ChatGPT For Dummies

by Pam Baker

Updated to provide a deeper and closer look at ChatGPT

Expanded and extended, this new edition of ChatGPT For Dummies covers the latest tools, models, and options available on the popular generative AI platform. You'll learn best practices for using ChatGPT as a text and media generation tool, research assistant, and content reviewer. If you're new to the world of AI, you'll get all the basic know-how needed to add ChatGPT to your professional toolbox. And if you've been doing the genAI thing for a while already, this book will sharpen your skills as you apply AI to real-world projects in an ethical manner. You'll get insight on the best practice for using ChatGPT to make your life and work easier and how to write prompts that result in high-quality output.

Understand what generative AI is and how ChatGPT produces human-like responses Get tips on writing effective prompts and using ChatGPT to generate sound and images Apply ChatGPT to your daily work or personal life Discover the best way to fact-check AI-generated content to avoid errors and hallucinations Anyone using ChatGPT to enhance their work—whether for professional or personal use—will get better results with ChatGPT For Dummies.

Genres: Artificial Intelligence, Nonfiction, Technology, Reference, Computer Science, Computers, Business

352 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2025

Reviews

[Stephen Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very high level primer on ChatGPT but worth reading

[Brian Herzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy read and I feel it does what it is supposed to do: provide an entry level understanding of what chatGPT is and is not in a way any non-technical person can understand. It will correct any misunderstandings folks that have only read media articles about these technologies may have developed. But it won't give very much specific advice on how to write good prompts, which I thought it would.

[Terrell Whitehead]

Simple, Yet Descriptive.

This book does exactly what you need: explaining all you need to learn about Chatgpt and other AI language models. I feel like I've learned a lot about this useful bit of technology. A must read for those interested in Chatgpt or for hobbyists of any kind.

[James Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been using GPT for a while and have done a lot of reading on the subject. Still felt compelled to read this to see if there was anything I could pick up. There was. Easy read, great resource for those wondering what it is and where to start.

I enjoyed the author’s chapter on education. I truly believe AI (if utilized appropriately) can revolutionize learning and really ease burdens on teachers.

[Banshee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good introduction book to everything ChatGDP-related as long as the reader keeps the expectations reasonable. It's not supposed to be in-depth analysis of the subjects related to AI or a detailed guide on how to use it for own purposes. It's basically a bit of everything. It might be surface-level, but it provides guidance on where to go next and obtain more information on some more interesting subjects (for example, how to create better prompts).

The biggest weakness on any nonfiction written on fast-changing technology, however, is that any information becomes quickly outdated. In 5 years the book will probably be completely useless.

[Mandy, Erste ihres Namens, Mutter der Kaninchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3,5 ⭐️ Guter Überblick mit Beispielen in umgänglicher Sprache. Gerade der Anfang und die Top 10 am Ende haben mir gut gefallen. Es war allerdings nicht besonders kritisch und die ethische Komponente hat mir gefehlt.

[Grazyna Nawrocka · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best part of this book was section about ethical concerns and regulations. I found also interesting information about using ChatGPT and Excel, although wish there were more about it in the book.

[Wendelle]

this book has some deft, practical suggestions for improving desired results acquired from ChatGPT, such as prompt chaining, iterative prompting to get greater specificity, role assignment or style assignment (i.e. asking ChatGPT to respond in the manner of a tour guide or a cybersecurity expert's response, or asking specifically for a Brutalist or Baroque design in a work of art or music composition). It also offers some practical uses of ChatGPT in some industries (marketing, education, art generation, personal finance advisory)

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the better ChatGPT resource books that I have read so far. Some good basic information, explained in a way that non-computer savvy people may understand.

[Farideh · Rating 2 out of 5]

تند خوانی کردم و بدک نبود

[Anh Tran · Rating 3 out of 5]

ChatGPT for newbies. I hope the book dives deep into explaining how chatGPT works.

[Behrooz Parhami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the unabridged 5-hour audio version of this title (read by Angela Juarez, Tantor Audio, 2023).

This is the first "for dummies" title that I have pursued for my own benefit, rather than to assess and introduce such a book to novices. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the depth and breadth of the book. As a Distinguished Professor, I thought I wouldn't be caught dead learning something from a "for dummies" book, but I did learn a lot from Pam Baker's systematic and comprehensive treatment. The book allowed me to sort out and systematize what I had previously learned about ChatGPT from a multitude of articles, videos, and talks.

This clear, engaging, and approachable book demystifies the world of conversational AI and introduces readers to the power of ChatGPT, using clear explanations, practical examples, and step-by-step instructions. This book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in exploring the possibilities of conversational AI.

Following is a list of chapters and their very brief summaries in terms of basics, the ethics of using AI-generated content, the potential for bias & misinformation in AI-generated content, and guidelines for using AI responsibly. The book concludes with a chapter on the future of AI. We learn that some disruption is inevitable, but the rewards under proper care and responsible use are monumental.

- Introducing ChatGPT: It's not just another conversational AI tool but the field's gold standard.

- Understanding Conversational AI: Insights into NLP, ML, and components of a chatbot system.

- Getting Started with ChatGPT: From setting up the development environment to accessing the necessary tools & resources.

- Designing Conversations: Principles and best practices for creating engaging and effective conversations with ChatGPT.

- Training Your Chatbot: Data collection & preprocessing steps, and techniques for fine-tuning and optimizing the chatbot’s performance.

- Evaluating and Improving Chatbot Performance: Metrics for assessing conversational quality and strategies for enhancing the chatbot’s responses & user experience.

- Deploying Your Chatbot: Hosting options, integration with messaging platforms, and considerations for scaling & maintaining the chatbot’s availability.

- Advanced Techniques and Applications: Multilingual support, persona-based conversations, and integrating external APIs to enhance the chatbot’s capabilities.

- Conclusion: A summary of key learnings and the potential of ChatGPT in revolutionizing conversational AI.

I highly recommend this book to novices and experts alike.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept hearing about chat gpt and just couldn’t wrap my head around it or figure out how I could use it. This was a helpful and informative crash course to explain this innovative technology in a way I could understand. Easy quick read. It finally clicked that using chat gpt is like asking a friend for advice or their opinion. Take it with a grain of salt, verify the info, use what you need and discard the rest. I’m a real estate agent and I find this helpful for writing marketing blurbs. Basically, I will take my own clunky paragraph and Ask ChatGPT to make it sound better. Then I will edit the response and voila I have what I need. Chat gpt is not a copy and paste solution; you still need to use your brain and edit. But it’s a very helpful tool and collaborator! I hear a lot of fear mongering and negativity around this technology- it’s here and it’s only going to get bigger and better. Might as well figure out what it is and how to use it rather than fight it.

[Alim Adigozalov · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a friendly guide that breaks down the complex world of ChatGPT into bite-sized, understandable pieces. Baker writes in a clear and engaging way, making it easy for anyone to start exploring artificial intelligence. The book mixes explanations with practical examples, making learning both fun and applicable. It touches on the tech behind ChatGPT, how to use it, and even the big questions it brings up about AI’s role in our future. Whether you’re just curious or want to dive deep into ChatGPT, this book is a great starting point. It’s like having a chat with a knowledgeable friend who keeps things light and informative.

[Todd Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book demystifies the artificial intelligence tool that can answer questions, write essays, and generate just about any kind of text it’s asked for.

In this book, I learned how ChatGPT works and how I can operate it in a way that yields satisfactory results.

The book also explores the ethics of using AI-generated content for various purposes.

Written by a journalist and dives deep into ChatGPT’s potential, so you can make informed decisions—without asking ChatGPT for help.

Learn how ChatGPT works and how it fits into the world of generative AI

Write queries that deliver the kind of response you want.

[Craig Beyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent introduction to ChatGPT. It’s thorough and robust. One feature I liked was the pro/cons sections at the ends of some chapters as those sections aired the difficulties, risks, and frailties of using “AI” to create content. Another significant feature, especially in creating text, was that ChapGPT and other “AI” tools are very limited in their abilities to create accurate content. It is also apparent that creating the proper prompts is likely of the same order of difficulty and effort as creating content without ChatGPT. Draw your own conclusions if you intend to use ChatGPT for creating Tex content.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth the read. Definitely has some good thoughts and is a good high level overview of the topic.
Things are moving fast though and I’m sure this book might get dated quickly.

However, the pictures in the book are awful. Extremely hard to read and make out the text in the attached screenshots and such.
Thus, removing a star for that aspect of the book.

I really liked the last chapter which includes 10 other Generative AI tools to try out.

All that being said, I would still recommend someone to read the book. Especially if you are new to the topic.

[Sharon Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complicated topic and a reasonable explanation of what I'm can and cannot do

This book helped me understand what ChatGPT is. I keep seeing this in various media but had no idea of what it was or what it can do. This book was very helpful to translate complex computerized thinking , code writing, and use into understandable information for on computer people. Recommend this as a way to understand how computers are going to reshape our future everyday life.

[Daniel Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad basic introduction, although with the pace of change in this field it's going to need a new edition every 12 months or so to stay anywhere near current. I found the text quite repetitive, but I think that was a result of the book being written in such a way that you can dip in and read whichever chapters you want in whatever order you like - I read it from cover to cover, but for those who are only interested in certain parts, this could be a good thing.

[Adom Bramlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did learn some new things about ChatGPT reading this, I could've learned a great deal more. The parts about how to write good prompts to get the most out of ChatGPT in particular could've been more detailed. But this was still very useful for learning what ChatGPT CANNOT do, which is important!

[Alexis Bauer Kolak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, comprehensive overview of the pros and pitfalls of this tool and others like it. I was expecting a chapter on how to write better prompts, but that's not here, maybe because it would get out of date fast. Even without that, if you're interested in the coming impact of genAI, this is a great read.

[Dan]

Description:
Contents:
Introduction:
- About This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- Icons Used in This Book
- Beyond the Book
- Where to Go from Here
Chapter 1: Introducing ChatGPT:
- Setting Up an Account
- Comparing ChatGPT, Search Engines, and Analytics
- Understanding What ChatGPT is and isn't:

[Jim Welke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is technical in nature and the author explains ChatGPT and AI. She also thinks while this is a great new horizon, she feels it will be a while before AI will be running the world. Some of the first things done using ChatGPT have turned out to be incorrect. While they are still trying to work out the bugs, not all AI research can be trusted.

[Charles Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam Baker's 'ChatGPT for Dummies' offers an engaging and concise introduction to the realm of Artificial Intelligence. It's the perfect choice for anyone eager to explore this exciting field, beginning with a deep dive into one of the industry's most influential and captivating tools —ChatGPT.

[Arturs Sevselevs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not worth to buy - rather watch a few videos - will get the same level of knowledge. Especially when it comes to prompt engineering (which is arguably the most important part) - not many insights there which makes this book not worth it for me.

[Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all that fulfilling for me.

I don't think I learned anything I didn't get from the news or a little noodling on the AI chatbots.

Might be a good introduction if you come in knowing close to nothing about the topic.

[Anthony Deluca · Rating 3 out of 5]

High level overview of Chat GPT. Much of what is written in here will need to be updated before long. Good overview and worth the read. It is a short book. It also has many references to other places to go to try things or learn more.

[Dana Andalora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting points

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview and thoughts on ChatGPT and generative AI.

[Guillermo García Rojas C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro introductorio a ChatGPT. Pasa mucho tiempo advirtiendo al usuario de posibles malas respuestas.