code, along with other information the contact will verify, will allow you to reset your password and regain access to your account and your data.

For detailed instructions on how to set up a recovery contact, please follow the instructions on Apple’s website. Do you think you’ll use this feature? Let us know in the comments.