From Siri to ChatGPT: The 6 Words That Changed Everything

You've probably used ChatGPT without knowing it traces back to six words published by Google researchers in 2017: "Attention Is All You Need."

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From Siri to ChatGPT: The 6 Words That Changed Everything

The Paper That Split AI History

In June 2017, Google researchers published "Attention Is All You Need." Most people ignored it. But this wasn't just another research paper - it split AI history into before and after.

Before 2017, AI had a memory problem. When you said "I went to the bank," AI couldn't tell if you meant a river bank or financial bank because it processed words one by one, forgetting the beginning by the end.

The attention mechanism changed everything. Instead of processing words sequentially, AI could look at ALL words simultaneously and decide which were most important. AI could suddenly work with context.

From GPT to ChatGPT

This created the Transformer architecture: the T in GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer). Traditional AI like Siri gives pre-programmed responses. Generative AI creates original content because it understands context.

For five years, this powered GPT-1, GPT-2, and GPT-3 in research labs. Then November 2022: OpenAI released ChatGPT for free. One hundred million users in two months.

We're living in a GPT world now. If you're thinking about AI like it's Siri, you're thinking about completely different technology.

Six words changed everything in 2017. ChatGPT proved it in 2022. And like it or not, the world will never be the same.

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