What Is GPT-3 and Should We Be Terrified?
The internet is alive with demos of what the latest artificial intelligence language model can do. Should we be nervous?

The internet is alive with demos of GPT-3, the latest artificial intelligence tool to have you questioning the veracity of what you see online. Should we be nervous?
For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.
This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Crypto.com.
Today on the Brief:
- Mastercard, Standard Chartered and PayPal all deepen their engagement with crypto
- Japan inches closer to a central bank digital currency
- The real estate “doom trade” opens up
Our main discussion: GPT-3
Generative pertained transformer-3 – or GPT-3 as it’s better known – absolutely took over the internet this weekend.
It’s a new AI language model that can do some truly incredible things, from writing poetry to composing business memos to generating functioning code from natural language descriptions.
In this episode of the Breakdown, NLW provides a 101-level overview of GPT-3, including:
- What an AI language model is
- Why AI for language is more difficult than image-based AI
- The background of OpenAI, the Elon Musk-backed project behind GPT-3
- Some examples of what GPT-3 can do
- Why reasoning and narrative still elude the technology
See also: A Primer on the US and China’s 'New Cold War'
Reference posts:
GPT-3 Examples, a Twitter Thread
Jonathan Johnson on AI Language Models
Rob Teows: GPT-3 Is Amazing – And Overhyped
For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, iHeartRadio or RSS.
Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.
Nathaniel Whittemore
NLW is an independent strategy and communications consultant for leading crypto companies as well as host of The Breakdown – the fastest-growing podcast in crypto. Whittemore has been a VC with Learn Capital, was on the founding team of Change.org, and founded a program design center at his alma mater Northwestern University that helped inspire the largest donation in the school’s history.
