“Through the looking glass: envisioning new library technologies” AI-text generators as explained by ChatGPT

Purpose The purpose of this column is to provide a foundational understanding of the technology behind ChatGPT, the chatbot released by OpenAI that has suddenly generated headlines on the topic. Text is foundational to modern communication. Design/methodology/approach This was written almost entirely through asking ChatGPT questions and verifying the answers along with some light editing. Findings This column summarizes the deep learning model that makes ChatGPT function, as well as some of its key features such as its use of attention mechanisms and transformer architecture that allow its responses to focus on the right concepts. It also explores some of the potential controversies around this technology, with an emphasis on bias and false information. Originality/value For information professionals having a foundation for understanding these concepts will continue to be relevant into the future.