Your Essential Guide To The ChatGPT AI Revolution

Since its public launch in 2022, ChatGPT has fundamentally reshaped our technological landscape and the global economy. As the first artificial intelligence (AI) tool to offer near-human cognitive abilities to the masses—from drafting emails and writing code to holding conversations—it has captured the imagination of the public and the business world alike.

ChatGPT quickly became the fastest-growing consumer app in history, gaining over 100 million users in just two months. Its phenomenal success ignited a global AI arms race, prompting tech giants and governments to pour massive investments into developing the next generation of advanced systems.

Today, while generative AI (GenAI) has become mainstream, ChatGPT continues to lead the pack. It consistently ranks among the top five most-visited websites globally and remains the most widely adopted model. Here’s everything you need to know about this revolutionary technology.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT, which stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a conversational AI chatbot. It is designed to understand human language and generate text-based responses that are coherent, relevant, and context-aware, making interactions feel remarkably human.

The platform is accessible via its website and mobile apps. While the base model is free to use with some limitations, users can upgrade to paid tiers like GPT Plus for individuals or GPT Team for businesses, which offer access to more powerful versions and collaborative features.

Who created ChatGPT?

ChatGPT was developed by the AI research and deployment company OpenAI and was released to the public in November 2022. It immediately set a new standard for accessible and versatile AI applications.

OpenAI was founded in 2015 by a group that included Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Elon Musk. Initially established as a non-profit research lab dedicated to ensuring AI benefits all of humanity, it later created a for-profit subsidiary to secure capital. Microsoft became a major investor, and by 2025, the company's valuation reportedly soared to approximately $300 billion, fueled by its groundbreaking models.

Watch a video explaining OpenAI's mission and history.

How does ChatGPT work?

At its core, ChatGPT is a type of AI focused on natural language processing (NLP), which enables computers to understand and generate human language. It is built on a large language model (LLM) architecture, meaning it has been trained on an immense dataset of text and code from the internet and books.

Through this training, the model learns patterns, grammar, context, and facts. When given a prompt, it uses this knowledge to predict the next most logical word in a sequence, allowing it to construct detailed sentences, paragraphs, and entire documents that are coherent and contextually appropriate.

What can ChatGPT do?

Thanks to its extensive training, ChatGPT can handle an incredibly diverse array of tasks. Its capabilities include:

• Simplifying complex technical topics.
• Comparing and analyzing different subjects.
• Drafting professional documents like reports and emails.
• Generating creative content such as poems, scripts, and stories.
• Summarizing long articles and documents.
• Writing, debugging, and explaining code in various programming languages.
• Assisting with planning, brainstorming, and research.

Its versatility has led to widespread adoption across numerous public and private sector organizations.

Is ChatGPT ethical?

Despite its transformative potential, ChatGPT presents several ethical challenges. Since it learns from existing internet data, its outputs raise questions about plagiarism and the fair use of original creators' work. Additionally, its ability to automate tasks efficiently has sparked debates about potential job displacement in many industries.

The environmental impact is another significant concern. The powerful computer chips needed for AI require vast amounts of energy, putting a strain on the datacenters that house them and potentially compromising sustainability goals.

On the regulatory front, the approach varies globally. The UK has opted for a "pro-innovation" stance with guidelines instead of specific AI laws, whereas the European Union has implemented the comprehensive EU AI Act to govern the use of artificial intelligence.

Who is using ChatGPT?

From individual users to multinational corporations and government bodies, ChatGPT has been integrated across society. According to OpenAI, over 600 million people use the tool weekly.

On the corporate side, PwC became OpenAI's first reseller and largest enterprise user, deploying ChatGPT Enterprise to over 100,000 employees. In the public sector, the UK government has partnered with OpenAI to explore how advanced AI can enhance public services and security research.

To meet specific needs, OpenAI has developed specialized versions like ChatGPT Enterprise for businesses and ChatGPT Edu for universities, both offering enhanced privacy and security.

Are highly regulated or data-sensitive industries using ChatGPT?

Yes, with the advent of secure platforms like ChatGPT Enterprise and APIs, even industries with strict data regulations are adopting the technology. These versions ensure that proprietary information is not used for training OpenAI's models.

In banking, for instance, BBVA has deployed over 11,000 ChatGPT licenses to automate tasks, while Santander plans to roll out the enterprise version to 30,000 employees. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management uses the tool to help financial advisors quickly access internal knowledge bases. Other companies like Klarna and Virgin Atlantic are using ChatGPT to enhance their customer support services.

Is my data safe with ChatGPT?

Data privacy depends on the version you use. According to OpenAI's privacy policy, chats on the free version are not end-to-end encrypted and may be used to train future models. Users are advised not to share sensitive information. OpenAI also collects metadata like IP addresses and device information.

For businesses and institutions needing stronger data protections, the Enterprise, Edu, and Team offerings provide a crucial guarantee: customer data is encrypted and is never used for training. "When ChatGPT Enterprise is adopted by an enterprise, we don’t train on their data for anything. It’s fully encrypted. It’s entirely private to the organisation,” confirms OpenAI's Matt Weaver.

Is ChatGPT accurate?

While highly capable, ChatGPT is not infallible. It can sometimes produce incorrect or fabricated information that sounds convincing, a phenomenon known as AI hallucinations. These errors can arise from gaps or biases in its training data.

However, accuracy is continually improving. According to the Hughes Hallucination Evaluation Model, the latest model, GPT-5, has a hallucination rate of just 1.4%, outperforming many competitors. OpenAI reports that GPT-5 is 45% less prone to factual errors than its predecessor, though minor inaccuracies can still occur.

What is ChatGPT-5?

Launched in August 2025, GPT-5 is the latest and most advanced iteration of OpenAI's model, available across all user tiers. OpenAI hails it as its “smartest, fastest, most useful model yet,” with major improvements in accuracy, writing, and coding capabilities.

Key features of GPT-5 include a “real-time router” that intelligently selects the best mode for a given query and user-selectable “personalities” (like Cynic, Robot, or Nerd) to customize the tone of responses. The model demonstrates superior performance on academic benchmarks, especially in complex fields like mathematics, visual perception, and health.