Chatting about ChatGPT: how may AI and GPT impact academia and libraries?

Purpose This paper aims to provide an overview of key definitions related to ChatGPT, a public tool developed by OpenAI, and its underlying technology, Generative Pretrained Transformer (GPT). Design/methodology/approach This paper includes an interview with ChatGPT on its potential impact on academia and libraries. The interview discusses the benefits of ChatGPT such as improving search and discovery, reference and information services; cataloging and metadata generation; and content creation, as well as the ethical considerations that need to be taken into account, such as privacy and bias. Findings ChatGPT has considerable power to advance academia and librarianship in both anxiety-provoking and exciting new ways. However, it is important to consider how to use this technology responsibly and ethically, and to uncover how we, as professionals, can work alongside this technology to improve our work, rather than to abuse it or allow it to abuse us in the race to create new scholarly knowledge and educate future professionals. Originality/value This paper discusses the history and technology of GPT, including its generative pretrained transformer model, its ability to perform a wide range of language-based tasks and how ChatGPT uses this technology to function as a sophisticated chatbot.