My Italy tour guide became ChatGPT.

• Since adding ChatGPT to my repertoire, I have used it extensively as a tour guide in Italy.
• Our audio tour of the Pantheon was comparable to ChatGPT's 400-word write-up of the same location.
• Although we had numerous human tour guides on our trip, ChatGPT performed exceptionally when we decided to utilize technology.

While waiting for our audio tour of the Pantheon to start under the scorching sun in Rome with my mom, I decided to pass the time with ChatGPT.

"Tell me about the Pantheon in Rome," I said.

The information returned by the AI tool was helpful but not engaging.

"Imagine yourself as a tour guide and narrate it to me in a more captivating manner," you requested.

In August, we embarked on a seven-city journey to commemorate my mom's 60th birthday. She was unaware that I had brought along a digital companion.

"Welcome, Chef, to one of Rome's most extraordinary treasures—The Pantheon," the AI tool greeted me.

Let me take you on a journey back in time to a sacred space where gods, emperors, and artists intersect.

Since its launch in November 2022, OpenAI's ChatGPT has transformed the field of artificial intelligence, increasing the company's valuation to a staggering $157 billion. AI startups have raised $111 billion in funding since the beginning of 2023, and big tech companies have invested millions of processors to train AI models. The generative AI market is predicted to generate over $1 trillion in revenue within the next decade.

Many everyday internet users find it confusing to determine how to use ChatGPT effectively.

I frequently use ChatGPT for various tasks, such as selecting a movie from a list of five and summarizing long articles.

As a tour guide in Italy, my favorite use case for ChatGPT has been.

"As we began our Pantheon visit, the chatbot instructed, "Upon entering, gaze upward." The dome, a marvel of engineering, is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in existence and has remained so for nearly two thousand years."

The audio tour we purchased was excellent, and ChatGPT's 400-word write-up was equally impressive. However, the headset version of the tour included our entrance tickets.

During our journey, ChatGPT informed us that the central figure of the Trevi Fountain was Neptune on a chariot drawn by sea horses, and also explained why Rome's Stadio Olimpico still honored Benito Mussolini.

The monument has remained due to being viewed as a historical artifact, the chatbot stated.

In Florence's cuisine, truffles were a common ingredient, and Austrian Archduke Maximilian I served as viceroy of Lombardy-Venetia in Milan before being installed as emperor of Mexico by Napoleon III.

We still need tour guides. For now

We used plenty of human tour guides across Italy, so there's no need to worry about the future of the industry.

In Vatican City, our tour guide, Amy, skillfully shortened the massive queue for security and granted us entry into the Holy City. She guided us through the art exhibits and readied us to marvel at the Sistine Chapel.

The Vatican's trusted tour guides have the privilege of spinning the enormous bronze sphere, an art structure known as Sfera con Sfera, in the Courtyard of the Pinecone.

We were thankful for the guides who took us to the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated in Rome, led a boat tour of the five towns of Cinque Terre, guided us through the vineyards in Tuscany, showed us a hidden courtyard in Venice where "Casino Royale" was filmed, and took us to George Clooney's villa in Lake Como.

We satisfied our curiosity by turning to ChatGPT in various interesting little corners, alleys, and buildings.

As we exited the Pantheon and strolled across the piazza towards Santa Maria sopra Minerva, we were unaware of the church's details. Thus, I inquired about it using ChatGPT.

This Gothic church in Rome, tucked away behind the Pantheon, is one of the few remaining examples of the city's rich history and is filled with treasures that tell the story of a city where the ancient and the sacred come together.

Among those treasures was a sculpture near the church's altar.

"Michelangelo's Christ the Redeemer, one of the church's most renowned artworks, is located to your left. The statue depicts Christ holding the cross with a calm, almost peaceful expression. It's an impressive work that embodies both the human and divine aspects of Christ, and it's astonishing to consider that it was crafted by the same hands that created the Sistine Chapel."

In a week, we would battle other tourists for a clear photo of Michelangelo's David in Florence. However, at the church in Rome, we were alone with our chatbot, admiring a historical statue made by the same artist.

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