In AI and ChatGPT, GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer. It is the name of a family of AI language models made by OpenAI that can write and answer questions in human-like text.
GPT has other meanings too. In computers, it means GUID Partition Table, a way of organising a hard drive. In medicine, it is an older name for Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase, a liver enzyme now usually called ALT. This guide explains each meaning in simple words, starting with the one most people are looking for.
| Field | GPT full form |
|---|---|
| AI, ChatGPT | Generative Pre-trained Transformer |
| Computers | GUID Partition Table |
| Medical | Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase (now usually called ALT) |
What each word in GPT means
- Generative: it generates, or creates, new text. It doesn’t just pick an answer from a list.
- Pre-trained: it first learns from a very large amount of text, before being adjusted for particular jobs like chatting or answering questions.
- Transformer: the type of neural network it is built on. Google researchers introduced the Transformer in a 2017 paper called “Attention Is All You Need”.
Put together: a GPT is a model that has pre-learned how language works from huge amounts of text, uses the Transformer design, and can generate new writing one word piece at a time.
Where the name GPT came from
The name traces back to a 2018 OpenAI paper, “Improving Language Understanding by Generative Pre-Training”, by Alec Radford, Karthik Narasimhan, Tim Salimans and Ilya Sutskever. It described a simple idea: first train a Transformer on lots of ordinary text, then fine-tune it for each task. The model learned from BooksCorpus, a collection of over 7,000 unpublished books, and beat the previous best results on 9 of the 12 tasks the authors tested.
Here is a surprising detail. That 2018 OpenAI paper never uses the short name “GPT”. One of the earliest places the full form is written out is a paper by Google researchers: BERT, first posted in October 2018, which compared its results against “the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (OpenAI GPT)”. OpenAI’s 2019 paper then named its successor GPT-2. When we checked OpenAI’s four main research papers, for GPT, GPT-2, GPT-3 and GPT-4, none of them spells out “Generative Pre-trained Transformer”. The full form simply joins the first paper’s title, “Generative Pre-Training”, with the Transformer it was built on.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Google researchers publish the Transformer design |
| 2018 | OpenAI’s first “generative pre-training” paper (the original GPT); Google’s BERT paper spells out “Generative Pre-trained Transformer (OpenAI GPT)” |
| 2019 | GPT-2, with up to 1.5 billion parameters |
| 2020 | GPT-3, with 175 billion parameters |
| 30 November 2022 | OpenAI launches ChatGPT |
| 2023 | GPT-4 technical report |
What does GPT mean in ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is simply Chat + GPT: a chat app built on OpenAI’s GPT models. “Chat” describes how you use it, by typing messages back and forth. “GPT” describes the kind of AI model doing the work behind the scenes. OpenAI launched ChatGPT on 30 November 2022 and has updated the models behind it many times since.
GPT full form in computers: GUID Partition Table
When you set up a hard drive or SSD, you may see a choice between GPT and MBR. Here, GPT means GUID Partition Table, a way of dividing a drive into sections called partitions. GUID stands for Globally Unique Identifier, because every partition gets its own unique ID.
| GPT | MBR (Master Boot Record) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Newer, part of UEFI | Older, from early PCs |
| Partitions | Windows allows up to 128 | Four entries; more need an “extended” partition |
| Safety | Keeps a backup copy of the partition table | No backup table |
| Booting Windows | Needed for UEFI booting on 64-bit Windows | Used with older BIOS systems |
For a modern computer, GPT is usually the right choice.
GPT full form in medical: Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase
On a blood test report, GPT or SGPT (Serum Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase) is an older name for ALT, alanine aminotransferase. MedlinePlus, from the US National Library of Medicine, lists GPT and SGPT as other names for the ALT test. ALT is an enzyme found mainly in the liver, and doctors use this test to check liver health. Only a doctor can tell you what your result means.
GPT full form in Hindi
GPT का फुल फॉर्म Generative Pre-trained Transformer है। इसका मतलब है एक ऐसा AI मॉडल जो पहले से बहुत सारे टेक्स्ट से सीखा हुआ है और नया टेक्स्ट बना सकता है। In English: a GPT is an AI model that has already learned from lots of text and can create new text.
Want to use AI for studying? See our list of the best free AI tools for students, and learn how AI trading software works. For more acronyms explained simply, read what two-factor authentication (2FA) means.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of GPT in ChatGPT?
Generative Pre-trained Transformer. ChatGPT is a chat app built on OpenAI’s GPT models.
Who created GPT?
OpenAI. Its 2018 paper by Alec Radford, Karthik Narasimhan, Tim Salimans and Ilya Sutskever introduced the approach. The Transformer design it uses came from Google researchers in 2017.
What is the Transformer in GPT?
A type of neural network design introduced in 2017. It uses a method called “attention” to work out how the words in a sentence relate to each other.
What does GPT mean in computers?
GUID Partition Table, a modern way of dividing a hard drive or SSD into partitions. It replaced the older MBR system.
What does SGPT mean in a blood test?
Serum Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase, an older name for the ALT liver enzyme test. Ask your doctor to explain your result.
Is GPT the same as AI?
No. AI is the whole field. GPT is one family of AI language models within it.
