how to use chatgpt to help write an essay

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Should I Use ChatGPT to Write My Essays?

Everything high school and college students need to know about using — and not using — ChatGPT for writing essays.

Jessica A. Kent

ChatGPT is one of the most buzzworthy technologies today.

In addition to other generative artificial intelligence (AI) models, it is expected to change the world. In academia, students and professors are preparing for the ways that ChatGPT will shape education, and especially how it will impact a fundamental element of any course: the academic essay.

Students can use ChatGPT to generate full essays based on a few simple prompts. But can AI actually produce high quality work, or is the technology just not there yet to deliver on its promise? Students may also be asking themselves if they should use AI to write their essays for them and what they might be losing out on if they did.

AI is here to stay, and it can either be a help or a hindrance depending on how you use it. Read on to become better informed about what ChatGPT can and can’t do, how to use it responsibly to support your academic assignments, and the benefits of writing your own essays.

What is Generative AI?

Artificial intelligence isn’t a twenty-first century invention. Beginning in the 1950s, data scientists started programming computers to solve problems and understand spoken language. AI’s capabilities grew as computer speeds increased and today we use AI for data analysis, finding patterns, and providing insights on the data it collects.

But why the sudden popularity in recent applications like ChatGPT? This new generation of AI goes further than just data analysis. Instead, generative AI creates new content. It does this by analyzing large amounts of data — GPT-3 was trained on 45 terabytes of data, or a quarter of the Library of Congress — and then generating new content based on the patterns it sees in the original data.

It’s like the predictive text feature on your phone; as you start typing a new message, predictive text makes suggestions of what should come next based on data from past conversations. Similarly, ChatGPT creates new text based on past data. With the right prompts, ChatGPT can write marketing content, code, business forecasts, and even entire academic essays on any subject within seconds.

But is generative AI as revolutionary as people think it is, or is it lacking in real intelligence?

The Drawbacks of Generative AI

It seems simple. You’ve been assigned an essay to write for class. You go to ChatGPT and ask it to write a five-paragraph academic essay on the topic you’ve been assigned. You wait a few seconds and it generates the essay for you!

But ChatGPT is still in its early stages of development, and that essay is likely not as accurate or well-written as you’d expect it to be. Be aware of the drawbacks of having ChatGPT complete your assignments.

It’s not intelligence, it’s statistics

One of the misconceptions about AI is that it has a degree of human intelligence. However, its intelligence is actually statistical analysis, as it can only generate “original” content based on the patterns it sees in already existing data and work.

It “hallucinates”

Generative AI models often provide false information — so much so that there’s a term for it: “AI hallucination.” OpenAI even has a warning on its home screen , saying that “ChatGPT may produce inaccurate information about people, places, or facts.” This may be due to gaps in its data, or because it lacks the ability to verify what it’s generating. 

It doesn’t do research  

If you ask ChatGPT to find and cite sources for you, it will do so, but they could be inaccurate or even made up.

This is because AI doesn’t know how to look for relevant research that can be applied to your thesis. Instead, it generates content based on past content, so if a number of papers cite certain sources, it will generate new content that sounds like it’s a credible source — except it likely may not be.

There are data privacy concerns

When you input your data into a public generative AI model like ChatGPT, where does that data go and who has access to it? 

Prompting ChatGPT with original research should be a cause for concern — especially if you’re inputting study participants’ personal information into the third-party, public application. 

JPMorgan has restricted use of ChatGPT due to privacy concerns, Italy temporarily blocked ChatGPT in March 2023 after a data breach, and Security Intelligence advises that “if [a user’s] notes include sensitive data … it enters the chatbot library. The user no longer has control over the information.”

It is important to be aware of these issues and take steps to ensure that you’re using the technology responsibly and ethically. 

It skirts the plagiarism issue

AI creates content by drawing on a large library of information that’s already been created, but is it plagiarizing? Could there be instances where ChatGPT “borrows” from previous work and places it into your work without citing it? Schools and universities today are wrestling with this question of what’s plagiarism and what’s not when it comes to AI-generated work.

To demonstrate this, one Elon University professor gave his class an assignment: Ask ChatGPT to write an essay for you, and then grade it yourself. 

“Many students expressed shock and dismay upon learning the AI could fabricate bogus information,” he writes, adding that he expected some essays to contain errors, but all of them did. 

His students were disappointed that “major tech companies had pushed out AI technology without ensuring that the general population understands its drawbacks” and were concerned about how many embraced such a flawed tool.

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How to Use AI as a Tool to Support Your Work

As more students are discovering, generative AI models like ChatGPT just aren’t as advanced or intelligent as they may believe. While AI may be a poor option for writing your essay, it can be a great tool to support your work.

Generate ideas for essays

Have ChatGPT help you come up with ideas for essays. For example, input specific prompts, such as, “Please give me five ideas for essays I can write on topics related to WWII,” or “Please give me five ideas for essays I can write comparing characters in twentieth century novels.” Then, use what it provides as a starting point for your original research.

Generate outlines

You can also use ChatGPT to help you create an outline for an essay. Ask it, “Can you create an outline for a five paragraph essay based on the following topic” and it will create an outline with an introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, and a suggested thesis statement. Then, you can expand upon the outline with your own research and original thought.

Generate titles for your essays

Titles should draw a reader into your essay, yet they’re often hard to get right. Have ChatGPT help you by prompting it with, “Can you suggest five titles that would be good for a college essay about [topic]?”

The Benefits of Writing Your Essays Yourself

Asking a robot to write your essays for you may seem like an easy way to get ahead in your studies or save some time on assignments. But, outsourcing your work to ChatGPT can negatively impact not just your grades, but your ability to communicate and think critically as well. It’s always the best approach to write your essays yourself.

Create your own ideas

Writing an essay yourself means that you’re developing your own thoughts, opinions, and questions about the subject matter, then testing, proving, and defending those thoughts. 

When you complete school and start your career, projects aren’t simply about getting a good grade or checking a box, but can instead affect the company you’re working for — or even impact society. Being able to think for yourself is necessary to create change and not just cross work off your to-do list.

Building a foundation of original thinking and ideas now will help you carve your unique career path in the future.

Develop your critical thinking and analysis skills

In order to test or examine your opinions or questions about a subject matter, you need to analyze a problem or text, and then use your critical thinking skills to determine the argument you want to make to support your thesis. Critical thinking and analysis skills aren’t just necessary in school — they’re skills you’ll apply throughout your career and your life.

Improve your research skills

Writing your own essays will train you in how to conduct research, including where to find sources, how to determine if they’re credible, and their relevance in supporting or refuting your argument. Knowing how to do research is another key skill required throughout a wide variety of professional fields.

Learn to be a great communicator

Writing an essay involves communicating an idea clearly to your audience, structuring an argument that a reader can follow, and making a conclusion that challenges them to think differently about a subject. Effective and clear communication is necessary in every industry.

Be impacted by what you’re learning about : 

Engaging with the topic, conducting your own research, and developing original arguments allows you to really learn about a subject you may not have encountered before. Maybe a simple essay assignment around a work of literature, historical time period, or scientific study will spark a passion that can lead you to a new major or career.

Resources to Improve Your Essay Writing Skills

While there are many rewards to writing your essays yourself, the act of writing an essay can still be challenging, and the process may come easier for some students than others. But essay writing is a skill that you can hone, and students at Harvard Summer School have access to a number of on-campus and online resources to assist them.

Students can start with the Harvard Summer School Writing Center , where writing tutors can offer you help and guidance on any writing assignment in one-on-one meetings. Tutors can help you strengthen your argument, clarify your ideas, improve the essay’s structure, and lead you through revisions. 

The Harvard libraries are a great place to conduct your research, and its librarians can help you define your essay topic, plan and execute a research strategy, and locate sources. 

Finally, review the “ The Harvard Guide to Using Sources ,” which can guide you on what to cite in your essay and how to do it. Be sure to review the “Tips For Avoiding Plagiarism” on the “ Resources to Support Academic Integrity ” webpage as well to help ensure your success.

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The Future of AI in the Classroom

ChatGPT and other generative AI models are here to stay, so it’s worthwhile to learn how you can leverage the technology responsibly and wisely so that it can be a tool to support your academic pursuits. However, nothing can replace the experience and achievement gained from communicating your own ideas and research in your own academic essays.

About the Author

Jessica A. Kent is a freelance writer based in Boston, Mass. and a Harvard Extension School alum. Her digital marketing content has been featured on Fast Company, Forbes, Nasdaq, and other industry websites; her essays and short stories have been featured in North American Review, Emerson Review, Writer’s Bone, and others.

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How to Get ChatGPT to Write an Essay: Prompts, Outlines, & More

Last Updated: January 26, 2024 Fact Checked

Getting ChatGPT to Write the Essay

Using ai to help you write, expert interview.

This article was written by Bryce Warwick, JD and by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA . Bryce Warwick is currently the President of Warwick Strategies, an organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area offering premium, personalized private tutoring for the GMAT, LSAT and GRE. Bryce has a JD from the George Washington University Law School. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 43,756 times.

Are you curious about using ChatGPT to write an essay? While most instructors have tools that make it easy to detect AI-written essays, there are ways you can use OpenAI's ChatGPT to write papers without worrying about plagiarism or getting caught. In addition to writing essays for you, ChatGPT can also help you come up with topics, write outlines, find sources, check your grammar, and even format your citations. This wikiHow article will teach you the best ways to use ChatGPT to write essays, including helpful example prompts that will generate impressive papers.

Things You Should Know

• To have ChatGPT write an essay, tell it your topic, word count, type of essay, and facts or viewpoints to include.
• ChatGPT is also useful for generating essay topics, writing outlines, and checking grammar.
• Because ChatGPT can make mistakes and trigger AI-detection alarms, it's better to use AI to assist with writing than have it do the writing.

• Before using the OpenAI's ChatGPT to write your essay, make sure you understand your instructor's policies on AI tools. Using ChatGPT may be against the rules, and it's easy for instructors to detect AI-written essays.
• While you can use ChatGPT to write a polished-looking essay, there are drawbacks. Most importantly, ChatGPT cannot verify facts or provide references. This means that essays created by ChatGPT may contain made-up facts and biased content. [1] X Research source It's best to use ChatGPT for inspiration and examples instead of having it write the essay for you.

• The topic you want to write about.
• Essay length, such as word or page count. Whether you're writing an essay for a class, college application, or even a cover letter , you'll want to tell ChatGPT how much to write.
• Other assignment details, such as type of essay (e.g., personal, book report, etc.) and points to mention.
• If you're writing an argumentative or persuasive essay , know the stance you want to take so ChatGPT can argue your point.
• If you have notes on the topic that you want to include, you can also provide those to ChatGPT.
• When you plan an essay, think of a thesis, a topic sentence, a body paragraph, and the examples you expect to present in each paragraph.
• It can be like an outline and not an extensive sentence-by-sentence structure. It should be a good overview of how the points relate.

• "Write a 2000-word college essay that covers different approaches to gun violence prevention in the United States. Include facts about gun laws and give ideas on how to improve them."
• This prompt not only tells ChatGPT the topic, length, and grade level, but also that the essay is personal. ChatGPT will write the essay in the first-person point of view.
• "Write a 4-page college application essay about an obstacle I have overcome. I am applying to the Geography program and want to be a cartographer. The obstacle is that I have dyslexia. Explain that I have always loved maps, and that having dyslexia makes me better at making them."

• In our essay about gun control, ChatGPT did not mention school shootings. If we want to discuss this topic in the essay, we can use the prompt, "Discuss school shootings in the essay."
• Let's say we review our college entrance essay and realize that we forgot to mention that we grew up without parents. Add to the essay by saying, "Mention that my parents died when I was young."
• In the Israel-Palestine essay, ChatGPT explored two options for peace: A 2-state solution and a bi-state solution. If you'd rather the essay focus on a single option, ask ChatGPT to remove one. For example, "Change my essay so that it focuses on a bi-state solution."

• "Give me ideas for an essay about the Israel-Palestine conflict."
• "Ideas for a persuasive essay about a current event."
• "Give me a list of argumentative essay topics about COVID-19 for a Political Science 101 class."

• "Create an outline for an argumentative essay called "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Economy."
• "Write an outline for an essay about positive uses of AI chatbots in schools."
• "Create an outline for a short 2-page essay on disinformation in the 2016 election."

• "Find peer-reviewed sources for advances in using MRNA vaccines for cancer."
• "Give me a list of sources from academic journals about Black feminism in the movie Black Panther."
• "Give me sources for an essay on current efforts to ban children's books in US libraries."

• "Write a 4-page college paper about how global warming is changing the automotive industry in the United States."
• "Write a 750-word personal college entrance essay about how my experience with homelessness as a child has made me more resilient."
• You can even refer to the outline you created with ChatGPT, as the AI bot can reference up to 3000 words from the current conversation. [3] X Research source For example: "Write a 1000 word argumentative essay called 'The Impact of COVID-19 on the United States Economy' using the outline you provided. Argue that the government should take more action to support businesses affected by the pandemic."

• One way to do this is to paste a list of the sources you've used, including URLs, book titles, authors, pages, publishers, and other details, into ChatGPT along with the instruction "Create an MLA Works Cited page for these sources."
• You can also ask ChatGPT to provide a list of sources, and then build a Works Cited or References page that includes those sources. You can then replace sources you didn't use with the sources you did use.

Expert Q&A

• Because it's easy for teachers, hiring managers, and college admissions offices to spot AI-written essays, it's best to use your ChatGPT-written essay as a guide to write your own essay. Using the structure and ideas from ChatGPT, write an essay in the same format, but using your own words. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Always double-check the facts in your essay, and make sure facts are backed up with legitimate sources. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you see an error that says ChatGPT is at capacity , wait a few moments and try again. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Using ChatGPT to write or assist with your essay may be against your instructor's rules. Make sure you understand the consequences of using ChatGPT to write or assist with your essay. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• ChatGPT-written essays may include factual inaccuracies, outdated information, and inadequate detail. [4] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about completing school assignments, check out our in-depth interview with Bryce Warwick, JD .

• ↑ https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6783457-chatgpt-general-faq
• ↑ https://platform.openai.com/examples/default-essay-outline
• ↑ https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6787051-does-chatgpt-remember-what-happened-earlier-in-the-conversation
• ↑ https://www.ipl.org/div/chatgpt/

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How to Use ChatGPT to Write Essays That Impress

Step 1: Use ChatGPT to Find and Refine Essay Topics

• Log into the service and type the following prompt into ChatGPT:

• As you can see, ChatGPT gave several good ideas for our essay. If you want to refine the idea further, you can ask the chatbot to cut out some parts of the idea and replace them. Or, you can ask for more context in certain parts. Example – “Expand more on topic number 5 and what it means.”

Step 2: Ask ChatGPT to Construct an Outline

• With the same chat open, type out “ Give me an essay outline for <selected topic>. Make sure to keep it structured as I’ll use it to write my essay .” In this case, I will use topic number 2 since it aligns with what I had in mind.

• As you can see above, we now have a structured outline for our essay. We can use this to write our essay or have ChatGPT do that job. Nonetheless, it’s a good starting point. As always, you can have the AI chatbot cut out parts of the outline or specifically add new ones depending on your requirement.

Step 3: Get ChatGPT to Cite Sources for Your Essay

Even though we have the idea and the outline, we will need to do our research for proof supporting our essay. Thankfully, ChatGPT can be of some help here. Since the chatbot is adept at moderate research, users can get a general idea of where to look for gathering information. Let’s begin doing that.

• Let’s begin asking ChatGPT for sources. With the same chat open, type in the following prompt:

• Now we have a list of 10 sources we can reference from. However, you can also see that ChatGPT mentions the year 2021 in some of them. Therefore, it’s best to use these websites but navigate to the latest pages pertaining to your essay for research. This applies to every topic, so always do it. Also, chatbots like ChatGPT have a habit of hallucinating and making up information, so do be careful.

Step 4: Have ChatGPT Write the Essay

• In the same chat, type the following prompt – “With the topic and outline available to you, generate a 700-word essay. Make sure to keep it structured and concise yet informational. Also, keep in mind my target audience is <Insert target audience> so cater to that accordingly.”
• In the middle of the essay, ChatGPT might stop and not answer. Simply type “ Continue ,” and it will finish the rest of the essay.

Step 5: Edit the Essay with ChatGPT

No matter if you have used ChatGPT to draft a complete essay or have written one yourself, you can use this step to make ChatGPT your co-editor and grammar checker. While your essay might need an initial look from a human, you can definitely use the bot to hash out the tone and add little details.

• Either open up the same chat or have your essay already in the clipboard. With that done, type out the following prompt:

Step 6: Export the Essay for Submission

However, for those who want to export the essay into a more aesthetic format, we have just the thing for you. There is no shortage of best ChatGPT Chrome extensions on the internet right now. We have one such selection linked in our list that can export selective chats onto beautiful image formats if you want to show off your essay. Check it out and let us know how you liked it.

Bonus: ChatGPT and AI Apps to Write Essays

1. writesonic.

Ryter is another helpful AI writing assistant that not only helps with essays but all types of articles. The service is powered by a language model that gives it intelligence. Rytr comes with 40+ different use cases and 20+ writing tones for all types of written material. For those who don’t want to stick to English, it even comes with support for 30+ languages.

Upanishad Sharma

Combining his love for Literature and Tech, Upanishad dived into the world of technology journalism with fire. Now he writes about anything and everything while keeping a keen eye on his first love of gaming. Often found chronically walking around the office.

Im student i want to become financially independent woman in life so I want esay essay write

I am housewife and I want easy essay I want to change my life my husband was job less and I want to work online part time job plz help I am enter pass

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How to Write Your Essay Using ChatGPT

• 5-minute read
• 2nd May 2023

It’s tempting, isn’t it? You’ve read about and probably also witnessed how quickly ChatGPT can knock up text, seemingly in any genre or style and of any length, in less time than it takes you to make a cup of tea. However, getting ChatGPT to write your essay for you would be plagiarism . Universities and colleges are alive to the issue, and you may face serious academic penalties if you’re found to have used AI in that way.

So that’s that, right? Not necessarily.

This post is not about how to get ChatGPT to write your essay . It’s about how you can use the tool to help yourself write an essay .

What Is ChatGPT?

Let’s start with the basics. ChatGPT is one of several chatbots that can answer questions in a conversational style, as if the answer were coming from a human. It provides answers based on information it receives in development and in response to prompts you provide.

In that respect, like a human, ChatGPT is limited by the information it has. Where it lacks the information, it has a tendency to fill the gaps regardless . This action is dangerous if you’re relying on the accuracy of the information, and it’s another good reason you should not get ChatGPT to write your essay for you.

How Can You Use ChatGPT to Help With Your Essay?

Forget about the much talked-about writing skills of ChatGPT – writing is your thing here. Instead, think of ChatGPT as your assistant. Here are some ideas for how you can make it work for you.

Essay Prompts

If your task is to come up with your own essay topic but you find yourself staring at a blank page, you can use ChatGPT for inspiration. Your prompt could look something like this:

ChatGPT can offer several ideas. The choice of which one to write about (and you may, of course, still come up with one of your own) will be up to you, based on what interests you and the topic’s potential for in-depth analysis.

Essay Outlines

Having decided on your essay topic – or perhaps you’ve already been given one by your instructor – you may be struggling to figure out how to structure the essay. You can use ChatGPT to suggest an outline. Your prompt can be along these lines:

Just as you should not use ChatGPT to write an essay for you, you should not use it to research one – that’s your job.

If, however, you’re struggling to understand a particular extract, you can ask ChatGPT to summarize it or explain it in simpler terms.

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That said, you can’t rely on ChatGPT to be factually accurate in the information it provides, even when you think the information would be in its database, as we discovered in another post. Indeed, when we asked ChatGPT whether we should fact-check its information, the response was:

An appropriate use of ChatGPT for research would be to ask for academic resources for further reading on a particular topic. The advantage of doing this is that, in going on to locate and read the suggested resources, you will have checked that they exist and that the content is relevant and accurately set out in your essay.

Instead of researching the topic as a whole, you could use ChatGPT to generate suggestions for the occasional snippet of information, like this:

Before deciding which of its suggestions – if any – to include, you should ask ChatGPT for the source of the fact or statistic so you can check it and provide the necessary citation.

Referencing

Even reading the word above has probably made you groan. As if writing the essay isn’t hard enough, you then have to not only list all the sources you used, but also make sure that you’ve formatted them in a particular style. Here’s where you can use ChatGPT. We have a separate post dealing specifically with this topic, but in brief, you can ask something like this:

Where information is missing, as in the example above, ChatGPT will likely fill in the gaps. In such cases, you’ll have to ensure that the information it fills in is correct.

Proofreading

After finishing the writing and referencing, you’d be well advised to proofread your work, but you’re not always the best person to do so – you’d be tired and would likely read only what you expect to see. At least as a first step, you can copy and paste your essay into ChatGPT and ask it something like this:

You’ve got the message that you can’t just ask ChatGPT to write your essay, right? But in some areas, ChatGPT can help you write your essay, providing, as with any tool, you use it carefully and are alert to the risks.

We should point out that universities and colleges have different attitudes toward using AI – including whether you need to cite its use in your reference list – so always check what’s acceptable.

After using ChatGPT to help with your work, you can always ask our experts to look over it to check your references and/or improve your grammar, spelling, and tone. We’re available 24/7, and you can even try our services for free .

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How to Use ChatGPT for Research and Essays

Want to use ChatGPT to help out with research and essays? To avoid inaccurate information, there are certain ways you can use it to your advantage.

For better or worse, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become a big part of our lives. It’s become integral to gathering information, researching topics, and creating written works. And frankly, not using it might put you at a disadvantage academically.

However, this AI is not flawless; there is a method to use it to help with your essays and research. Using it the right way will help you avoid plagiarism issues or inaccurate information. Here, we’ll show you how to use ChatGPT to write an essay ethically, so it comes out as a quality, factual, and original piece.

1. Draw Your Outline Without ChatGPT

Assuming you already have an idea for your project, the first thing you should do before you hop on ChatGPT’s website is to prepare your thesis and outline without using AI. It’s a vital step to making sure the core of your essay actually comes from you.

If you use ChatGPT to prompt an outline for you, it could promote idea laziness, and you will find ChatGPT’s suggestions may have replaced the ones you could have produced on your own. So, get a piece of paper or a blank word processor page and create an outline for your essay.

Also, ChatGPT will avoid controversial topics—even in an outline. Therefore, you might find yourself with an outline missing vital pieces of historical sections if you rely on it. This bias is one of the major problems with OpenAI’s ChatGPT .

2. Prompt ChatGPT to Draw a Parallel Outline

Before you begin this section, if this is your first time using ChatGPT, you should read our guide on how to use ChatGPT . It will help you with creating an account and defining its capabilities. Once that’s out of the way, you can move on to the next step.

Now that you have an original outline, it doesn’t matter how basic it looks; you can use ChatGPT to create another outline. Craft a prompt with this template:

ChatGPT’s result is far more detailed than our outline. Here, you should adopt the parts of ChatGPT’s outline you would like to integrate into your own. Combine the best of the two and flesh out an outline that will guide you best as you write.

3. Create a ChatGPT Prompt for Each Section

Now that you have an outline with sections, you can begin to hack away at it section by section. Start with your introduction, where you will include your thesis statement. Ask ChatGPT to create multiple thesis statements on your idea, and choose the one that best encapsulates the major point you’re trying to communicate in your essay.

You can do something similar for all the other sections as well. Tell the AI to generate written pieces on your section topics. Don’t forget to add that it communicates the point in the tone you want. In most cases, essays should sound academic. Therefore, our prompt for each section looked like this:

Do not just copy and paste the information it generates; the next step is a vital second part of this methodology.

4. Confirm the Information With a Reputable Source

As you begin to write, you must check if the information you’re getting from ChatGPT is indeed correct. You must do this because ChatGPT occasionally hallucinates , coming up with its own facts and making up sources when you ask it to direct you to where it got its information. In some cases, it blatantly refuses to tell you at all where it got its data.

The free version of ChatGPT is not actively connected to the internet and cannot fetch information after September 2021. If you need this functionality, then it could be time to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus —especially if this is a tool you will be using heavily for work or school.

The bottom line is that you should use a reputable source (such as a book from an authority or an official website) to support every important statement you put down. You can also learn how to use Google to fact-check information .

5. Use ChatGPT for Examples and Breakdowns

It’s counterproductive to write about ideas that you don’t even understand yourself. When you reach a part of your essay that you don’t properly understand, you should go to ChatGPT and have it broken down for you.

That’s really the one thing you can count on ChatGPT to do in this process. It has good skill in crafting useful examples and explaining complicated ideas in a form you can easily understand. A popular way of phrasing a prompt to make ChatGPT explain something complicated is adding “explain like I’m five” to your prompt.

Here we used ChatGPT to break down hip and elbow dysplasia conditions in a way that is easier to understand. And it used analogies like jigsaw puzzles to paint a clearer image of what it might look like.

6. Write the Essay Yourself

As we’ve stated earlier, under no condition should you ask ChatGPT to write your whole essay for you. Not only is that lazy and deceitful, but it could also open you up to plagiarism and submitting incorrect information.

Ensure that every line in your essay is typed with your hands. Besides, if you’re writing an academic essay where you must cite sources, you will still need to corroborate all the points you’ve made with a corresponding authority. That means you’ll have to go and fact-check everything ChatGPT has written and find a corroborating source.

This could even take more time than just writing it yourself because the AI could have hallucinated some of its facts, leading you on a wild goose chase as you try to find a citation for something that doesn’t exist.

Lastly, ChatGPT doesn’t match the nuanced knowledge of a human professional in heavily specialized fields or journals that need up-to-date information. Reading a book or article by an expert, internalizing it, and writing it in your own words will give you far better results than relying on ChatGPT.

7. Polish the Style and Citation With ChatGPT

After writing, you can paste portions of your essay and ask ChatGPT to shorten, lengthen, or optimize the style. ChatGPT is good at mimicking popular styles, and you can use that to your advantage. If you want your writing to sound a little more professional, it can help rephrase it.

If you’re having trouble with citation styles and how to integrate them into your essay, you can present your essay to ChatGPT, give it your sources, and ask it to weld them together for you.

ChatGPT Is a Tool, Not a Solution

You can’t “ChatGPT” away academic or professional work; you must use it the same way you would use a tool. Take a calculator, for instance; it doesn’t replace the mathematician but improves the mathematician. You should use ChatGPT the same way a mathematician will use a calculator: for the boring, repetitive, rote work.

Let the ideas and story come from you and your experiences. And if you want to keep using ChatGPT as a student, make sure you know what you shouldn't do.

How to use ChatGPT for writing

AI can make you a better writer, if you know how to get the best from it

Summarizing other works

Worldbuilding, creating outlines, building characters, how to improve your chatgpt responses.

ChatGPT has taken the world by storm in a very short period of time, as users continue to test the boundaries of what the AI chatbot can accomplish. And so far, that's a lot. 

Some of it is negative, of course: for instance Samsung workers accidentally leaking top-secret data while using ChatGPT , or the AI chatbot being used for malware scams . Plagiarism is also rampant, with the use of ChatGPT for writing college essays a potential problem.

However, while ChatGPT can and has been used for wrongdoing, to the point where the Future of Life Institution released an open letter calling for the temporary halt of OpenAI system work , AI isn’t all bad. Far from it.

For a start, anyone who writes something may well have used AI to enhance their work already. The most common applications, of course, are the grammar and spelling correction tools found in everything from email applications to word processors. But there are a growing number of other examples of how AI can be used for writing. So, how do you bridge the gap between using AI as the tool it is, without crossing over into plagiarism city?

In fact, there are many ways ChatGPT can be used to enhance your skills, particularly when it comes to researching, developing, and organizing ideas and information for creative writing. By using AI as it was intended - as a tool, not a crutch - it can enrich your writing in ways that help to better your craft, without resorting to it doing everything for you. 

Below, we've listed some of our favorite ways to use ChatGPT and similar AI chatbots for writing. 

A key part of any writing task is the research, and thanks to the internet that chore has never been easier to accomplish. However, while finding the general sources you need is far less time-consuming than it once was, actually parsing all that information is still the same slog it’s always been. But this is where ChatGPT comes in. You can use the AI bot to do the manual labor for you and then reap the benefits of having tons of data to use for your work.

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The steps are slightly different, depending on whether you want an article or book summarized . 

For the article, there are two ways to have ChatGPT summarize it. The first requires you to type in the words ‘TLDR:’ and then paste the article’s URL next to it. The second method is a bit more tedious, but increases the accuracy of your summary. For that, you’ll need to copy and paste the article itself into the prompt . 

Summarizing a book is much easier, as long as it was published before 2021. Simply type into the prompt ‘summarize [book title]’ and it should do the rest for you.

This should go without saying, but for any articles or books, make sure you read the source material first before using any information presented to you. While ChatGPT is an incredibly useful tool that can create resources meant for future reference, it’s not a perfect one and is subject to accidentally inserting misinformation into anything it gives you.

One of the most extensive and important tasks when crafting your creative work is to properly flesh out the world your characters occupy. Even for works set in a regular modern setting, it can take plenty of effort to research the various cultures, landmarks, languages, and neighborhoods your characters live in and encounter. 

Now, imagine stories that require their own unique setting, and how much more work that entails in terms of creating those same details from scratch. While it’s vital that the main ideas come from you, using ChatGPT can be a great way to streamline the process, especially with more tedious details.

For instance, if you need certain fictional words without wanting to create an entirely fictional language, you can prompt ChatGPT with the following : “Create a language including an alphabet, phonetics, grammar, and the most common 100 words. Base it on [insert real-life languages here]” and it will give you some good starting points. However, it’s imperative that you take these words and look them up, to ensure you aren’t appropriating sensitive terms or using offensive real-life words.

Another example is useful for those who write scenarios for games, especially tabletop games such as Dungeons & Dragons or Call of Cthulhu . Dungeon Masters (who run the games) may often need to create documents or other fake materials for their world, but doing so takes a lot of time and effort. Now, they can prompt ChatGPT to quickly create filler text that sounds interesting or authentic but is inherently useless; it's essentially like ' Lorem Ipsum ' text, but more immersive.

When writing a story, many people will use an outline to ensure they stay on track and that the narrative flows well. But actually sitting down and organizing everything in your head in order to create a cohesive reference is a lot more daunting than it seems. It’s one of those steps that can be crucial to a well-structured work of fiction, but it can also become a hurdle. This is another area where ChatGPT can come in handy.

The key to writing an effective outline is remembering that you don’t need to have all the answers first. It’s there to structure your content, by helping you hit critical points and not miss important details in the process. While there are AI generators with a more specific focus on this topic, ChatGPT will do a good job at taking a general prompt and returning points for you to keep in mind while you research and write around that topic.

For instance, I prompted ChatGPT with “I want to write a story about a black woman in 16th century England” and it gave me a well-thought-out series of steps to help me create a story that would reflect my topic. An outline such as this would be particularly useful for those needing a resource they can quickly turn to for inspiration when writing. After that, you can begin to develop more complex ideas and have the AI organize those specifics into much easier-to-follow steps.

What makes any great story are the characters that inhabit it. Writing strong, fleshed-out characters is the cornerstone of any creative work and, naturally, the process of creating such a character can be difficult. Their background, manner of speech, goals, dreams, look, and more must be carefully considered and planned out. And this is another aspect of writing that ChatGPT can aid with, if you know how to go about it.

A basic way to use ChatGPT in this regard is to have it generate possible characters that could populate whatever setting you’re writing for. For example, I prompted it with “Provide some ideas for characters set in 1920s Harlem” and it gave me a full list of people with varied and distinctive backstories to use as a jumping-off point. Each character is described with a single sentence, enough to help start the process of creating them, but still leaving the crux of developing them up to me.

One of the most interesting features of ChatGPT is that you can flat-out roleplay with a character, whether they're a historical figure or one that you created but need help fleshing out. Take that same character you just created and have a conversation with them by asking them questions on their history, family life, profession, etc. Based on my previous results, I prompted with “Pretend to be a jazz musician from 1920s Harlem. Let's have a conversation.” I then asked questions from there, basing them on prior answers. Of course, from there you need to parse through these responses to filter out unnecessary or inaccurate details, while fleshing out what works for your story, but it does provide you with a useful stepping stone.

If you’re having issues getting the results you want, the problem could be with how you’re phrasing those questions or prompts in the first place. We've got a full guide to how to improve your ChatGPT prompts and responses , but here are a few of the best options:

• Specify the direction you want the AI to go, by adding in relevant details 
• Prompt from a specific role to guide the responses in the proper direction
• Make sure your prompts are free of typos and grammatical errors
• Keep your tone conversational, as that’s how ChatGPT was built
• Learn from yours and its mistakes to make it a better tool
• Break up your conversations into 500 words or less, as that’s when the AI begins to break down and go off topic
• If you need something clarified, ask the AI based on its last response
• Ask it to cite sources and then check those sources
• Sometimes it’s best to start fresh with a brand new conversation

Of course, many of the above suggestions apply not just to ChatGPT but also to the other chatbots springing up in its wake. Check out our list of the best ChatGPT alternatives and see which one works best for you.

Named by the CTA as a CES 2023 Media Trailblazer, Allisa is a Computing Staff Writer who covers breaking news and rumors in the computing industry, as well as reviews, hands-on previews, featured articles, and the latest deals and trends. In her spare time you can find her chatting it up on her two podcasts, Megaten Marathon and Combo Chain, as well as playing any JRPGs she can get her hands on.

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How To Use Chatgpt To Write An Essay

• Post author By admin
• August 31, 2023

Discover the ultimate guide on how to use Chatgpt to write an essay. Learn step-by-step techniques, tips, and strategies for using ChatGPT as your writing companion. Elevate your essay-writing game today

Hey there, fellow writers and knowledge seekers! Ever wished you had a magical sidekick to help you tackle those tricky essays?

Well, say hello to your new digital writing buddy: ChatGPT! Yep, you heard it right – an AI that’s not just about algorithms and codes, but about making your essay writing life a whole lot smoother.

Essays might have been the bane of your existence, causing eye rolls and sighs, but fear not – ChatGPT is here to turn that frown upside down.

Whether you’re a student juggling assignments or someone who simply wants to express their thoughts eloquently, ChatGPT is about to become your secret weapon.

Get ready to dive into a guide that’s all about demystifying the magic of using ChatGPT for essay writing. No, we won’t bore you with complicated tech talk; we’re here to show you how this AI wizardry can sprinkle a touch of brilliance onto your essays.

From the basics to some nifty tricks, consider this guide your essay-writing potion. So, grab your metaphorical quills, because we’re about to unravel the art of using ChatGPT to write an essay that’ll leave others in awe. Let’s roll!

Table of Contents

Have a close look at the best ways on how to use Chatgpt to write an essay:-

Setting the Stage for Your Essay

1. selecting a topic.

Alrighty, let’s kick things off with the coolest part – picking a topic that’s like catnip for your brain! We’ve all been there, staring at a blank screen, praying for a lightning bolt of inspiration. But guess what? ChatGPT’s got your back!

Get Your Wheels Turning: Say goodbye to those brainstorming blues. ChatGPT is like your idea-generator-in-chief. It can toss out ideas that’ll make your essay stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s for a school assignment or a passion project, this digital whiz can whip up topics that’ll make your heart skip a beat.

2. Research Assistance

Let’s Go on a Web Safari

Alright, so you’ve got a rad topic in mind. Now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive into the sea of knowledge. But wait, who’s got time to sift through a gazillion search results? Not you!

Navigate the Info Jungle: Say hello to ChatGPT, your research guru. It can dig up scholarly articles, books, and websites that are like hidden treasure chests of info.

You’ll be armed with the juiciest facts and insights without spending hours glued to your screen. Go ahead, let ChatGPT be your research sidekick – it’s like having your own personal librarian!

Armed with a killer topic and a treasure trove of research, you’re now ready to conquer the world of essay writing. And guess what? We’re just getting started! Get ready for more ChatGPT magic coming your way. 

3. Structuring the Essay

The Art of Essay Architecture

Imagine your essay as a beautifully constructed building. The foundation? A solid structure. And that’s exactly where ChatGPT comes in, working its magic to ensure your essay is a masterpiece of organization.

Blueprint for Success: ChatGPT isn’t just about words; it’s about creating a blueprint for your essay’s success. With its help, you can craft an outline that maps out a clear path for your readers.

From the grand entrance of the introduction to the eloquent rooms of your body paragraphs and the spectacular exit of the conclusion, ChatGPT ensures every part of your essay has its rightful place.

4. Writing the Introduction

Hello, Attention-Grabber!

Ever heard the saying, “First impressions are everything”? Well, that holds true for essays too. The introduction sets the stage for what’s to come, and ChatGPT can be your director, guiding you in creating an introduction that leaves your readers hungry for more.

Hook, Line, and Sinker: ChatGPT knows how to reel in your readers with attention-grabbing hooks. Whether it’s a fascinating fact, a thought-provoking question, or a captivating anecdote, this AI wordsmith can suggest openings that make your essay impossible to put down.

And let’s not forget the thesis statement – ChatGPT can help you craft a concise yet powerful statement that lays out the essence of your essay.

5. Developing Body Paragraphs

Building Bridges Between Ideas

So, you’ve got the introduction down pat. What’s next? The body paragraphs – the heart and soul of your essay. But fear not, because ChatGPT is your bridge builder, helping you connect ideas seamlessly.

Coherence is Key: ChatGPT is like the architect of coherence. It can assist in expanding on your arguments, providing evidence that supports your claims, and ensuring your paragraphs flow smoothly. No more abrupt transitions or disjointed thoughts – ChatGPT helps you present your ideas in a logical and engaging manner.

6. Adding Citations and References

Avoiding the Plagiarism Pitfall

Citations and references – they might sound like a headache, but they’re the guardians of academic integrity. ChatGPT takes on the role of your citation wizard, making sure your essay stands tall in the face of plagiarism.

Sourcing Superstar: Whether it’s APA, MLA, Chicago, or any other citation style, ChatGPT has got your back. It can generate accurate citations and references, saving you from the labyrinth of formatting rules. With ChatGPT, your sources are credited, and your essay remains a beacon of originality.

With ChatGPT by your side, crafting your essay becomes a creative journey that’s both smooth and exhilarating. Buckle up as we explore the finishing touches and polishing in the upcoming sections!

Polishing Your Essay

7. proofreading and editing.

The Art of Essay Detailing

Once your essay takes shape, it’s time for the fine-tuning. Picture it like polishing a precious gem. ChatGPT can be your trusty magnifying glass, helping you identify and rectify those tiny imperfections.

Grammar Guru: ChatGPT excels at spotting grammar and spelling errors, making it a valuable proofreading companion. However, remember that it’s not infallible. Manual review is essential to ensure your essay shines brightly. Look out for clarity and coherence as you edit – these elements are the jewels of your writing.

8. Improving Style and Tone

The Perfect Finishing Touch

Every essay has its own unique style and tone, and ChatGPT can assist in refining yours to match the academic vibe.

Crafting the Right Tone: Maintaining an academic tone is key, and ChatGPT knows how to help. It can suggest improvements to sentence structure, vocabulary, and overall style to ensure your essay strikes the right chord with your readers.

So, whether you need to sound more scholarly or simply want to add a touch of sophistication, ChatGPT has your back.

As you put the final gloss on your essay, remember that ChatGPT is your ally in achieving that professional polish. The next steps? Citations, references, and final checks. We’re almost there!

9. Creating a Title

The Art of the Perfect Title

Picture this: Your essay is like a beautifully wrapped gift, and the title is the bow on top. It’s the first thing your readers see, so it better be enticing! Luckily, ChatGPT is your title maestro, ready to compose a captivating title that’s the cherry on the cake.

Catchy Titles 101: ChatGPT can generate titles that are not only catchy but also perfectly aligned with your essay’s content. It’s like having a marketing guru brainstorming attention-grabbing headlines.

So, wave goodbye to those generic titles and get ready to hook your readers from the get-go.

10. Writing a Conclusion

The Grand Finale

Every great essay deserves a grand finale, and that’s precisely what the conclusion is all about. It’s your chance to leave a lasting impression, and ChatGPT can be your wordsmith for this crucial task.

Summarize and Impress: Crafting a strong conclusion requires summarizing your essay’s main points concisely and eloquently. ChatGPT can assist in creating that memorable closing paragraph, ensuring that your readers are left with a sense of fulfillment and insight.

With the title shining bright and the conclusion sealing the deal, your essay is now a complete masterpiece. But before you hit that submit button, let’s not forget one last essential step: citations and references. Let’s wrap things up!

Can you use ChatGPT for essays?

Absolutely! ChatGPT is your ultimate wingman when it comes to essay writing. It’s like having a super-smart buddy who’s always ready to assist you. Here’s how ChatGPT can be your go-to for essays:

Topic Generation: Stuck on what to write about? ChatGPT can be your idea generator. It’s like brainstorming with a genius friend who knows your interests and field of study.

Outline Creation: Ever heard that “organization is the key to success”? Well, ChatGPT helps you create a roadmap for your essay. Think of it as your GPS for the essay-writing journey.

Introduction Crafting: First impressions matter, right? ChatGPT can help you kickstart your essay with a bang. It’s your secret source for attention-grabbing openings.

Body Paragraph Development: Need to elaborate on your ideas? ChatGPT is your expansion expert. It can help you add meat to your arguments and ensure your essay flows smoothly.

Citations and References: Don’t let the plagiarism monster haunt your essay. ChatGPT can magically generate those tricky citations in different styles.

Proofreading and Editing: Grammar gremlins, beware! ChatGPT can spot those sneaky errors. But remember, it’s not infallible, so give your essay a once-over for clarity.

Style and Tone Enhancement: Want your essay to sound pro? ChatGPT can be your writing coach, suggesting tweaks for that academic vibe.

Title and Conclusion Assistance: Need a catchy title or a killer ending? ChatGPT’s got your back. It’s like having a brainstorming session with a wordsmith friend.

Remember, while ChatGPT is a fantastic tool, your voice and ideas are what make your essay unique. Think of ChatGPT as your trusty sidekick, here to assist and enhance your writing adventures. So, go ahead, let your creativity flow, and make those essays shine!

How do you write a paper on ChatGPT?

Have a close look at the steps to write a paper on Chatgpt.

Choose a Captivating Angle

Start by picking an exciting aspect of ChatGPT that sparks your curiosity. Whether it’s its evolution, real-world applications, ethical dilemmas, or impact on industries, find an angle that truly interests you.

Dive into Research

Begin your adventure by diving headfirst into the world of ChatGPT research. Scout academic journals, books, research papers, and reliable online sources. Imagine you’re hunting for treasures of knowledge!

Craft a Roadmap

Plot your journey by creating an outline. Think of it as your treasure map with key locations:

Introduction

Exploring the chatgpt landscape.

• The Method Behind the Magic (if you’re conducting experiments)

Unearthing Findings

The grand reveal: what it all means.

• Your Research Legacy
• Open your paper with an engaging backstory about ChatGPT.
• State your research question or thesis like it’s the ultimate treasure hunt.
• Explain why your quest is vital for the world to know.
• Summarize what adventurers before you have discovered about ChatGPT.
• Analyze the different maps and compasses they used.
• Spot gaps in their explorations that you’re determined to fill.

The Method Behind the Magic (If Applicable)

• Share your secret methods if you embarked on a unique journey – conducting experiments, surveys, or analyzing data.
• Show off your equipment, aka the tools and software you used.
• Present your treasures – the findings and analysis of your expedition.
• Explain what these discoveries mean for the world of ChatGPT adventurers.
• Reveal the ancient artifacts (data) you uncovered.
• Summarize your epic journey.
• Remind everyone of the grand quest you set out on.
• Leave clues for other adventurers about where to explore next.

The Final Frontier: Conclusion

• Sum up your findings in an epic way.
• Recapture the essence of your journey and why it was worth every challenge.
• Inspire others to embark on their own quests in the world of ChatGPT.

Credits to Your Fellow Explorers: References

• Give credit to the explorers whose maps you followed.
• Create a treasure inventory – a list of all the sources you used, following a specific citation style (like APA or MLA).

Polishing Your Treasure Chest: Editing and Proofreading

• Go back to your treasure chest (your paper) and make sure everything shines.
• Check for grammar and readability .
• Ensure your paper flows seamlessly, like an explorer’s journal.

Peer Review

• Share your treasure map (paper) with a fellow explorer for their insights and suggestions.
• Sometimes, another pair of eyes can spot hidden gems you missed.

Launching Your Expedition: Submission

• Get ready to unveil your discoveries to the world.
• Follow the submission guidelines of the academic journal, conference, or platform where you plan to share your paper.

Remember, your paper is your expedition journal, and every section is a step in your adventure. So, gear up, and let your journey into the world of ChatGPT unfold on the pages of your paper!

How do you use ChatGPT to improve writing?

Have a close look at the tips to use Chatgpt to improve writing.

Polish Your Clarity and Structure

• Write your initial draft naturally, just as your thoughts flow.
• Imagine ChatGPT as your friendly editor. Ask it to help you make sentences smoother or reorganize paragraphs for better flow.

Banish Grammar and Spelling Gremlins

• After writing a section, give it a once-over for grammar and spelling glitches.
• Ask ChatGPT to be your vigilant proofreader. It can spot those sneaky mistakes you might have missed.

Sprinkle Some Vocabulary Magic

• If your writing feels repetitive, ChatGPT can be your wizard of words.
• Request some fancy synonyms or fresh phrasings to add flavor to your content.

Trim the Verbose

• If you tend to get a bit wordy, ask ChatGPT to help you trim the fat without losing the meat.
• Think of it as your writing gym buddy, guiding you to more concise sentences.

Craft the Perfect Tone and Style

• Describe the vibe you want – casual, formal, academic, persuasive – ChatGPT can adapt!
• Chat with it about your preferred tone, and it can sprinkle that magic dust on your writing.

Masterful Introductions and Conclusions

• Write your introduction and conclusion to tell a story, set the scene, or sum up your points.
• Imagine ChatGPT as your storytelling coach. It can help you craft those captivating beginnings and memorable endings.

Seamless Transitions and Cohesion

• Ensure your ideas glide smoothly from one to the next.
• Chat with ChatGPT about creating those magical bridges that keep your readers engaged.

Ask for Writing Wisdom

• Treat ChatGPT as your writing guru. Ask it questions like, “How can I make this clearer?” or “What’s a better way to say this?”
• Use its wisdom to elevate your writing game.

Practice Makes Perfect

• Keep chatting with ChatGPT regularly. It’s like having a writing buddy who’s always ready for a brainstorming session.
• Experiment with different styles and genres to keep your writing skills evolving.

Share with Friends

• Show your work to your writing pals and gather their thoughts.
• Consult ChatGPT to address specific feedback or ideas your friends offer.

Revise and Refine

• When you’re done, chat with ChatGPT one more time for the final polish.
• Trust your instincts, but let ChatGPT be your finishing touch.

Track Your Growth

• Keep tabs on your progress and see how your writing improves over time.
• It’s like leveling up in a writing video game with ChatGPT as your trusty sidekick.

With ChatGPT as your writing companion, improving your writing becomes a dynamic and engaging journey. It’s like having a talented friend who helps you bring out the best in your words. Happy writing!

Ta-da! You’ve officially unlocked the secrets of using ChatGPT to rock your essay game. From finding the coolest topics to crafting intros that grab attention and wrapping up with killer conclusions – you’ve got it all covered, my friend.

But wait up, don’t think for a second that ChatGPT is the star of the show. Nope, that’s all you! See, writing isn’t just about throwing words together; it’s about showcasing your style, your thoughts, and your uniqueness.

So, now what? It’s time to channel your newfound wisdom. Dive into your essay writing armed with ChatGPT’s tricks and your awesome ideas. Let those sentences flow, those paragraphs shine, and those ideas dance across the page.

With ChatGPT in your corner, every essay becomes a chance to dazzle, educate, and maybe even change a few minds. So, off you go, essay rockstar! Your journey to crafting top-notch essays starts now, and with ChatGPT as your co-pilot, it’s bound to be an epic one. Happy writing and keep rocking those essays!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chatgpt suitable for all types of essays.

Yes, ChatGPT can help with a wide range of essay types, from research papers to creative writing.

Can I trust ChatGPT for accurate citations?

ChatGPT can generate citations, but it’s important to cross-check them for accuracy.

Is ChatGPT suitable for academic essays?

Absolutely! ChatGPT is a valuable tool for academic writing, aiding in research, organization, and writing.

How can I integrate ChatGPT into my writing process?

You can access ChatGPT through its web interface or use APIs to integrate it into your applications or software.

Is ChatGPT user-friendly for beginners?

Yes, ChatGPT’s user-friendly interface makes it accessible to writers of all skill levels.

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ChatGPT has become a popular topic of conversation since its official launch in November 2022. The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot can be used for all sorts of things, like having conversations, answering questions, and even crafting complete pieces of writing.

If you’re applying for college, you might be wondering about ChatGPT college admissions’ potential.  Should you use a ChatGPT college essay in your application ? 

By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll know much more about ChatGPT, including how students can use it responsibly and if it’s a good idea to use ChatGPT on college essays . We’ll answer all your questions, like:

• What is ChatGPT and why are schools talking about it?
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• Can colleges detect ChatGPT?
• Are there other tools and strategies that students can use, instead?

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

Schools and colleges are worried about how new AI technology affects how students learn. (Don't worry. Robots aren't replacing your teachers...yet.)

What Is ChatGPT and Why Are Schools Talking About It?

ChatGPT (short for “Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer”) is a chatbot created by OpenAI , an artificial intelligence research company. ChatGPT can be used for various tasks, like having human-like conversations, answering questions, giving recommendations, translating words and phrases—and writing things like essays. 

In order to do this, ChatGPT uses a neural network that’s been trained on thousands of resources to predict relationships between words. When you give ChatGPT a task, it uses that knowledge base to interpret your input or query. It then analyzes its data banks to predict the combinations of words that will best answer your question. 

So while ChatGPT might seem like it’s thinking, it’s actually pulling information from hundreds of thousands of resources , then answering your questions by looking for patterns in that data and predicting which words come next.  

Why Schools Are Concerned About ChatGPT

Unsurprisingly, schools are worried about ChatGPT and its misuse, especially in terms of academic dishonesty and plagiarism . Most schools, including colleges, require students’ work to be 100% their own. That’s because taking someone else’s ideas and passing them off as your own is stealing someone else’s intellectual property and misrepresenting your skills. 

The problem with ChatGPT from schools’ perspective is that it does the writing and research for you, then gives you the final product. In other words, you’re not doing the work it takes to complete an assignment when you’re using ChatGPT , which falls under schools’ plagiarism and dishonesty policies.  

Colleges are also concerned with how ChatGPT will negatively affect students’ critical thinking, research, and writing skills . Essays and other writing assignments are used to measure students’ mastery of the material, and if students submit ChatGPT college essays, teachers will just be giving feedback on an AI’s writing…which doesn’t help the student learn and grow. 

Beyond that, knowing how to write well is an important skill people need to be successful throughout life. Schools believe that if students rely on ChatGPT to write their essays, they’re doing more than just plagiarizing—they’re impacting their ability to succeed in their future careers. 

Many Schools Have Already Banned ChatGPT

Schools have responded surprisingly quickly to AI use, including ChatGPT. Worries about academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and mis/disinformation have led many high schools and colleges to ban the use of ChatGPT . Some schools have begun using AI-detection software for assignment submissions, and some have gone so far as to block students from using ChatGPT on their internet networks. 

It’s likely that schools will begin revising their academic honesty and plagiarism policies to address the use of AI tools like ChatGPT. You’ll want to stay up-to-date with your schools’ policies. 

ChatGPT is pretty amazing...but it's not a great tool for writing college essays. Here's why.

ChatGPT: College Admissions and Entrance Essays

College admissions essays—also called personal statements—ask students to explore important events, experiences, and ideas from their lives. A great entrance essay will explain what makes you you !  

ChatGPT is a machine that doesn’t know and can’t understand your experiences. That means using ChatGPT to write your admissions essays isn’t just unethical. It actually puts you at a disadvantage because ChatGPT can’t adequately showcase what it means to be you. 

Let’s take a look at four ways ChatGPT negatively impacts college admissions essays.

#1: ChatGPT Lacks Insight

We recommend students use u nexpected or slightly unusual topics because they help admissions committees learn more about you and what makes you unique. The chat bot doesn’t know any of that, so nothing ChatGPT writes can’t accurately reflect your experience, passions, or goals for the future. 

Because ChatGPT will make guesses about who you are, it won’t be able to share what makes you unique in a way that resonates with readers. And since that’s what admissions counselors care about, a ChatGPT college essay could negatively impact an otherwise strong application.  

#2: ChatGPT Might Plagiarize 

Writing about experiences that many other people have had isn’t a very strong approach to take for entrance essays . After all, you don’t want to blend in—you want to stand out! 

If you write your essay yourself and include key details about your past experiences and future goals, there’s little risk that you’ll write the same essay as someone else. But if you use ChatGPT—who’s to say someone else won’t, too? Since ChatGPT uses predictive guesses to write essays, there’s a good chance the text it uses in your essay already appeared in someone else’s.  

Additionally, ChatGPT learns from every single interaction it has. So even if your essay isn’t plagiarized, it’s now in the system. That means the next person who uses ChatGPT to write their essay may end up with yours. You’ll still be on the hook for submitting a ChatGPT college essay, and someone else will be in trouble, too.

#3: ChatGPT Doesn’t Understand Emotion 

Keep in mind that ChatGPT can’t experience or imitate emotions, and so its writing samples lack, well, a human touch ! 

A great entrance essay will explore experiences or topics you’re genuinely excited about or proud of . This is your chance to show your chosen schools what you’ve accomplished and how you’ll continue growing and learning, and an essay without emotion would be odd considering that these should be real, lived experiences and passions you have!

#4: ChatGPT Produced Mediocre Results

If you’re still curious what would happen if you submitted a ChatGPT college essay with your application, you’re in luck. Both Business Insider and Forbes asked ChatGPT to write a couple of college entrance essays, and then they sent them to college admissions readers to get their thoughts. 

The readers agreed that the essays would probably pass as being written by real students—assuming admissions committees didn’t use AI detection software—but that they both were about what a “very mediocre, perhaps even a middle school, student would produce.” The admissions professionals agreed that the essays probably wouldn’t perform very well with entrance committees, especially at more selective schools.  

That’s not exactly the reaction you want when an admission committee reads your application materials! So, when it comes to ChatGPT college admissions, it’s best to steer clear and write your admission materials by yourself. 

Can Colleges Detect ChatGPT?

We’ve already explained why it’s not a great idea to use ChatGPT to write your college essays and applications , but you may still be wondering: can colleges detect ChatGPT? 

In short, yes, they can! 

Software Can Detect ChatGPT

As technology improves and increases the risk of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, and mis/disinformation, software that can detect such technology is improving, too. For instance, OpenAI, the same company that built ChatGPT, is working on a text classifier that can tell the difference between AI-written text and human-written text .  

Turnitin, one of the most popular plagiarism detectors used by high schools and universities, also recently developed the AI Innovation Lab —a detection software designed to flag submissions that have used AI tools like ChatGPT. Turnitin says that this tool works with 98% confidence in detecting AI writing. 

Plagiarism and AI companies aren’t the only ones interested in AI-detection software. A 22-year old computer science student at Princeton created an app to detect ChatGPT writing, called Zero GPT. This software works by measuring the complexity of ideas and variety of sentence structures.  

Human Readers Can Detect ChatGPT 

It’s also worth keeping in mind that teachers can spot the use of ChatGPT themselves , even if it isn’t confirmed by a software detector. For example, if you’ve turned in one or two essays to your teacher already, they’re probably familiar with your unique writing style. If you submit a college essay draft essay that uses totally different vocabulary, sentence structures, and figures of speech, your teacher will likely take note.

Additionally , admissions committees and readers may be able to spot ChatGPT writing, too. ChatGPT (and AI writing, in general) uses more simplistic sentence structures with less variation, so that could make it easier to tell if you’ve submitted a ChatGPT college essay. These professionals also read thousands of essays every year, which means they know what a typical essay reads like. You want your college essay to catch their attention…but not because you used AI software! 

If you use ChatGPT responsibly, you can be as happy as these kids.

Pros and Cons of ChatGPT: College Admissions Edition

ChatGPT is a brand new technology, which means we’re still learning about the ways it can benefit us. It’s important to think about the pros and the cons to any new tool …and that includes artificial intelligence!

Let’s look at some of the good—and not-so-good—aspects of ChatGPT below. 

ChatGPT: The Good

It may seem like we’re focused on just the negatives of using ChatGPT in this article, but we’re willing to admit that the chatbot isn’t all bad. In fact, it can be a very useful tool for learning if used responsibly !

Like we already mentioned, students shouldn’t use ChatGPT to write entire essays or assignments. They can use it, though, as a learning tool alongside their own critical thinking and writing skills.

Students can use ChatGPT responsibly to:

• Learn more about a topic . It’s a great place to get started for general knowledge and ideas about most subjects.
• Find reputable and relevant sources on a topic. Students can ask ChatGPT for names and information about leading scholars, relevant websites and databases, and more. 
• Brainstorm ideas for assignments. Students can share the ideas they already have with ChatGPT, and in return, the chatbot can suggest ideas for further exploration and even organization of their points.
• Check work (that they’ve written themselves!) for errors or cla rity. This is similar to how spell- and grammar-checking software is used. ChatGPT may be even better than some competitors for this, because students can actually ask ChatGPT to explain the errors and their solutions—not just to fix them. 

Before you use ChatGPT—even for the tasks mentioned above—you should talk to your teacher or school about their AI and academic dishonesty policies. It’s also a good idea to include an acknowledgement that you used ChatGPT with an explanation of its use. 

This guy made some bad decisions using ChatGPT. Don't be this guy.

ChatGPT: The Bad

The first model of ChatGPT (GPT-3.5) was formally introduced to the public in November 2022, and the newer model (GPT-4) in March 2023. So, it’s still very new and there’s a lot of room for improvement .  

There are many misconceptions about ChatGPT. One of the most extreme is that the AI is all-knowing and can make its own decisions. Another is that ChatGPT is a search engine that, when asked a question, can just surf the web for timely, relevant resources and give you all of that information. Both of these beliefs are incorrect because ChatGPT is limited to the information it’s been given by OpenAI . 

Remember how the ‘PT’ in ChatGPT stands for “Pre-trained”? That means that every time OpenAI gives ChatGPT an update, it’s given more information to work with (and so it has more information to share with you). In other words, it’s “trained” on information so it can give you the most accurate and relevant responses possible—but that information can be limited and biased . Ultimately, humans at OpenAI decide what pieces of information to share with ChatGPT, so it’s only as accurate and reliable as the sources it has access to.

For example, if you were to ask ChatGPT-3.5 what notable headlines made the news last week, it would respond that it doesn’t have access to that information because its most recent update was in September 2021!

You’re probably already familiar with how easy it can be to come across misinformation, misleading and untrue information on the internet. Since ChatGPT can’t tell the difference between what is true and what isn’t, it’s up to the humans at OpenAI to make sure only accurate and true information is given to the chatbot . This leaves room for human error , and users of ChatGPT have to keep that in mind when using and learning from the chatbot.

These are just the most obvious problems with ChatGPT. Some other problems with the chatbot include:

• A lack of common sense. ChatGPT can create seemingly sensical responses to many questions and topics, but it doesn’t have common sense or complete background knowledge.
• A lack of empathy. ChatGPT doesn’t have emotions, so it can’t understand them, either. 
• An inability to make decisions or problem solve . While the chatbot can complete basic tasks like answering questions or giving recommendations, it can’t solve complex tasks. 

While there are some great uses for ChatGPT, it’s certainly not without its flaws.

Our bootcamp can help you put together amazing college essays that help you get into your dream schools—no AI necessary.

What Other Tools and Strategies Can Help Students Besides ChatGPT?

While it’s not a good idea to use ChatGPT for college admissions materials, it’s not the only tool available to help students with college essays and assignments. 

One of the best strategies students can use to write good essays is to make sure they give themselves plenty of time for the assignment. The writing process includes much more than just drafting! Having time to brainstorm ideas, write out a draft, revise it for clarity and completeness, and polish it makes for a much stronger essay. 

Teachers are another great resource students can use, especially for college application essays. Asking a teacher (or two!) for feedback can really help students improve the focus, clarity, and correctness of an essay. It’s also a more interactive way to learn—being able to sit down with a teacher to talk about their feedback can be much more engaging than using other tools. 

Using expert resources during the essay writing process can make a big difference, too. Our article outlines a complete list of strategies for students writing college admission essays. It breaks down what the Common Application essay is, gives tips for choosing the best essay topic, offers strategies for staying focused and being specific, and more.  

You can also get help from people who know the college admissions process best, like former admissions counselors. PrepScholar’s Admissions Bootcamp guides you through the entire application process , and you’ll get insider tips and tricks from real-life admissions counselors that’ll make your applications stand out. Even better, our bootcamp includes step-by-step essay writing guidance , so you can get the help you need to make sure your essay is perfect.  

If you’re hoping for more technological help, Grammarly is another AI tool that can check writing for correctness. It can correct things like misused and misspelled words and grammar mistakes, and it can improve your tone and style. 

It’s also widely available across multiple platforms through a Windows desktop app, an Android and iOS app, and a Google Chrome extension. And since Grammarly just checks your writing without doing any of the work for you, it’s totally safe to use on your college essays. 

The Bottom Line: ChatGPT College Admissions and Essays

ChatGPT will continue to be a popular discussion topic as it continues evolving. You can expect your chosen schools to address ChatGPT and other AI tools in their academic honesty and plagiarism policies in the near future—and maybe even to restrict or ban the use of the chatbot for school admissions and assignments.

As AI continues transforming, so will AI-detection. The goal is to make sure that AI is used responsibly by students so that they’re avoiding plagiarism and building their research, writing, and critical thinking skills. There are some great uses for ChatGPT when used responsibly, but you should always check with your teachers and schools beforehand.

ChatGPT’s “bad” aspects still need improving, and that’s going to take some time.Be aware that the chatbot isn’t even close to perfect, and it needs to be fact-checked just like other sources of information.

Similarly to other school assignments, don’t submit a ChatGPT college essay for college applications, either. College entrance essays should outline unique and interesting personal experiences and ideas, and those can only come from you.  

Just because ChatGPT isn’t a good idea doesn’t mean there aren’t resources to help you put together a great college essay. There are many other tools and strategies you can use instead of ChatGPT , many of which have been around for longer and offer better feedback. 

What’s Next?

Ready to write your college essays the old-fashioned way? Start here with our comprehensive guide to the admissions essays. 

Most students have to submit essays as part of their Common Application . Here's a complete breakdown of the Common App prompts —and how to answer them. 

The most common type of essay answers the "why this college?" prompt. We've got an expert breakdown that shows you how to write a killer response , step by step. 

Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar.

Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges.

Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now :

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Home » ChatGPT for Essays: How to Use AI to be More Productive [2024]

ChatGPT for Essays: How to Use AI to be More Productive [2024]

Students are often tasked with writing essays for various subjects. By using ChatGPT as an assistant, they can speed up the process and utilize their time more productively.

One important thing to remember is that you must use AI for work assistance and not for content creation. It’s also a good idea to disclose to your professor how you will be using ChatGPT so he doesn’t have an issue with it.

In this article, I talk about how you can use ChatGPT as an essay-writing helper to give you ideas, outlines, citations, and more.

How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay?

Chatgpt for essay generating vs writing yourself , collaborate on team-gpt.

ChatGPT can be your personal AI assistant in writing flawless essays . It can help brainstorm ideas, create outlines, dive deep into topics, and surface the best materials upfront, easing the overall process and weaving words for your essay.

When writing a college essay, scrolling the web for articles or researching through journals is great, but it consumes enormous time and requires sheer focus on your laptop screen for hours.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on using ChatGPT in your helper when writing an essay.

👀 Note: Using ChatGPT in the writing process, AKA to generate essay content, isn’t a great idea. You should use it to brainstorm, outline, and research, but not for purely writing the essay.

Step 1. Topic Ideation and Clarification

ChatGPT is good at giving your essay topics from different angles and perspectives.

Coming up with topic ideas on your own can be daunting and exhausting. Fear of choosing a silly topic, getting hold of an angle, or being scared of self-expression can lead to a delayed start.

Why not use ChatGPT? This AI-powered chatbot has access to a wide range of information. With this large dataset, it helps you brainstorm topic ideas and even get clarity on them.

Moreover, ChatGPT is trained to interpret commands in natural language. Use it to feed the bot with assignment-specific instructions like essay length, theme, format, and content.

Look at the below prompt, for example. 👇

To brainstorm and refine potential essay topics that align with my personal interests and fulfill the specific requirements of my assignment.

I am currently assigned to write an essay for [subject/course name] . The essay needs to be approximately [specify word count or page length] and formatted according to [specify format: MLA, APA, Chicago, etc., if known] . 

The topic should ideally relate to [mention any specific themes or areas you’re interested in or that are relevant to the course] . 

Chat link: https://chat.team-gpt.com/public/tanish/6572898e4bb237b3bd59362b  

Step 2. Outline and Planning

ChatGPT does an excellent job of generating outlines. It can help:

• Create an outline with perfectly distributed sections
• Determine and organize sections in a logical manner
• Give a brief overview of the key points that will go into each section
• Refine the outline structure for different academic levels

After you get clarity on the essay topics and finalize one, the next step is to plan an outline for the essay.

An outline provides a concrete structure to the essay. It organizes thoughts logically and ensures that your arguments flow progressively throughout the piece. 

Even better, an outline divides the essay into different sections, from introduction to conclusion – in a systematic manner. Making it easily digestible and quickly scannable.

But it’s tough to organize a topic’s What, Why, and How when you have just started with it.

One more thing AI can do for you is – emphasize particular themes or areas in your essay. 

For instance, I used the below prompt to generate an outline for my essay.

To create a structured outline for my essay that effectively organizes my thoughts and ensures a smooth flow from the introduction to the conclusion. Additionally, I need assistance in planning the structure of each paragraph to maintain coherence and logical progression of ideas.

The essay is on the topic of [insert your essay topic].  

Based on the research and information gathered, the main themes I want to address are [list the main themes or key points you want to explore in your essay] . 

The essay needs to be structured in a format suitable for [mention the academic level or specific requirements, if any, like high school, undergraduate, etc.]. 

I am aiming for [specify the total number of paragraphs if known, including introduction and conclusion]. 

I would like the outline to particularly emphasize [mention any specific elements you want to highlight, like a strong argumentative approach, comparative analysis, etc.]. 

Chat link: https://chat.team-gpt.com/public/tanish/65728b760d51833baa900414  

Step 3. Research and Information Gathering

ChatGPT is a lifesaver when it comes to grinding research tasks. The AI bot is trained on large datasets and natural language processing (NLP) models and is capable of providing summaries and explanations on a range of topics quickly.

This is especially helpful when you need to understand the basics of your essay topic.

A survey conducted by the PEW Research Center among US teens aged 13 to 17 claimed that seven in ten teens find it acceptable to use ChatGPT for research.

However – it’s important to know that ChatGPT might hallucinate and provide false explanations, so double-checking the facts AI spits out is important.

A better way to research via ChatGPT is to prompt the bot to gather essay-related data and information. Ask ChatGPT to list scholarly articles and credible sources and suggest relevant data related to your essay topic and themes.

If prompted correctly, ChatGPT can question your ideas with counter-stats and data, offering different perspectives on your topic.

Having an unbiased second opinion can stimulate critical thinking and help you consider various angles for your essay.

👀 Note: To show you how to carry out the process, I’ve used GPT-4 and its power to browse Bing to get results.

To conduct focused research for my essay topic, acquire scholarly articles, credible sources, and relevant data, and receive summarized key findings for efficient understanding and application in my essay.

The topic of my essay is [insert your specific essay topic here], and here’s the outline [insert the outline you got from Team-GPT in step 2]. 

I am looking for information that covers [mention specific aspects or questions related to the topic you want to explore]. 

The essay is for [subject/course name] , and it requires the incorporation of [specify any particular type of sources or data required, like peer-reviewed articles, statistical data, historical records, etc.].

Chat link: https://chat.openai.com/share/c36c3f96-3173-4a70-b1c3-68af398ddc7a  

Step 4. Thesis Statement Development

Here’s how you develop a thesis statement using ChatGPT.

The thesis statement clearly states the topic being discussed and the purpose of your paper in a single sentence, generally after the introduction of an essay.

That statement reflects the structure and flow of your essay. It helps readers to settle in with your angle and perspective on the topic before continuing the read.

Based on the themes and information gathered in the previous Steps, ChatGPT can formulate a strong thesis statement.

All you need to do is – insert your essay topic, mention the key themes, specify the academic level – and let AI come up with a clear, concise thesis for your essay. 

Moreover, if you want your thesis to reflect any specific approach, like argumentative, analytical, persuasive, or mixed, prompt the AI for the same. 

For example, I asked ChatGPT to generate a thesis statement using this prompt.

To develop a strong and clear thesis statement that effectively encapsulates the main argument or perspective of my essay, providing a guiding direction for the entire piece.

My essay revolves around the topic of [insert your specific essay topic here] . 

Through my research, I have focused on [briefly mention the key themes or findings from your research] . 

The essay is intended for [mention the academic level or the audience, like college, high school, seminar, etc.].  

I want the thesis to reflect an approach that is [specify any particular approach you want, like argumentative, analytical, persuasive, etc.].

Chat link: https://chat.team-gpt.com/public/tanish/65728fa9712b31d90410a0c4  

Step 5. Citations and References

There’s a higher chance of you messing up the citation part of your essay than the essay as a whole. Since citations are a bit technical and require adequate formatting , ChatGPT can be a handy tool for the job. 

The AI can:

• Explain different citation styles and nuances in an easy way
• Help understand how to format citations, bibliography, or work-cited pages correctly
• Guide you in formatting in-text citations and reference entries 

The citation and reference system is preferred in all academic research papers and essays. In fact, it’s considered a key skill in academic writing.

However, different essays may require different citation styles. For example, the Chicago-style citation has two varieties: 

• Notes and bibliography : Preferred by those working in humanities
• Author-date : Common in science and social science papers

Accurate and proper citation goes a long way toward demonstrating respect for others’ work and contributions to the scholarly conversation.

As an example, I asked ChatGPT to guide me in citing the sources used in my essay.

👀 Note: Used GPT-4 to browse Bing and create citations.

To receive guidance on properly citing the sources used in my essay according to the specified citation style and to get assistance in organizing and formatting my bibliography or works cited page.

The essay I am working on requires the use of [specify the citation style – APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.]. 

I have used various types of sources, including [mention the types of sources used, like books, academic journals, websites, etc.]. 

My essay is for [mention the course or subject, if relevant]. 

I need help in ensuring that all citations are accurate and formatted correctly. 

Additionally, I am looking for assistance in structuring my bibliography or works cited page in alignment with the chosen citation style. 

Chat link: https://chat.openai.com/share/43a927a4-db73-47ae-8d57-49c91a1e6f6f  

Step 6. Review and Feedback

Once you’ve completed the first draft of your essay, use ChatGPT to review and get constructive feedback. 

ChatGPT has advanced writing capabilities, which allows the tool to improve overall content quality. Here are a few ways ChatGPT can help edit your content:

• Identify and correct grammatical errors and spelling mistakes
• Rephrase sentences to maintain a consistent tone and style
• Adjust the readability of your essay according to your grade
• Improve fluency by adjusting transitions between paragraphs

Additionally, you can ask ChatGPT to share feedback on the internal material, like essay depth arguments, explanations, and suggestions to improve the essay quality.

To receive constructive feedback on my essay draft, focusing on improving the strength of the argument, clarity of expression, and overall organization. Additionally, I seek assistance in proofreading the draft for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.

I have completed a draft of my essay on the topic of [insert your essay topic here] . The essay is approximately [mention the word count or page length] and is intended for [mention the academic level or audience, like a university course, high school class, etc.]. 

I am particularly concerned about [mention any specific aspects you want feedback on, like the flow of arguments, clarity of thesis, coherence between paragraphs, etc.]. I aim to enhance the overall quality and readability of the essay. Here’s the draft:

[insert your written essay here].

Chat link: https://chat.team-gpt.com/public/tanish/657293db40ab557808f404b2  

Step 7. Formatting and Presentation

Quality formatting requires an eye for detail. However, students often lack this skill, and that’s where ChatGPT can come in.

You can use ChatGPT to streamline the finalization process , ensuring your work is professionally presented. 

All you need to do is prompt ChatGPT with specific formatting guidelines from your professor; this includes details such as font style, margin spacing, and structural consistency.

To ensure my essay adheres to the specified formatting guidelines, including margins, font, and spacing, and to check for visual and structural consistency in headings, subheadings, and the overall layout.

My essay on [insert your essay topic] is nearing completion. It needs to be formatted according to [mention the specific formatting guidelines required, such as MLA, APA, Chicago, or specific instructions provided by your course or teacher]. 

This includes specific requirements for [list any known requirements such as font type and size, margin size, line spacing, paragraph indentation, etc.]. 

I am also looking for assistance in ensuring that the headings and subheadings are consistently styled and that the overall layout aligns with academic standards. The essay is for [mention the academic level or audience]. 

Here’s the essay:

[insert your essay here].

Chat link: https://chat.team-gpt.com/public/tanish/6572951b40ab557808f404ba  

☁️ Picture this: You’ve been assigned to write an essay. You visit ChatGPT and ask it to write a two-page essay on the topic. You wait a few seconds and get the essay red-hot delivered.

It seems simple, right?

But – ChatGPT isn’t an expert. It’s just a machine running on programmatic algorithms and trained on vast amounts of data acquired from pre-set datasets or by scraping the web. There’s no way the AI could deliver the quality of essay you’d expect from it. 

That said, here are some reasons why writing an essay yourself is better than using ChatGPT.

#1. ChatGPT Lacks Human Intelligence

One of the common misconceptions among students is that AI has a degree of human intelligence, which isn’t the case.

Human intelligence is unparalleled. ChatGPT’s knowledge and responses are limited to the data it is fed. 

In fact, the content AI generates cannot be coined as ‘original’ but a result of statistical analysis. That is, the AI chatbot creates content based on the patterns it sees in already existing data and published content on the web.

Therefore, AI content lacks depth and human touch . And mainly consists of surface-level information.

#2. Hallucinates without Disclaimer

A major drawback of ChatGPT is that it sucks in generating long-form content. In our case, if you ask the chatbot to write an entire essay, you will find yourself surrounded with random sentences, phrases, and even paragraphs that don’t align with the context of your essay. 

To show students how AI is NOT an alternative to human-written essays, an Elon University professor gave his class a task: Ask ChatGPT to write an essay and then grade it yourself.

“Many students expressed shock and dismay upon learning the AI could fabricate bogus information,” he writes, adding that he expected some essays to contain errors, but all of them did. 

Even worse, if you’re new to the topic, you’d never know when the AI starts hallucinating and generating false information. Because of this, even OpenAI asks users to double-check responses for accuracy. 

#3. False Citations

It happened to me when I used GPT-4 to scrape the web for citations to some stats generated as a response.

ChatGPT can come up with random citations, even made-up ones, for the sake of answering. Although some sources were spot on, most stats were linked to an article or research paper where it never existed. 

I had to carry out the process multiple times to get accurate results.

Using ChatGPT as an assistant for essay writing is a good idea to increase your productivity as a student. Your professors won’t mind it until you use AI as a helping aid and not a replacement for yourself.

But to increase your productivity further, use Team-GPT to organize chats, share chat links with your professors and peers, and onboard your peers to chat with AI together to get the most out of it.

Sign up for Team-GPT’s free plan today and get started with your essay.

About the author

Iliya Valchanov

I teach data science and AI to 1.2M students on Udemy. I'm co-founder of 365 Data Science, 3veta, and Team-GPT. My work is mostly focused on helping people and organizations adopt AI.

Can you afford to skip on AI adoption?

How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay

Essay writing is a fundamental skill that students and professionals alike rely on to convey ideas, argue points, and communicate effectively. However, the process of crafting a well-written essay can be daunting, requiring careful planning, research, and organization. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a valuable tool to aid in various aspects of writing, including generating ideas, providing feedback, and assisting with editing. One such AI model is ChatGPT, a language generation model developed by OpenAI. In this article, we will explore how to use ChatGPT to write an essay and enhance the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to refining your final draft.

⚡️⚡️⚡️Boost your productivity with ChatGPT prompts ⚡️⚡️⚡️

Introduction to Using ChatGPT for Essay Writing

While ChatGPT is primarily known for its conversational abilities, its versatility extends to assisting with more complex tasks such as essay writing. Leveraging ChatGPT for essay writing can streamline the writing process, provide inspiration, and offer valuable insights into structuring and refining your essays.

Here's how to make ChatGPT write an essay effectively:

• Generating ideas
• Outlining your essay
• Crafting the introduction
• Developing the thesis statement
• Summarizing the essay
• Editing and refining

ChatGPT for Essays - Reality or Wasted Time?

Before diving into the specifics of using ChatGPT for essay writing, it's essential to address the question of its efficacy and reliability. Some may argue that relying on AI for essay writing undermines the development of critical thinking and writing skills. However, proponents of using ChatGPT contend that it can serve as a valuable tool for generating ideas, providing guidance, and offering feedback. In fact, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize essay writing by assisting with research, brainstorming, outlining, drafting, editing, and creativity enhancement. ChatGPT can empower users to write with confidence, clarity, and creativity, whether used for academic purposes or creative pursuits.

Setting Up Your Essay Writing Task with ChatGPT

Setting up your essay writing task with ChatGPT involves framing a clear and concise problem statement that guides the AI model in generating relevant and coherent responses. Here are the principles of crafting a problem statement for ChatGPT:

• Clarity. Clearly define your essay's topic or subject matter to ensure ChatGPT understands the context and scope of the task.
• Specificity. Be specific about what you want ChatGPT to help you with. Whether brainstorming ideas, outlining the essay structure, or refining the thesis statement, provide clear instructions to ChatGPT.
• Relevance. Ensure the problem statement is relevant to your essay writing task and aligns with your goals and objectives.
• Complexity. Tailor the complexity of the problem statement to match the level of assistance you need from ChatGPT. For example, if you're writing a research paper, the problem statement may be more complex than if you're writing a creative essay.

So, how to prompt ChatGPT to write an essay?

Choosing a topic.

The first step in essay writing is selecting a compelling topic that aligns with your interests, expertise, and assignment requirements. ChatGPT can assist in generating topic ideas by providing suggestions, prompts, and relevant information. You can ask ChatGPT to suggest ideas or topics related to a particular subject area or theme. ChatGPT can generate a list of potential topics based on keywords or prompts you provided, you can also use ready-made ChatGPT writing prompts .

Example Prompts

• "Can you suggest some interesting topics related to environmental sustainability?"
• "Outline five current issues in healthcare that would make for a compelling essay?"

Outlining the Essay

Once you have chosen a topic, it's essential to outline your essay to organize your thoughts and structure your argument effectively. ChatGPT can help outline by generating key points, subtopics, and supporting evidence. Ask ChatGPT to write an essay by organizing the structure of your essay and outlining the main sections and their respective subtopics. You can provide ChatGPT with a rough outline of your essay's structure, and it can offer suggestions for arranging the content logically.

• "What are some main points I should cover in my essay on climate change?"
• "Can you help me outline the key arguments for and against social media regulation?"

Writing the Introduction

The introduction sets the tone for your essay and provides context for your argument. ChatGPT can assist in crafting an engaging introduction by generating opening sentences, giving background information, and posing thought-provoking questions. Once you have selected the components for your introduction, edit and refine the text as needed to ensure clarity, coherence, and effectiveness. Make any necessary adjustments to align the introduction with your essay's overall tone and structure. So, how to get ChatGPT to write an essay’s introduction?

• "How should I begin my essay on renewable energy?"
• "I'm struggling to start my essay on artificial intelligence. What are some effective opening lines?"

Thesis Statement Development

The thesis statement articulates the central argument or main idea of your essay. Write essays with ChatGPT by formulating a clear and concise thesis statement, summarizing your argument, and outlining the scope of your essay. Edit and refine the thesis statement as needed to ensure that it accurately reflects the content and objectives of your essay. Make necessary adjustments to clarify language, refine wording, or strengthen the argument.

• "Can you assist me in refining my thesis statement for my essay on the effects of social media on mental health?"
• "I need help crafting a thesis statement for my essay on the role of government in healthcare. How should I phrase it?"

Expanding on Key Points

Once you have established your thesis statement, developing your key points and providing evidence to support your argument is essential. ChatGPT can help expand on key points by generating relevant examples, statistics, and explanations. By working with ChatGPT, you can strengthen your argument and provide compelling evidence to support your claims.

• "What are some real-world examples of companies implementing sustainable business practices for my essay on corporate social responsibility?"
• "Can you provide examples of policies that have successfully reduced carbon emissions for my essay on climate change?"

Summarizing the Essay

In the conclusion of your essay, it's essential to summarize your main points and reiterate your thesis statement. Use ChatGPT to write an essay and get help crafting a concise and impactful conclusion by summarizing the key arguments and highlighting the significance of your findings. By collaborating with ChatGPT, you can create a conclusion that reinforces your argument and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

• "How should I conclude my essay on globalization?"
• "I'm wrapping up my essay on the future of technology. What key points should I include in the conclusion?"

Editing and Refining Your Essay

After completing a draft of your essay, it's essential to review and refine your writing to ensure clarity, coherence, and effectiveness. ChatGPT can assist in editing and refining your essay by providing feedback on grammar, style, and structure. By collaborating with ChatGPT, you can identify areas for improvement and make revisions to strengthen your writing.

• "Can you review my essay for any grammatical errors or typos?"
• "I want to make my writing more concise. Can you help me identify any unnecessary words or phrases?"

Proofreading Assistance

In addition to editing, proofreading is essential to ensure your essay is free of errors and inconsistencies. ChatGPT can assist in proofreading your essay by identifying spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, and formatting issues. Use ChatGPT to write essays that are polished and professional.

• "Do you have any suggestions for improving the formatting of my essay?"
• "Could you check my essay for any spelling errors or typos?"

Improving Style and Flow

Writing style and flow are crucial aspects of effective essay writing, contributing to readability and engagement. ChatGPT can help improve the style and flow of your essay by suggesting transitions, varying sentence structure, and enhancing language use. By collaborating with ChatGPT, you can elevate the quality of your writing and captivate your audience.

• "How can I improve the transitions between paragraphs in my essay?"
• "Can you suggest ways to vary sentence structure to make my writing more engaging?"

How to Avoid Plagiarism in an Essay with ChatGPT

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense that can have severe consequences for writers. To avoid plagiarism when using ChatGPT, writers should:

• Understand plagiarism and academic integrity principles.
• Use ChatGPT to generate ideas and refine writing, not as a content source.
• Paraphrase and synthesize information generated by ChatGPT in your own words.
• Provide proper citations for any information or ideas derived from external sources.
• Cross-check ChatGPT-generated content with reliable sources to ensure accuracy.
• Review and edit your essay carefully to maintain originality and integrity.

By following these strategies, writers can ensure that their essays are original, well-crafted, and free of plagiarism when using ChatGPT as a writing tool.

Creativity and Originality

Creativity and originality are essential elements of successful essay writing. ChatGPT can help spark creativity and originality by generating unique ideas, perspectives, and insights. By collaborating with ChatGPT, writers can infuse their essays with fresh and innovative content.

• "I'm looking to inject some creativity into my essay. Can you suggest unconventional approaches or ideas?"
• "How can I make my essay stand out and grab the reader's attention?"

Accurate citation of sources

Accurate citation of sources is crucial to give credit to the original authors and avoid plagiarism. Just ask yourself the question: “How do I use ChatGPT to write an essay? If you are using AI solely as an assistant and not as a performer, then there is no need to worry. ChatGPT can assist in accurately citing sources in your essay by guiding citation formats, referencing styles, and bibliographic information. By collaborating with ChatGPT, writers can ensure that their essays adhere to academic standards and properly attribute the ideas and information used. Clearly indicate to ChatGPT which citation style you want to use (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). This ensures that the generated citations are formatted correctly according to the guidelines of the selected style.

• "Can you help me format my citations according to APA guidelines?"
• "I'm unsure how to cite a source properly. Can you provide an example?"

How to Rewrite Chatgpt Essay

Sometimes, writers may need to rewrite or rephrase sections of their essays to improve clarity, coherence, or uniqueness. ChatGPT can assist in rewriting essays by offering alternative wording, restructuring sentences, and refining language use. You may have a question: "How to get ChatGPT to write longer essays?" The answer is actually obvious - with the help of those same prompts. By collaborating with ChatGPT, writers can enhance the quality of their writing and ensure that their ideas are effectively communicated.

• "I need to rewrite this paragraph for clarity. Can you suggest alternative wording?"
• "How can I rephrase this sentence to make it more concise?"

Balancing ChatGPT Input with Personal Insights

While ChatGPT can provide valuable assistance in essay writing, balancing its input with your own insights and perspectives is essential. ChatGPT can help generate ideas and refine writing, but writers should ensure that their essays reflect their own voice and analysis. By collaborating with ChatGPT while maintaining autonomy as writers, writers can achieve a harmonious balance between AI assistance and personal creativity.

• “Write me an outline, introduction, and conclusion on the topic, and I will write the main part of the essay myself.”

Enhancing Your Writing Skills with ChatGPT

ChatGPT represents a groundbreaking advancement in AI technology that has significant implications for the field of essay writing. By leveraging AI as a learning tool and creative collaborator, you can simply write an essay using ChatGPT and cultivate a growth mindset, deepen your understanding of language and communication, and enhance your writing skills meaningfully. Embrace the opportunities for self-improvement and exploration that ChatGPT offers, and embark on a journey of continuous learning and development as a writer.

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• How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples

How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples

Published on 17 July 2023 by Koen Driessen .

A good introduction is essential to any essay or dissertation. It sets up your argument and clearly indicates the scope and content of your writing.

Your introduction should be an authentic representation of your own ideas and research. However, generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used during the writing process to:

• Develop an introduction outline
• Summarise text
• Paraphrase text
• Provide feedback

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Table of contents

Developing an introduction outline, summarising your arguments, paraphrasing text, generating feedback, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions.

While the introduction naturally comes at the beginning of your paper, it’s often one of the last parts you write. Writing your introduction last allows you to clearly indicate the most important aspects of your research to your reader in a logical order.

You can use ChatGPT to brainstorm potential outlines for your introduction. To do this, include a brief overview of all relevant aspects of your paper, including your research question , methodology , central arguments, and essay type (e.g., argumentative , expository ). For a longer essay or dissertation , you might also mention section or chapter titles.

Rearrange or edit the output so that it accurately reflects the body of your essay .

Example: Using ChatGPT to develop an outline

• Develop an outline for an essay introduction. The essay is a 2,000 word argumentative essay on the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Start with a thought-provoking statement, anecdote, or statistic related to the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Introduce the topic of children’s cartoons and their popularity among young audiences.
• Highlight the prevalence of media consumption among children and the significant role that cartoons play in their lives.
• Discuss the growing influence of marketing and advertising targeted at children.
• Clearly state your main argument about the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Example: “This essay argues that children’s cartoons have a substantial influence on consumer behavior, shaping children’s preferences, purchase decisions, and brand loyalty. This assertion is supported by a combination of qualitative and quantitative data.”
• Briefly describe the research conducted and the use of both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Explain the purpose of the research in examining the relationship between children’s cartoons and consumer behavior.
• Mention the sample size, research methods employed, and the sources of data (e.g., surveys, interviews, content analysis).
• Discuss the significance of understanding the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Highlight the potential implications for marketers, parents, and society as a whole.
• Emphasize the need for critical examination of the messages conveyed through children’s cartoons.
• Provide a brief overview of the main points or sections that will be covered in the essay.
• Examination of the persuasive techniques employed in children’s cartoons.
• Analysis of qualitative data to understand the effects of cartoons on children’s preferences and behaviors.
• Presentation of quantitative data on the relationship between exposure to cartoons and consumer behavior.
• Discussion of the ethical considerations surrounding marketing to children.
• Conclusion on the overall impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Summarize how the upcoming sections will provide evidence and analysis to support your argument.
• Example: “Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, this essay will delve into the persuasive techniques used in children’s cartoons, examine the effects of cartoons on children’s preferences and behaviors, present quantitative evidence of the relationship between exposure to cartoons and consumer behavior, discuss the ethical concerns, and ultimately draw conclusions about the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.”

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At the end of your introduction, you may give a brief overview of specific sections of your paper.

You can use ChatGPT to summarise text and condense your writing to its most important ideas. To do this, copy and paste sections of your essay into ChatGPT and prompt it to summarise the text.

However, we don’t recommend passing off AI-generated outputs as your own work. This is considered academically dishonest and may be detected using AI detectors . Instead, use ChatGPT outputs as a source of inspiration to help you clearly indicate your key objectives and findings in your own words.

Alternatively, you can use a specialised tool like Scribbr’s free text summariser , which offers a smoother user experience.

Example: Using ChatGPT to summarise text

• Provide a one-line summary of the following paragraph: “Exposure to cartoons exerts a discernible impact on a child’s preferences, primarily through the establishment of robust associations between animated characters, branded products, and positive emotional experiences. Through repeated exposure, children develop an attachment to specific brands that influences their future buying choices. Furthermore, recent studies have established a correlation between the amount of time spent watching cartoons and children’s consumer behavior, including their demands for advertised products and their influence on family purchasing decisions.”
• Repeated exposure to cartoons influences children’s preferences, brand attachments, consumer behavior, and purchasing decisions.

When writing your introduction, you may have difficulty finding fresh ways to describe the content of your essay. You can use ChatGPT as a paraphrasing tool to rephrase text in clear language. This can help you to communicate your ideas more effectively, avoid repetition, and maintain a consistent tone.

You can also use Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool , which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Example: Using ChatGPT to paraphrase text

• Paraphrase the following sentence: “This raises ethical concerns regarding the potential exploitation of young minds for commercial gain, highlighting the need for responsible content creation and parental guidance to mitigate the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.”
• The potential exploitation of young minds for commercial gain gives rise to ethical concerns, emphasizing the importance of responsible content creation and parental guidance to reduce the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.

Once you’ve finished writing your introduction, you can use ChatGPT to generate feedback. Paste your introduction into the tool and prompt it to provide feedback on specific aspects of your writing, such as tone, clarity, or structure.

You can also use ChatGPT to check grammar and punctuation mistakes. However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose and may fail to detect some errors. We recommend using a more specialised tool like Scribbr’s free grammar checker . Or, for more comprehensive feedback, try Scribbr’s proofreading and editing service .

Example: Using ChatGPT to get feedback

• Provide feedback on the above text with regard to tone of voice and clarity of structure.

The introduction effectively establishes the topic of the essay and provides a clear structure for the subsequent discussion. The tone of voice is appropriately formal and academic, which is suitable for an essay introduction. The language used is precise and objective, conveying the main ideas without unnecessary embellishment.

However, there are a few areas where the clarity of structure could be further improved. The second paragraph could benefit from more explicit connections to the ethical concerns mentioned in the first paragraph. Additionally, the paragraph could be strengthened by providing specific examples or evidence to support the claim of embedded marketing in children’s cartoons.

Furthermore, the last paragraph could be revised to provide a more concise summary of the main points that will be addressed in the essay. This would help to give the reader a clearer roadmap of what to expect in the subsequent sections.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , fallacies , and research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• Sunk cost fallacy
• Straw man fallacy
• Slippery slope fallacy
• Red herring fallacy
• Ecological fallacy
• Logical fallacy

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Framing bias
• Cognitive bias
• Optimism bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Unconscious bias

No, it’s not a good idea to do so in general—first, because it’s normally considered plagiarism or academic dishonesty to represent someone else’s work as your own (even if that “someone” is an AI language model). Even if you cite ChatGPT , you’ll still be penalized unless this is specifically allowed by your university . Institutions may use AI detectors to enforce these rules.

Second, ChatGPT can recombine existing texts, but it cannot really generate new knowledge. And it lacks specialist knowledge of academic topics. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain original research results, and the text produced may contain factual errors.

However, you can usually still use ChatGPT for assignments in other ways, as a source of inspiration and feedback.

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to summarise text . This can help you understand complex information more easily, summarise the central argument of your own paper, or clarify your research question.

You can also use Scribbr’s free text summariser , which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to paraphrase text to help you express your ideas more clearly, explore different ways of phrasing your arguments, and avoid repetition.

However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose. We recommend using a specialised tool like Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool , which will provide a smoother user experience.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Driessen, K. (2023, July 17). How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 21 March 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/using-ai-tools/chatgpt-essay-introductions/

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How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay: Now Anyone Can Write An Essay

Are you struggling to write an essay? Do you wish there was an easier way to come up with great ideas and structure your writing?

Look no further than ChatGPT, your ultimate writing companion! With the power of AI at your fingertips, ChatGPT will help you write faster, smarter, and better than ever before. So, our article will help you to know how to use ChatGPT to write an essay.

6 Steps Guide: How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay

• The first step is to choose a topic or keywords that relate to the subject you want to write about. For example, if you are writing an essay on climate change, you could enter “climate change” or related keywords into ChatGPT’s search bar.

• Once you have entered your topic or keywords and ask ChatGPT to provide an outline for the essay.

This step is important in this guide to use ChatGPT to write an essay as this will create an automated response against your keyword entered, So be careful while entering your desired keyword.

• ChatGPT’s suggested outline is a great starting point for organizing your essay. Here is an example of the outline for an essay on the topic of Climate Change suggested by ChatGPT.

• After using ChatGPT’s outline, it’s time to refine your ideas and add your insights. Use the suggested topic outline to command ChatGPT to start writing an essay on it.

• Now use ChatGPT to assist you with grammar and spelling, making sure your essay is free of errors. Use this feature to improve the clarity and readability of your essay.

• Once ChatGPT have finished writing your essay, be sure to proofread it and make any necessary edits by simply copying the text and pasting it to Word file or Google Docs. This final step is crucial to ensure that your essay is well-written and polished.

Tips to Make the Most of ChatGPT for Essay Writing

If you want to make the most of ChatGPT for essay writing, it’s essential to use it in conjunction with your unique ideas and insights. While ChatGPT is a fantastic resource for generating ideas and providing structure, it shouldn’t be relied on solely to write your essay.

You should aim to use ChatGPT’s suggestions as a starting point to build on your creativity and expertise.

Another tip to keep in mind when using ChatGPT is to proofread your essay carefully after using the tool. While ChatGPT is excellent at detecting grammar and spelling errors, it’s not infallible. 

So, it’s always a good idea to proofread your essay yourself or use another proofreading tool to catch any errors that ChatGPT may have missed.

Finally, it’s essential to understand that ChatGPT is an AI-powered tool, and its suggestions are only as good as the information you provide it with. 

So, if you want to use ChatGPT to its full potential, make sure you enter relevant keywords and information into the search bar to get the best results possible. 

But keep one thing in mind: understanding how to write a research paper is necessary for you despite the help of ChatGPT throughout the writing process because ChatGPT lacks proper paragraph structuring. 

FAQs on How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay 

We know that there are many questions in your mind on how to get ChatGPT to write an essay. We tried to answer some of these questions. 

How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay of Longer Length?

If you’re looking to write a longer essay, you can use ChatGPT to generate more topic ideas and expand on your existing outline. It’s also helpful to break up your essay into manageable sections and use ChatGPT to help you with transitions between them.

How to Use ChatGPT to Write an Essay Without Plagiarizing?

To ensure that you’re not plagiarizing when using ChatGPT, be sure to use the information provided by the tool as a starting point and add your unique insights and ideas. You can also use the plagiarism checker tool provided by ChatGPT to make sure your essay is entirely original.

Can I use ChatGPT to edit my essay?

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to write an essay and edit it. ChatGPT is an AI-powered tool that can assist with grammar and spelling, ensuring your essay is free of errors. 

However, it’s still important to proofread your essay yourself or use another editing tool to catch any errors that ChatGPT may have missed.

Is ChatGPT a free tool?

ChatGPT offers both free and paid plans, depending on your specific needs. The free plan allows for limited usage, while the paid plans offer more features and unlimited usage.

How ChatGPT Helps Improve the Quality of Your Essays ?

By providing suggestions for topics, structure, and grammar, ChatGPT will help you improve the overall quality of your essays. Its AI-powered algorithms will help you generate unique ideas and catch errors you may have missed.

Thus, it can help you produce better essays in less time, making you a more effective writer.

Is Writing Faster and Smarter with ChatGPT ?

You can use ChatGPT to write an essay faster and smarter than ever before. Its advanced algorithms will help you come up with great ideas quickly, and its grammar and spelling suggestions will help you avoid common mistakes.

This means you spend less time worrying about your writing and more time creating great content.

Compare ChatGPT to Other Essay Writing Tools?

While there are many essay-writing tools available, ChatGPT stands out for its advanced AI-powered algorithms and user-friendly interface. 

Unlike other tools that require a steep learning curve or be limited in their functionality, ChatGPT is designed to be easy to use and provide comprehensive support for your essay writing needs. While Copy.ai and Jasper lack the overall composure and response level of ChatGPT.

Why ChatGPT is a Game-Changer for Essay Writing

ChatGPT is a game-changer for essay writing. With its advanced AI-powered algorithms, it helps you generate great ideas, provide structure and organization, and assist with grammar and spelling. By using ChatGPT, you can write faster, smarter, and better than ever before. 

So why not give it a try and see how it transforms your writing process?

Also, the better option is to let our qualified tutors write essays for you . You can contact us now for more information and discounts!

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Here's How to Get Started With ChatGPT

Want to use ChatGPT but not quite sure where to start? Check out these tips.

Learning to use AI chatbots effectively is more important than ever. 

If 2023 was the year of AI, then it's looking like  2024 will carry on the trend . You may not have tried out one of the many AI chatbots that hit the scene over the last year, but you've probably heard a thing or two about them. How could you not?  OpenAI's ChatGPT gained 100 million users in just two months . It took Instagram and TikTok two and a half years and nine months, respectively, to hit that same mark. 

The field of AI chatbots and other generative AI tools is expansive and growing. A short list includes Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Claude.ai, Perplexity, Dall-E and Midjourney, and collectively they're poised to transform how you work, how you get information and how companies do business. But it all got started with ChatGPT.

Learning to use and navigate using AI chatbots will be increasingly important this year, and if one of your goals is to get more comfortable with AI, you're in the right place. Here's what you need to know about getting started with ChatGPT. 

For more, here's an in-depth look at ChatGPT and how AI is changing the way we answer our health questions . 

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence service that simulates human conversation to attempt to understand your text-based questions and requests and then respond to them. To accomplish this task, the chatbot is pretrained on large data sets (including public webpages) to look for patterns and create understandable and appropriate responses based on your requests or prompts. (The "GPT" part of the name reflects that and is short for "generative pretraining transformer.")

If you really want to dig into what ChatGPT is, we have a handy ChatGPT glossary that can help you make sense of it all.

Before your first ChatGPT prompt…

You can't start asking ChatGPT for help until you make an account with OpenAI. 

Navigate to ChatGPT's login page , and you'll be met with the options to Log In or Sign Up. Tap the Sign Up button and provide your name, email address and a valid phone number to verify your account. Note you'll have to accept a couple of disclaimers from OpenAI before you can start prompting ChatGPT. 

Tweak some ChatGPT settings

After creating your account and accepting OpenAI's disclaimers, you should do a few more things before asking all of your questions. First, I recommend tinkering with a few ChatGPT settings. There aren't too many settings, but the more familiar you are with the options, the better. 

Custom instructions let you give ChatGPT some parameters to work with when answering your prompts -- at least it's supposed to. 

The settings that I suggest adjusting are the Custom instructions , where you can give ChatGPT instructions and parameters for how to answer your prompts. These instructions can include information about you, how long or short responses should be, what your hobbies and interests are, and other specifying information. For instance, I told ChatGPT that I was a big fan of Taylor Swift and Formula 1. But when I would ask what music I should try listening to, or what sports I should try watching, this information did not seem to impact the responses I got. 

Before your first prompt, define your 'why' 

Now that you're set up, you're ready to ask your first question. Before you start typing your prompt, however, stop and think about what you really want out of your query. 

You can ask ChatGPT to do all sorts of things for you, but the more focused you are when you're drafting your prompt, the more focused your answer will be. This practice, commonly referred to as prompt engineering , is important if you want useful answers from ChatGPT. 

Ready, set, prompt

Prompting ChatGPT itself is simple. On ChatGPT's homepage, you will see a bar labeled "Message ChatGPT…" at the bottom of the page. When you have a prompt in mind, simply type it into that bar. 

After you've submitted your prompt, ChatGPT will "think" for a moment, and then return a response to your question. At the bottom of ChatGPT's response, you will see four symbols. A small clipboard, a thumbs up, a thumbs down and a circular arrow. 

The small clipboard allows you to copy ChatGPT's response, the thumbs up and thumbs down allow you to tell ChatGPT if its response is good or bad, and the circular arrow will tell ChatGPT to regenerate its response. Note: Regenerating the response will yield a different response than you got the first time. 

After you prompt…

Even after ChatGPT yields its response, your job isn't quite done. There are still a couple of best practices to consider before putting ChatGPT's response into action. 

Be aware of hallucination : Even if you have crafted a near-perfect prompt, ChatGPT may "hallucinate" in its answer. In the context of AI, hallucination refers to the chatbot returning incorrect and nonfactual information. This is not unique to ChatGPT and can affect other chatbots as well. 

It's wise to double-check any advice you receive, and that's especially true when it's coming from a chatbot such as ChatGPT. 

And that goes for questions around health and self-diagnosis . If you ask ChatGPT if women can use Rogaine (a hair-loss medication with the active ingredient minoxidil), for example, the chatbot may tell you that women can use Rogaine but only the women's formulations. But this isn't necessarily true. A 2017 study found that there is no chemical difference between men's and women's Rogaine . The only difference is the price, which can be 40% more for the women's version. When I was dealing with some hair loss, my dermatologist recommended me to opt for men's Rogaine to save a bit of money. 

Sometimes ChatGPT gets it right. Usually it's close. Once in a while, it's very wrong. Check ChatGPT's answers with a Google search at the very least and, if possible, confirm the answer with professionals. 

The answer is just… bad

I go into this much more in my guide on how to write prompts , but ChatGPT is by no means perfect. It will most likely give you an answer that you're not quite satisfied with. Luckily, it's easy to remedy this issue. 

First, make sure you're asking a detailed question: The more usable information you put in your prompt, the better chance that you get back a usable answer. (You should be willing to go back and refine your prompt if you're not getting the answers you expected.)

Second, ask clarifying follow-up questions. I've found that this produces mixed results. It can sometimes prompt ChatGPT to refine its answer, but it can also just return more garbage. 

Finally, if it feels like you're heading down the wrong path, start a new chat and ask your question again. Note that if you do start over or delete your chat history, your prompts are still on OpenAI's servers.

Does ChatGPT remember what I've asked it?

Your previous prompts will not affect the answers that ChatGPT gives you. I asked ChatGPT to help me brainstorm ideas for a birthday gift for my brother and gave information on his interests in my initial prompt. If I wanted to ask another question about my brother's birthday later, I would need to re-enter the information into ChatGPT. 

This won't be the case for long, though. On Feb. 13, OpenAI announced that it's testing ways for ChatGPT to remember details you've discussed in earlier chats when you create new prompts. OpenAI said it was rolling out the features to a "small portion of ChatGPT free and Plus users this week" and will share plans for a larger rollout soon. If you have access to this new feature and you don't want ChatGPT to remember your history, you can disable it by going to Settings , selecting the Personalization tab and then toggling Memory off. 

For more on AI, here's what to know about ChatGPT's new memory function and whether or not ChatGPT is helpful when it comes to wooing your loved one.

Editors' note: CNET is using an AI engine to help create some stories. For more, see  this post .

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How to use ChatGPT to support teachers: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Tracy wilichowski, cristóbal cobo.

ChatGPT 3.5 – an artificial-intelligence (AI) chatbot – has been around since November 2022. To say it has the potential to revolutionize education systems is an understatement. Currently, it’s unclear exactly how the chatbot will affect the sector, but it’s clear it is both a threat and a gamechanger. There are the skeptics, who have tried to ban ChatGPT in schools , and the advocates, who think it is the “silver bullet” solution to a host of education challenges around the world.

To the skeptics’ point that the chatbot is detrimental to the learning process, it's fair to say it has and will continue to disrupt the most traditional learning tools teachers have used for decades (e.g., writing and revising essays). What follows is an uncomfortable question: With a shortage of 69 million primary and secondary teachers around the world , could ChatGPT supplement teachers, or even replace them?

The launch of ChatGPT has demonstrated the potential for the technology to enhance, and in some cases replace, some of the activities and tasks done within jobs by humans . Will teachers – considered a major determinant for student learning, wellbeing , and long-term success – be an exception? Could the chatbot independently complete tasks currently done by teachers? If so, what are the associated risks? How can teachers use ChatGPT to enhance their practice and/or improve the efficiency of certain tasks?

The opportunity: using ChatGPT as a tool

Here are some examples of how policymakers could encourage teachers to use ChatGPT.

• Enhance lessons . A major challenge for teachers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is transforming a dense curriculum into an engaging lesson. Teachers can use ChatGPT to translate learning objectives into engaging lesson plans , get ideas for preparing classes, or draft new assignments or assessments. ChatGPT can help with lesson preparation and proficiency, but not delivery. As such, teachers will need pedagogical proficiency to teach the lesson with high quality.
• Create assessment questions. Teachers could use ChatGPT to improve assessment questions and generate multiple-choice items. They could also use it as an input to encourage higher-order thinking skills by providing prompts for the essay questions and practical tasks . Teachers can use different types of assessment that could help students to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative skills .
• Support with language barriers. Although it would be ideal for countries to ensure teachers instruct in their native language, the reality is that some systems – despite evidence to the contrary – are moving away from teaching in the local language and shifting toward a second language (i.e., English). In these contexts, teachers also do not know English and have difficulty teaching in a language they don’t understand. Here, the chatbot could serve as a tool for improving the teachers’ language proficiency , helping them to instruct more effectively in their native language or in a foreign language. For example, Duolingo and GPT claim to offer affordable and accessible highly personalized language lessons .
• Provide additional support to students. Teachers could use ChatGPT to cultivate student curiosity and create ideas for their homework assignments. AI tools are particularly useful when they identify the source information used in the chats. The risk is that instead of asking for help, the students ask the chat to complete the homework on their behalf. In addition to teaching about integrity, teachers can address this risk by discussing the limitations of these tools (see Privacy Risks , Bias , or Hallucination ). Finally, teachers should direct their attention towards questions that cannot be answered by ChatGPT. Namely, questions that require specific knowledge that is outside of the chatbot’s training data, such as, human emotions or subjective perspectives.
• Grading assessments and papers. ChatGPT can be used to automatically grade multiple-choice/one-answer tests; it can also help teachers with standards-based grading. It could create a robust dataset for teachers to analyze and better differentiate student learning levels. This has potential unintended consequences for low accuracy, poor grading or false positive proctoring (mistakenly red flagging students for cheating). When considering systems for proctoring or grading, it is critical to take measures to secure fairness, accountability, confidentiality, and transparency of their algorithms whenever needed.
• Tutor students. Teachers can use ChatGPT to provide online tutoring services to students. This could give students an adaptive learning assistant "for free” by adjusting to the learning needs of the students, especially in contexts where teachers are responsible for many students and don’t have the bandwidth to tailor their instruction to each student's needs. According to Khan Academy, GPT could guide students as they progress through courses . This is still an early technology, and it's important to gather more evidence and require proactive supervision at scale. Non-supervised tutoring runs the risk of unintentionally harming students, as ChatGPT can not only "make stuff up" but can also lead to disturbing conversations .

The bottom line: 5 takeaways for policymakers

The education sector needs to prepare students for a changing landscape. It is unlikely that banning ChatGPT will be a productive solution as this technology is becoming increasingly prevalent.  Similarly, prohibiting students from using the Internet is impractical, as it is an integral part of our daily lives. The focus for policymakers should be on utilizing ChatGPT in the most effective way possible.

ChatGPT could present an opportunity in LMICs, though policymakers will need to ensure all users have access to critical infrastructure and advanced digital skills. At a minimum, policymakers should adhere to these ground rules if they plan to incorporate ChatGPT in their education system.

• Collect information: Policymakers should first understand if and how teachers and students are currently using ChatGPT before deciding on any policy that would impact its use. Teachers should also be a part of the decision-making process to determine how ChatGPT will be utilized;
• Revisit digital skills: At a minimum, policymakers must ensure all users develop some level of " algorithmic awareness " to understand the challenges of misinformation and other ethical ramifications. For instance, teachers will need explicit training on how to understand and use this technology;
• Raise awareness: Relatedly, as part of these trainings, policymakers should disseminate information to all users on the limitations of this technology , including inherent biases, underrepresented countries, and languages, etc., emphasizing the lack of evidence available as to its usefulness for learning;
• Hold technology providers accountable: This technology is quickly changing, and it will be difficult to regulate. Even so, policymakers should hold the providers of this technology accountable and promptly assess how to prevent the misuse of it . Regulation is key, as ChatGPT currently has unknown implications on the teaching and learning process and could thus be both advantageous and/or detrimental to learning;
• Ensure teachers continue to supervise students: Last, and arguably most importantly, when using ChatGPT, particularly when it involves children, teachers need to be actively engaged in the teaching and learning process to ensure students use the technology responsibly and safely.

Keeping in mind the current and potential future shortages of teachers, it is likely that more than one policymaker will be tempted to replace teachers or tutors with this technology. Like preexisting technology, these chatbots have the potential to be used as a tool to support teachers but policymakers should proceed with caution . To better understand how this technology could be used to improve teaching and, ultimately, student learning, there needs to be an improved evidence base.

Analyst, Education Global Practice

Senior Education Specialist

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• How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples

How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples

Published on July 17, 2023 by Koen Driessen . Revised on September 11, 2023.

A good introduction is essential to any essay or dissertation. It sets up your argument and clearly indicates the scope and content of your writing.

Your introduction should be an authentic representation of your own ideas and research. However, AI tools like ChatGPT can be effectively used during the writing process to:

• Develop an introduction outline
• Summarize text
• Paraphrase text
• Provide feedback

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Table of contents

Developing an introduction outline, summarizing your arguments, paraphrasing text, generating feedback, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions.

While the introduction naturally comes at the beginning of your paper, it’s often one of the last parts you write. Writing your introduction last allows you to clearly indicate the most important aspects of your research to your reader in a logical order.

You can use ChatGPT to brainstorm potential outlines for your introduction. To do this, include a brief overview of all relevant aspects of your paper, including your research question , methodology , central arguments, and essay type (e.g., argumentative , expository ). For a longer essay or dissertation , you might also mention section or chapter titles.

Rearrange or edit the output so that it accurately reflects the body of your essay .

Example: Using ChatGPT to develop an outline

• Develop an outline for an essay introduction. The essay is a 2,000 word argumentative essay on the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior. The research uses both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Start with a thought-provoking statement, anecdote, or statistic related to the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Introduce the topic of children’s cartoons and their popularity among young audiences.
• Highlight the prevalence of media consumption among children and the significant role that cartoons play in their lives.
• Discuss the growing influence of marketing and advertising targeted at children.
• Clearly state your main argument about the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Example: “This essay argues that children’s cartoons have a substantial influence on consumer behavior, shaping children’s preferences, purchase decisions, and brand loyalty. This assertion is supported by a combination of qualitative and quantitative data.”
• Briefly describe the research conducted and the use of both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Explain the purpose of the research in examining the relationship between children’s cartoons and consumer behavior.
• Mention the sample size, research methods employed, and the sources of data (e.g., surveys, interviews, content analysis).
• Discuss the significance of understanding the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Highlight the potential implications for marketers, parents, and society as a whole.
• Emphasize the need for critical examination of the messages conveyed through children’s cartoons.
• Provide a brief overview of the main points or sections that will be covered in the essay.
• Examination of the persuasive techniques employed in children’s cartoons.
• Analysis of qualitative data to understand the effects of cartoons on children’s preferences and behaviors.
• Presentation of quantitative data on the relationship between exposure to cartoons and consumer behavior.
• Discussion of the ethical considerations surrounding marketing to children.
• Conclusion on the overall impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.
• Summarize how the upcoming sections will provide evidence and analysis to support your argument.
• Example: “Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, this essay will delve into the persuasive techniques used in children’s cartoons, examine the effects of cartoons on children’s preferences and behaviors, present quantitative evidence of the relationship between exposure to cartoons and consumer behavior, discuss the ethical concerns, and ultimately draw conclusions about the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.”

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At the end of your introduction, you may give a brief overview of specific sections of your paper.

You can use ChatGPT to summarize text and condense your writing to its most important ideas. To do this, copy and paste sections of your essay into ChatGPT and prompt it to summarize the text.

However, we don’t recommend passing off AI-generated outputs as your own work. This is considered academically dishonest and may be detected using AI detectors . Instead, use ChatGPT outputs as a source of inspiration to help you clearly indicate your key objectives and findings in your own words.

Alternatively, you can use a specialized tool like Scribbr’s free text summarizer , which offers a smoother user experience.

Example: Using ChatGPT to summarize text

• Provide a one-line summary of the following paragraph: “Exposure to cartoons exerts a discernible impact on a child’s preferences, primarily through the establishment of robust associations between animated characters, branded products, and positive emotional experiences. Through repeated exposure, children develop an attachment to specific brands that influences their future buying choices. Furthermore, recent studies have established a correlation between the amount of time spent watching cartoons and children’s consumer behavior, including their demands for advertised products and their influence on family purchasing decisions.”
• Repeated exposure to cartoons influences children’s preferences, brand attachments, consumer behavior, and purchasing decisions.

When writing your introduction, you may have difficulty finding fresh ways to describe the content of your essay. You can use ChatGPT as a paraphrasing tool to rephrase text in clear language. This can help you to communicate your ideas more effectively, avoid repetition, and maintain a consistent tone.

You can also use Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool , which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Example: Using ChatGPT to paraphrase text

• Paraphrase the following sentence: “This raises ethical concerns regarding the potential exploitation of young minds for commercial gain, highlighting the need for responsible content creation and parental guidance to mitigate the impact of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.”
• The potential exploitation of young minds for commercial gain gives rise to ethical concerns, emphasizing the importance of responsible content creation and parental guidance to reduce the influence of children’s cartoons on consumer behavior.

Once you’ve finished writing your introduction, you can use ChatGPT to generate feedback. Paste your introduction into the tool and prompt it to provide feedback on specific aspects of your writing, such as tone, clarity, or structure.

You can also use ChatGPT to check grammar and punctuation mistakes. However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose and may fail to detect some errors. We recommend using a more specialized tool like Scribbr’s free grammar checker . Or, for more comprehensive feedback, try Scribbr’s proofreading and editing service .

Example: Using ChatGPT to get feedback

• Provide feedback on the above text with regard to tone of voice and clarity of structure.

Furthermore, the last paragraph could be revised to provide a more concise summary of the main points that will be addressed in the essay. This would help to give the reader a clearer roadmap of what to expect in the subsequent sections.

If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools , fallacies , and research bias , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

• ChatGPT vs human editor
• ChatGPT citations
• Is ChatGPT trustworthy?
• Using ChatGPT for your studies
• Sunk cost fallacy
• Straw man fallacy
• Slippery slope fallacy
• Red herring fallacy
• Ecological fallacy
• Logical fallacy

Research bias

• Implicit bias
• Framing bias
• Cognitive bias
• Optimism bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Unconscious bias

No, it’s not a good idea to do so in general—first, because it’s normally considered plagiarism or academic dishonesty to represent someone else’s work as your own (even if that “someone” is an AI language model). Even if you cite ChatGPT , you’ll still be penalized unless this is specifically allowed by your university . Institutions may use AI detectors to enforce these rules.

Second, ChatGPT can recombine existing texts, but it cannot really generate new knowledge. And it lacks specialist knowledge of academic topics. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain original research results, and the text produced may contain factual errors.

However, you can usually still use ChatGPT for assignments in other ways, as a source of inspiration and feedback.

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to summarize text . This can help you understand complex information more easily, summarize the central argument of your own paper, or clarify your research question.

You can also use Scribbr’s free text summarizer , which is designed specifically for this purpose.

Yes, you can use ChatGPT to paraphrase text to help you express your ideas more clearly, explore different ways of phrasing your arguments, and avoid repetition.

However, it’s not specifically designed for this purpose. We recommend using a specialized tool like Scribbr’s free paraphrasing tool , which will provide a smoother user experience.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Driessen, K. (2023, September 11). How to Write an Introduction Using ChatGPT | Tips & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 20, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/ai-tools/chatgpt-essay-introduction/

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How the A.I. That Drives ChatGPT Will Move Into the Physical World

Covariant, a robotics start-up, is designing technology that lets robots learn skills much like chatbots do.

By combining camera and sensory data with the enormous amounts of text used to train chatbots like ChatGPT, Covariant has built A.I. technology that gives its robots a much broader understanding of the world around it. Credit...

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Photographs and Video by Balazs Gardi

Cade Metz spent two days at Covariant’s headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., to report this article.

• March 11, 2024

Companies like OpenAI and Midjourney build chatbots , image generators and other artificial intelligence tools that operate in the digital world.

Now, a start-up founded by three former OpenAI researchers is using the technology development methods behind chatbots to build A.I. technology that can navigate the physical world.

Covariant, a robotics company headquartered in Emeryville, Calif ., is creating ways for robots to pick up, move and sort items as they are shuttled through warehouses and distribution centers. Its goal is to help robots gain an understanding of what is going on around them and decide what they should do next.

The technology also gives robots a broad understanding of the English language, letting people chat with them as if they were chatting with ChatGPT.

The technology, still under development, is not perfect. But it is a clear sign that the artificial intelligence systems that drive online chatbots and image generators will also power machines in warehouses, on roadways and in homes.

Like chatbots and image generators, this robotics technology learns its skills by analyzing enormous amounts of digital data. That means engineers can improve the technology by feeding it more and more data.

Covariant, backed by $222 million in funding, does not build robots. It builds the software that powers robots. The company aims to deploy its new technology with warehouse robots, providing a road map for others to do much the same in manufacturing plants and perhaps even on roadways with driverless cars.

The A.I. systems that drive chatbots and image generators are called neural networks , named for the web of neurons in the brain.

By pinpointing patterns in vast amounts of data, these systems can learn to recognize words, sounds and images — or even generate them on their own. This is how OpenAI built ChatGPT, giving it the power to instantly answer questions, write term papers and generate computer programs. It learned these skills from text culled from across the internet. (Several media outlets, including The New York Times, have sued OpenAI for copyright infringement.)

Companies are now building systems that can learn from different kinds of data at the same time. By analyzing both a collection of photos and the captions that describe those photos, for example, a system can grasp the relationships between the two. It can learn that the word “banana” describes a curved yellow fruit.

OpenAI employed that system to build Sora , its new video generator. By analyzing thousands of captioned videos, the system learned to generate videos when given a short description of a scene, like “a gorgeously rendered papercraft world of a coral reef, rife with colorful fish and sea creatures.”

Covariant, founded by Pieter Abbeel, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and three of his former students, Peter Chen, Rocky Duan and Tianhao Zhang, used similar techniques in building a system that drives warehouse robots.

The company helps operate sorting robots in warehouses across the globe . It has spent years gathering data — from cameras and other sensors — that shows how these robots operate.

“It ingests all kinds of data that matter to robots — that can help them understand the physical world and interact with it,” Dr. Chen said.

By combining that data with the huge amounts of text used to train chatbots like ChatGPT, the company has built A.I. technology that gives its robots a much broader understanding of the world around it.

After identifying patterns in this stew of images, sensory data and text, the technology gives a robot the power to handle unexpected situations in the physical world. The robot knows how to pick up a banana, even if it has never seen a banana before.

It can also respond to plain English, much like a chatbot. If you tell it to “pick up a banana,” it knows what that means. If you tell it to “pick up a yellow fruit,” it understands that, too.

It can even generate videos that predict what is likely to happen as it tries to pick up a banana. These videos have no practical use in a warehouse, but they show the robot’s understanding of what’s around it.

“If it can predict the next frames in a video, it can pinpoint the right strategy to follow,” Dr. Abbeel said.

The technology, called R.F.M., for robotics foundational model, makes mistakes, much like chatbots do . Though it often understands what people ask of it, there is always a chance that it will not. It drops objects from time to time.

Gary Marcus, an A.I. entrepreneur and an emeritus professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, said the technology could be useful in warehouses and other situations where mistakes are acceptable. But he said it would be more difficult and riskier to deploy in manufacturing plants and other potentially dangerous situations.

“It comes down to the cost of error,” he said. “If you have a 150-pound robot that can do something harmful, that cost can be high.”

As companies train this kind of system on increasingly large and varied collections of data, researchers believe it will rapidly improve.

That is very different from the way robots operated in the past. Typically, engineers programmed robots to perform the same precise motion again and again — like pick up a box of a certain size or attach a rivet in a particular spot on the rear bumper of a car. But robots could not deal with unexpected or random situations.

By learning from digital data — hundreds of thousands of examples of what happens in the physical world — robots can begin to handle the unexpected. And when those examples are paired with language, robots can also respond to text and voice suggestions, as a chatbot would.

This means that like chatbots and image generators, robots will become more nimble.

“What is in the digital data can transfer into the real world,” Dr. Chen said.

Cade Metz writes about artificial intelligence, driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality and other emerging areas of technology. More about Cade Metz

Explore Our Coverage of Artificial Intelligence

News  and Analysis

Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee signed a bill  to prevent the use of A.I. to copy a performer’s voice. It is the first such measure in the United States.

French regulators said Google failed to notify news publishers  that it was using their articles to train its A.I. algorithms, part of a wider ruling against the company for its negotiating practices with media outlets.

Apple is in discussions with Google  about using Google’s generative A.I. model called Gemini for its next iPhone.

The Age of A.I.

By interacting with data about genes and cells, A.I. models have made some surprising discoveries and are learning what it means to be alive. What could they teach us someday ?

Covariant, a robotics start-up, is using the technology behind chatbots  to build robots that learn skills much like ChatGPT does.

When Google released Gemini, a new chatbot, the company quickly faced a backlash. The episode unleashed a fierce debate  about whether A.I. should be guided by social values.

A.I.’s booming growth is radically reshaping an already red-hot data center market, raising questions about whether these sites can be operated sustainably .

Few companies better illustrate how A.I. is changing Silicon Valley deal-making than Anthropic, one of the world’s hottest A.I. start-ups .

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What is Suno? The 'ChatGPT for music' generates songs in seconds

Several text-to-music generators are now on the market, including offerings from Meta and Google. However, the Suno AI music generator is becoming increasingly popular -- likely because it creates original lyrics and vocals, and because it leverages the power of  ChatGPT .

So, what is Suno and how does it work?

Also: YouTube creators will now have to label certain AI-generated videos upon upload

What is Suno?

Suno is an AI music generator that generates a song with original lyrics and beats from a text prompt. The tool can be accessed via its  free standalone website  or via  Microsoft Copilot  by enabling Suno's third-party plug-in. 

What makes Suno stand out from other music-generating models? In addition to creating the music, which you can do with  Meta's AudioCraft  and  Google's MusicFX , Suno also produces original lyrics and vocals. This is a reflection of the company's mission to help everyone create music, regardless of background or musical knowledge. 

Also:  How AI helped get my music on all the major streaming services

"Whether you're a shower singer or a charting artist, we break barriers between you and the song you dream of making," Suno says on its website. Suno's intuitive interface makes it easy to use, and the only requirement is you need to create a free account.

How does Suno work?

In  Rolling Stone's deep dive into Suno  and its potential impact on the music business, the AI startup explained that Suno uses its own AI models to generate the music and then relies on ChatGPT to create the song's title and lyrics.

If you have ever used ChatGPT, you know it's capable of generating great text outputs, such as  essays , thanks to its advanced natural language processing. The fact that Suno uses ChatGPT should tell you all you need to know about its text quality output.

How can I use Suno?

Once you've created an account, you can start generating music by visiting  app.suno.ai  and entering a prompt into the textbox that describes the sound you want to hear and the topic you want the lyrics to be about.

Some examples offered by Suno include, "A groovy dance song about not being able to wait to see you again" and "A syncopated raga song about dancing all night long." Within seconds, Suno will create the song with lyrics, music, and a beat.

I entered the prompt, "A pop song with lyrics about how much you love your dog," and was met with two 37-second versions, including lyrics and album art, as seen at the top of this article. 

You can find the lyrics to the first version below: 

You wag your tail, you make me smile You're always there, going the extra mile (mile) You're my best friend, my loyal companion Through thick and thin, you're the star of my universe (ooh-yeah)

I love you, oh my furry best friend (best friend) You're with me till the very end (the very end) You lick my face, you give me a hug You fill my heart with so much love (oh-oh-oh-oh)

Although the clips are short, you can extend them by clicking on the three dots and clicking "Continue from the song." Here you have the option to add your own lyrics and style of music, or randomize both.

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Suno users get 50 credits per day for free. A single song generation costs 10 credits. If you need more credits, you can upgrade to the Pro Plan for $8 per month, which gives you 2,500 credits per month; or the Premier Plan, which gives you access to 10,000 credits per month.

Both subscription plans have other perks, such as general commercial terms, optional credit top-ups, access to a priority generating queue, and the ability to run 10 jobs at once. If you want to use Suno in Copilot, you can find ZDNET's step-by-step instructions here .

Who owns songs made with Suno?

The emergence of AI music generators has alarmed music labels and artists because of how easy it is  to create music that uses artists' voices without their consent . How is Suno navigating this copyright issue?

According to the Rolling Stone report, Suno refuses to generate any music in the style of real artists' voices. 

Since all the music generated is original and not lifted from other artists' work, paying subscribers own the songs generated by Suno, as well as the artwork that accompanies the songs. However, Suno retains all ownership of songs created by free users, as well as the artwork.

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As a result, if you are a paying subscriber, you can use the music you generate for commercial use, including posting the songs on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music. Free users can only post on social media with attribution and are not allowed to use the songs commercially. Regardless of which version you use, if you input your own lyrics, you retain ownership of those.

Are the songs subject to copyright protection? Here's what Suno says on its website:

"The availability and scope of copyright protection for content generated (in whole or in part) using artificial intelligence is a complex and dynamic area of law, which is rapidly evolving and varies among countries. We encourage you to consult a qualified attorney to advise you about the latest development and the degree of copyright protection available for the output you generate using Suno."

Also: A thorny question: Who owns code, images, and narratives generated by AI?

As AI becomes more pervasive in the music industry, we will continue to see policy developments that try to delineate what you can and can't legally use AI to do. For example, over the summer, the Recording Academy addressed  when and how AI-generated music and content would be considered for the Grammy Awards.

Artificial Intelligence

This free tool from anthropic helps you create better prompts for your ai chatbot, you can now make your own custom copilot gpt. here's how, how i gave my audio recordings an instant quality boost with this handy tool.