GPT-3 & Zero-Shot Reasoning

In this episode, we examine why GPT-3 became a historic turning point in AI—not because of a new algorithm, but because of scale. We explore how a single model trained on internet-scale data began performing tasks it was never explicitly trained for, and why this forced researchers to rethink what “reasoning” in machines really means.

We unpack the scale hypothesis, the shift away from fine-tuning toward task-agnostic models, and how GPT-3’s size unlocked zero-shot and few-shot learning. This episode also looks beyond the hype, examining the limits of statistical reasoning, failures in arithmetic and logic, and the serious risks around hallucination, bias, and misinformation.

This episode covers:

• Why GPT-3 marked the shift from specialist models to general-purpose systems
• The scale hypothesis: how size alone unlocked new capabilities
• Zero-shot, one-shot, and few-shot learning explained
• In-context learning vs fine-tuning
• Emergent abilities in language, translation, and style
• Why GPT-3 “reasons” without symbolic logic
• Failure modes: arithmetic, logic, hallucination
• Bias, fairness, and the risks of training on the open internet
• How GPT-3 reshaped prompting, UX, and AI interaction

This episode is part of Season 6: LLM Evolution to the Present of the Adapticx AI Podcast.

This episode is part of the Adapticx AI Podcast. Listen via the link provided or search “Adapticx” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or most podcast platforms.

Sources and Further Reading

Additional references and extended material are available at:

https://adapticx.co.uk