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Mutebi Felix Mukisa May 1, 2024

I've deliberately held off on writing about ChatGPT until I had the chance to truly immerse myself in its capabilities. Instead of regurgitating information found online, I wanted to share my own firsthand experiences and showcase practical applications for developers. And in all honesty, this will be my longest article ever since I started writing here at XILEF’s blog. So, buckle up.

Over the past few months, I've integrated ChatGPT into my daily routine, and the results have been remarkable. Not only has it enhanced my productivity, but it's also served as an invaluable learning tool and coding companion. In this article, I'll unveil five (5) distinct ways developers can leverage ChatGPT, providing not just explanations but also hands-on demonstrations. By following these examples, you will be able to seamlessly integrate ChatGPT into your workflow, ultimately boosting your efficiency and output.

Understanding ChatGPT: An Overview
Before delving into its applications for developers, let's first grasp what ChatGPT is and how it operates. ChatGPT, introduced in November 2022, is an AI-powered chatbot designed to provide answers to user queries. It's built upon the GPT-3 architecture and offers the option to utilize GPT-4. GPT, short for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is a language model developed by OpenAI, leveraging deep learning techniques to generate human-like text. Trained on vast amounts of internet text data, ChatGPT is adept at generating responses with precision across a very wide spectrum of prompts and inquiries.

ChatGPT exhibits a remarkable ability to comprehend and respond to natural language queries, mimicking human communication patterns. Its applications span diverse areas, including language translation, content creation, and even creative writing.

The versatility of ChatGPT is boundless, limited only by one's imagination. While a comprehensive exploration would be impractical, I'll focus on highlighting the functionalities that I've personally found most beneficial for tasks such as coding, debugging, and other related activities.

Is ChatGPT Free to Use?
Yes, the basic version of ChatGPT is entirely free. All you need to do is sign up for an OpenAI account, and you're good to go. However, there's also a paid version known as ChatGPT Plus, which offers unlimited access without blackout periods. While the free version may occasionally encounter limitations, such as being unable to answer certain questions, the Plus version removes these constraints. If you anticipate using ChatGPT frequently, investing in the Plus version is advisable. I personally just opted for it a few months ago, and it's currently priced at $20 per month.

Can ChatGPT Provide Wrong Answers?
In short, yes, it can. Like any AI system, ChatGPT is not infallible. Therefore, if you're relying on it for crucial tasks such as research where accuracy is highly paramount, it's wise to verify the information independently. It's important to recognize that ChatGPT operates independently of the internet and has a training data cutoff of 2021, meaning it may not be up to date with the latest information. So, for full precision, verify its responses.

Is Learning ChatGPT Essential for Developers?
While it's not an absolute necessity at the moment, familiarizing yourself with ChatGPT is highly beneficial. The rise of AI represents one of the most significant shifts impacting developers in the coming decade. To remain relevant in this evolving landscape, acquiring knowledge of AI is essential. You don't necessarily need to become a machine learning expert, but understanding how to leverage AI tools like ChatGPT is invaluable.

Now, you might wonder, what's there to learn? After all, you input a question, and it provides an answer. However, there's more depth to it than meets the eye. It's crucial to understand ChatGPT's capabilities in aiding debugging, data generation, documentation creation, and more. In this article, I'll delve into these aspects.

Mastering the art of formulating precise questions is key to obtaining optimal results. Additionally, interpreting ChatGPT's responses requires discernment. While some answers are straightforward, others may be nuanced, demanding additional research or background knowledge for full comprehension and accuracy.

Will AI Take Programming Jobs?
What would any article about AI be without the question of whether AI will take our jobs as programmers? While I can't provide a clearly definitive answer, in my own opinion as Felix, it's undeniable that AI will significantly alter the way we work.

AI will transform programming jobs by automating repetitive tasks and assisting in code generation, but it's unlikely to entirely replace human programmers. Even so, I do think there are some low-level positions that may not need to be filled by a human as we can automate them with AI. Many entry-level coding or data-entry tasks may be automated. So, yes, to an extent, AI may “steal” some of those beginner positions but not the higher ones. Additionally, while AI can streamline certain aspects of development, human oversight, creativity, and problem-solving abilities remain highly crucial. In the foreseeable future, AI's role will likely be in augmenting human capabilities, enhancing productivity, and accelerating innovation rather than completely supplanting human programmers.

So, amidst all the fear-mongering surrounding AI, it's essential to maintain a balanced perspective. While the hype may attract attention, it's important not to overreact. The future is really uncertain, and dwelling on hypothetical scenarios is counterproductive. Instead, focus on leveraging AI to your advantage in the present and adapting to new technologies for innovation and growth to stay relevant in this fast-paced digital world.

Exploring ChatGPT & OpenAI APIs
As developers, we have access to a plethora of powerful tools for building applications that can seamlessly integrate with ChatGPT. To get started, simply sign up for an OpenAI account and obtain an API key, granting access to a variety of APIs.

These APIs encompass a wide range of functionalities, including the Completion API, Search API, Classification API, Summarization API, Translation API, Dall-E API, Image API, Text API, Video API, Audio API, File API, Code API, and Knowledge API.

It's important to clarify that utilizing these APIs does not require expertise in machine learning or AI development. While building tools like ChatGPT may seem daunting, leveraging APIs for diverse projects is accessible to developers of varying skill levels. For instance, creating an image generator using the Dall-E API differs significantly from developing a machine learning algorithm from scratch. As someone who may not possess the technical prowess to create complex AI algorithms, I find it empowering to utilize APIs for developing web apps and my other projects.

How Developers Can Use ChatGPT
Now that we've gained an understanding of ChatGPT's functionality and operation, let's explore the myriad ways in which developers can leverage its capabilities.


1.  Universal Learning Companion

When it comes to acquiring new knowledge, we all have our preferred methods, be it through video tutorials, articles, books, documentation, peer collaboration, or code exploration. Now, we can add ChatGPT to the list—a dynamic tool that holds the potential to revolutionize the learning experience.

Unlike traditional learning resources like books or videos, ChatGPT offers a unique dynamicity. It allows users to pose specific questions and receive personalized responses tailored to their individual context and knowledge level. This flexibility enables ChatGPT to clarify complex concepts, simplify confusing details, and even unearth new areas of interest. While one-on-one tutoring or mentoring may bear resemblance to ChatGPT, the latter surpasses it in terms of accessibility, affordability, and breadth of knowledge. With ChatGPT, users are not constrained by time limitations or the expertise of a single person, making it an invaluable learning companion that every developer would need.

Example
When embarking on a learning journey, it's crucial to define your objectives clearly. Requesting step-by-step guidance can provide a roadmap for achieving your goals. For instance, if you want to learn the Fetch API in JavaScript, you can directly ask ChatGPT with a specific question such as;






ChatGPT provides a perfect list with guidance, outlining the tasks to be undertaken. Also, this chat remains accessible for reference and can as well be copied and pasted elsewhere as you may wish.



2.  Addressing Specific Challenges

While ChatGPT serves as a comprehensive learning tool as stated in the first point, there are instances where developers require specific solutions to immediate problems. Previously, platforms like Stack Overflow were relied upon for such queries, yet navigating through complex issues often proved time-consuming and frustrating. With ChatGPT, although instant solutions aren't guaranteed, it facilitates a deeper understanding of the problem at hand and provides valuable insights for potential solutions. Moreover, ChatGPT's assistance tends to be even swifter compared to conventional search methods on platforms like Stack Overflow.

Example


It's impressive that ChatGPT not only generates the code for me but also offers very detailed explanations of each step.


Honestly, while tools like ChatGPT can greatly assist developers in their work, I see a risk of over-reliance of developers on them leading to a decline in their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Even so, I partly hope that encouraging hands-on practice and fostering a growth mindset will help to mitigate this risk and ensure that developers continue to develop their skills diligently.



3.  Error Handling In Code

There have been numerous occasions where I've encountered confusing errors and lengthy stack traces that left me scratching my head. Instead of resorting to the usual process of scouring the internet for solutions, I input the error or logs into the ChatGPT prompt. In return, ChatGPT provides a clear explanation of the error's meaning and offers guidance on how to resolve on the spot. For instance, recently when a client’s modded Minecraft server experienced chunk loading problems accompanied by cryptic errors, I turned to ChatGPT for assistance — since I’m not a Java developer. ChatGPT swiftly showed me the problematic mod and how to disable it.

Example
When you encounter an error, simply paste the code snippet along with the error message into the ChatGPT prompt and you'll get assistance.

This is a scenario from a previous project that involved a simple capital search task. To illustrate, I’ve introduced an intentional error by enclosing the ‘states’ variable in curly braces. Now, let's paste the erroneous code and the corresponding error message into the ChatGPT prompt to see what happens.




Indeed, ChatGPT swiftly pinpoints the underlying issue and offers a clear resolution. While more complex errors may require additional dialogue with ChatGPT to convey the problem accurately, its efficiency remains priceless.




4.  Get Feedback On Your Code

As developers, receiving feedback on our code is very crucial. It provides a fresh perspective and guidance on enhancing our work. ChatGPT serves as an excellent resource for this purpose. You can leverage its capabilities to seek specific advice on your code, present snippets for evaluation, or even identify potential bugs.

Example
If you have a piece of code that you're uncertain about or if you're seeking optimization suggestions, you can ask for feedback. Simply present the code snippet and request advice on potential improvements or alternative approaches. For instance;




And indeed, the suggestions provided are quite insightful and offer valuable improvements to consider within my code.




It also offered me concrete examples to demonstrate how the code can be enhanced.