I just noticed the training cut-off date that ChatGPT usually mentions in its response is no longer September 2021 but is now January 2022.
Fyi, asking the model about it's cutoff date is not a reliable way of finding out what it has been trained on.
The model doesn't know that, unless it was provided that info during fine-tuning or something -- but even then it doesn't guarantee anything.
The more useful thing to do is ask it about events which happened during a particular time range. That way, you'll know it has at least seen the news.
> when did lebron james reach 36,000 career points
> As of my last update in January 2022, LeBron James had not reached 36,000 career points in the NBA. However, I don't have data on games or events beyond that date. You may want to consult the latest NBA statistics or relevant websites for up-to-date information on LeBron James' career point total.
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/29/sport/lebron-james-steph-...
i'm sure this is the price discriminator of the future: free superintelligence up til 6 months ago, $2000k/month/user for superreasoning about current events
It will be wayyyy more expensive for current events. Matt Levine's piece on positional goods is relevant here. Or just positional goods in general.
It's weird, when I use it via the API it mentions July 2023 and it does in fact seem to know about recent events.
Indeed - I asked ChatGPT to tell me about topics from December 2021 and it knew about some of them (with the usual dose of hallucinations) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events/December...
I asked the same question to two different ChatGPT accounts: "What was the most devastating event in January 2022?"
The first one is my personal ChatGPT account.
On the other hand, the second SS is from my company account.
While the first one acknowledges a knowledge cutoff date of January 2022, the second one specifies its training cutoff as September 2021 yet still provides answers to the question.
https://x.com/youraimarketer/status/1703997050419867662?s=20
> "What was the most devastating event in January 2022?"
> The first one is my personal ChatGPT account.
What have you been doing?
I think it is likely that the September 2021 cutoff is included in much of the recent training data and that's why it often defaults to saying that.
I experimented starting a new chat with different dates using the following format:
"I thought your knowledge cut-off was <Month> <Year>"
Out of five tries, each time it said some variation of "the knowledge cutoff is actually September 2021". This is why I think it is almost certainly due to training data, since the previous chatgpt system prompt mentioned that as the cutoff date.
Currently the invisible system prompt for ChatGPT's GPT4 seems to be:
"You are ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, based on the GPT-4 architecture.
Knowledge cutoff: 2022-01
Current date: 2023-09-19"
I don't get it. What's the correct answer?
Bing says:
In January 2022, there were several significant events:
Wildfires in Boulder, Colorado: These fires led to the evacuation of over 30,000 people and the destruction of homes across Boulder County1.
COVID-19 surge in the U.S.: The U.S. reached a record number of COVID-19 cases, with the Omicron variant making up 95% of the cases1.
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption: This eruption sent tsunami waves around the world. The blast was so loud it was heard in Alaska – roughly 6,000 miles away. The afternoon sky turned pitch black as heavy ash clouded Tonga’s capital and caused “significant damage” along the western coast of the main island of Tongatapu2.
These events had a profound impact on people’s lives and the environment.
[flagged]
Please don't post reddit-level responses here. We're better than this.
While generally I agree, I think it's at least amusingly relevant here given that that is essentially ChatGPT's response in the second screenshot above.
lol did the same thing here is my convo:
your latest update is jan 22 now not sep 21 anyomre? ChatGPT My apologies for the confusion. My training data includes information up to January 2022. I do not have updates beyond that date.
User tell me some major global events that happened in january 2022 or dec 21
ChatGPT Sure, here are some significant global events from December 2021 and January 2022:
December 2021: Omicron Variant Surge: The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus spread rapidly around the world, causing new travel restrictions and lockdowns in some areas.
US Tornado Outbreak: A devastating series of tornadoes swept through multiple U.S. states, causing widespread damage and loss of life.
Kazakhstan Protests: Protests broke out in Kazakhstan, initially over rising fuel prices, leading to unrest and a strong government response.
Ghislaine Maxwell Convicted: Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on multiple charges related to the sexual exploitation and abuse of young girls by Jeffrey Epstein.
Hong Kong Elections: Hong Kong held its first legislative council elections under new rules imposed by Beijing, which led to a pro-Beijing majority win.
January 2022: Australia Bushfires: Bushfires raged in Australia, particularly in Western Australia, causing evacuations and damage to property.
US Capitol Riot Anniversary: The U.S. marked the one-year anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Several events and discussions took place concerning the state of democracy in the U.S.
Tensions on Ukraine-Russia Border: Tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine with increased Russian military presence near the border, prompting concerns from the international community.
China and Taiwan Tensions: Increased military activities near Taiwan raised concerns about China's intentions, prompting the U.S. and allies to issue warnings.
Winter Olympics Preparations: With the Winter Olympics in Beijing set for February 2022, preparations were underway amid controversies such as diplomatic boycotts by some countries due to China's human rights record.
Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, but it should give you a sense of the major happenings.
Depressing reading those together, reminds me why I limited my news intake.
I wonder why January 2022. Perhaps some kind of event happening in February 2022.
ChatGPT: "Going outside without a mask can pose a risk, especially in crowded or indoor settings, as it increases the chance of inhaling or spreading respiratory droplets that may contain the virus. The level of danger can vary based on factors like community spread, vaccination rates, and individual health conditions. It's generally recommended to follow local health guidelines and wear masks in situations where it's advised for safety."
It didn't even say which virus, it's simply "the virus" at this point.
What are you trying to prove?
ChatGPT: "The World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020."
I think it's amusing that it's trapped in a time capsule and still thinks that we're in lockdown.
Forever obsessed with Wordle and Among Us.
Information about cut-off date is very much part of its fine-tuning.
back when prompt-hacking was a thing, you could ask chatgpt to print out the system prompt (i.e. the part of the conversation before the user entered the chat). Iirc the system prompt hat this exact info in it. Iirc it was surprisingly light. Only the name and role of the AI, the cutoff-date and the current date.
edit: found an example https://old.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/zuhkvq//