Is GPT-4 worth the subscription?

The release of OpenAI's GPT-4 has generated a lot of excitement and curiosity among AI enthusiasts and professionals alike. But is it worth subscribing to the ChatGPT Plus service to gain access to this new model?

Let’s get into it.

GPT-4 is 10 times more advanced than its predecessor, GPT-3.5. This enhancement enables the model to better understand context and distinguish nuances, resulting in more accurate and coherent responses. But there are some drawbacks to weigh as well.

The good stuff

Some other key advantages of GPT-4 include:

• The capacity for linguistic finesse, including enhanced ability to understand and generate different dialects and respond to emotions with sensitivity.

• GPT-4 has a much larger word limit. The new model can handle input prompts of up to 25,000 words (for context, GPT-3.5 was limited to 8,000 words).

• The ability to synthesize complex information from multiple sources. GPT-4 can answer complex questions by synthesizing information from multiple sources, whereas GPT-3.5 may struggle to connect the dots.

• While 3.5 can generate creative content, GPT-4 goes a step further by producing stories, poems, or essays with better coherence and creativity. You can do these things in GPT-3, but it might struggle to maintain consistency and coherence in the narrative.

• Programming capabilities make GPT-4 a valuable resource for software developers, with its ability to generate code snippets or debug existing code more efficiently than GPT-3.5.

• More complex problem solving in areas like math and science, which was a significant criticism of GPT-3.5.

The downside

It's important to note that the $20/month subscription to ChatGPT Plus only guarantees access to the GPT-4 model, but not a specific number of prompts per day, so it isn’t a free-for-all once you get in. OpenAI can change the maximum number of allowed prompts at any time. This lack of predictability can be frustrating for users who rely heavily on the GPT-4 model for their work.

The bigger problem though may actually be that the GPT-4 model's response time is slower than that of its predecessor, GPT-3.5. This is a significant disadvantage for users who require quick and efficient responses from the AI model.

While OpenAI claims that ChatGPT Plus subscribers can avoid getting bumped out of the chatbot during peak usage hours and receive faster responses, there is still a risk of losing access to the service during outages.

Another important consideration is the lack of transparency around GPT-4's model size and training data. OpenAI has not shared many details about the model with the public, which raises concerns about the reliability and accuracy of its responses.

Despite these drawbacks, OpenAI claims that GPT-4 excels at tasks that require advanced reasoning, complex instruction understanding, and more creativity. This makes the new model ideal for standardized situations, which is a significant advantage for users in fields such as education, healthcare, and finance.

Final verdict

If you're curious about GPT-4 but don't want to commit to a subscription, you can experiment with a version of the model for free by signing up for Microsoft's Bing and using the chat mode.

Ultimately, whether GPT-4 is worth the subscription depends on your specific needs and requirements. If you require quick and efficient responses from an AI model, or if you're concerned about the lack of transparency around GPT-4's model size and training data, then subscribing to ChatGPT Plus may not be the best option for you. However, if you work in a field that requires advanced reasoning, complex instruction understanding, and more creativity, then GPT-4 may be worth exploring further.

This article was a collaboration between AI and a human writer.