The concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming more and more viable with today’s technology, and some of the latest software algorithms display amazing traits that resemble human reasoning. These algorithms have been proven effective with sophisticated tasks that require semantic analysis or long-term planning, which were previously considered too difficult to automate.
In particular, deep learning algorithms that are trained on a large number of samples can behave similar to humans in situations that require flexible and responsive decision making. While such behavior shouldn’t be confused for true sentience, the level of accuracy and the speed of processing information are truly impressive. When you are chatting with a large language model or playing a game against an advanced AI, it really feels as if you had a real person on the opposite side.
We will compare the strengths and weaknesses of ChatGPT vs. Stockfish to better explain how each of those software apps works and which of them can be considered to be the cutting edge of modern AI research and development.
Smart chatbots that rely on deep learning to provide variable, contextually nuanced answers to natural language queries have been around for a while, but the arrival of ChatGPT in late 2022 made all the earlier models instantly obsolete. This impressive chatbot was released to the general public and quickly became the fastest software ever to gain 100 million users, all thanks to its unmatched verbal skill and an ability to quickly generate new text that closely matches the requirements from the input.
This app is based on the Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT) model, a complex neural network with numerous layers that analyzes the training examples and learns to establish connections between different words and phrases. After extensive training, this model gains the capacity to generate unique content and to correctly interpret linguistic clues that reveal the intended meaning. In its ChatGPT incarnation, the model has already proven to be very useful for creating web content, software code, business correspondence, and many other tasks.
Open AI, the company that developed ChatGPT, continues to work on refining the model further and eliminating instances of incorrect data appearing in AI-generated responses. ChatGPT 4.0 version, which is currently deployed on the web and available to premium users, is far more powerful and reliable than previous versions but with additional updates this tool could grow into a truly transformative force that changes how we search for information online and how multimedia content is produced.
As opposed to programmable AI chat bots that can serve many different functions, Stockfish is highly specialized software application that does one thing only and does it extremely well. This is an AI-based chess software that can dominate against the very best human players and defeat any other algorithm that currently exists. Stockfish was able to demonstrate an impressive level of mastery as illustrated by an ELO rating of more than 3500, along with winning 14 titles in the Top Chess Engine Championship. Based on these accolades, is widely considered to be the most advanced chess software in the world.
It’s not a new product since it’s been around since 2008, but it’s continually improved using the latest AI algorithms to refine its chess strategies and gain more foresight and flexibility. This wouldn’t be possible without constant testing by a network of human volunteers located all around the world, which help to discover any deficiencies and prepare the model for every possible situation. Some variations of the model can be installed on mobile and desktop platforms, while its maximum size grows to 32 TB when all of its components are deployed.
For more than a decade, Stockfish has been the golden standard for chess engines and it continues to defeat rival software models as well as top-rated human players. Such longevity is rare in the world of modern software, and it goes to show how strong the foundations of this product really are. There are newer chess algorithms such as Google’s AlphaMind that can match or outperform Stockfish, but the fact that the race remains competitive is already impressive.
It may be true that both ChatGPT and Stockfish are AI-based software products, but similarities between them mostly end there. The underlying technologies are completely different, as are the scope of possible applications and the type of tasks the algorithm is well-equipped to perform. One software is a language model that was designed for maximum adaptability, while the other is narrowly specialized for chess playing and focused on resolving formal situations on the board.
Here is a brief summary of the most glaring differences between Stockfish and ChatGPT:
Are specialized AI applications more useful than generalized technologies?
Applications like Stockfish that have a singular objective are much easier to perfect to the point where they are ready for mass deployment, which increases their utility. On the other hand, breakthroughs with generalized tools such as the one seen with ChatGPT tend to have a more lasting impact on the market and affect users in more ways.
Do ChatGPT and Stockfish use the same computational strategies?
Both products utilize the principles of machine learning, but the structure of the models, paths for data routing, training procedures, and other details are divergent. In particular, Stockfish uses the efficiently updatable neural network concept, while GPT features an encoder-decoder architecture that leverages the attention mechanism.
Which of these software products has a greater potential for further improvement?
Stockfish has been in operation for a long time, and despite the considerable upgrade with the inclusion of an AI algorithm in 2020, it is close to its maximum efficiency. On the other hand, ChatGPT has only been recently released and it feels like we are just scratching the surface of what large language models of this type could become in the future.
Comparing these two models directly is difficult, since they are intended for different types of use. Still, it’s hard not to be overtaken by the magic of ChatGPT and excited about the future of this platform. While we understand exactly what Stockfish can do and how it does it, with ChatGPT we are still in the period when everything seems to be possible.
Despite the mistakes, it is prone to and an occasional funny moment, this amazing chatbot is among the most formidable AI applications available at the moment and is being used by a huge number of people.