Why OpenAI Replaced ChatGPT Plugins With GPT
ChatGPT plugins were a great addition to the ChatGPT Plus plan: they acted like browser extensions for ChatGPT, adding third-party features to the chatbot that OpenAI didn’t build on its own.
Unfortunately for fans of these plugins, they are no longer available. OpenAI stopped releasing them back in April , telling users that existing plugin conversations could not continue. (They are still viewable, however.) OpenAI didn’t remove an important feature, however: the company made that decision because it viewed its new tool, GPT, as an improved successor.
What is GPT?
This can be a little confusing since OpenAI uses the name “GPT” in different ways. You may be more familiar with GPT LLMs: these include GPT-3.5, GPT-4, GPT-4 Turbo, etc. These GPT LLMs are the basis of ChatGPT, as well as programs that outsource artificial intelligence processing to OpenAI. For example, Microsoft’s Copilot uses GPT-4 Turbo .
On the other hand, GPTs in this context are customized versions of ChatGPT. Both users and developers can create custom GPTs to do whatever they want: for example, you can create a GPT that designs custom logos , generates images using DALL-E , or records in the manner of your choice . These can be basic bots or bots of full complexity.
The best part is that this app is code-free : you assume that in order to create one of these programs, you need to know how to write code to make it work. But OpenAI’s GPT designer works like a conversation. You tell the developer what your GPT should do, upload additional information to help the bot work, and select its capabilities (web browsing, image generation, and code interpretation), and it generates a GPT for you. And since GPTs are trained on OpenAI’s latest GPT models (again, confusing, I know), there is less dependence on third party processes or APIs to achieve the same goals.
You still need a ChatGPT Plus or Enterprise account to use GPT, but if you’re a paying customer, you can get started here . The designer will guide you through the entire process, including suggesting names and creating logos. Along the way, you can adjust whatever you see fit.
How do GPTs replace plugins?
While it’s great that OpenAI has created a GPT builder that literally anyone can use, it doesn’t seem to fill the void that plugins leave. After all, you don’t necessarily want to create your own browser extensions: you want to download the best ones from your browser’s web store and be done with it.
But GPTs aren’t just about self-creation: anyone, including companies, can create GPTs and post them to the GPT Store for others to use. One of the reasons OpenAI moved away from plugins is that many of the same companies that worked on these applications also have GPTs that do the same thing. Kayak had a ChatGPT plugin for checking travel prices, but now has GPT instead . If you liked Wolfram’s ChatGPT plugin, you’ll probably like its GPT . OpenAI claims that while the plugin beta had just over 1,000 plugins to choose from, the GPT Store has hundreds of thousands of GPTs available for use. While there’s undoubtedly a lot of junk in the GPT store, chances are you’ll find GPTs you’ll want to use.
If you like a particular plugin, try searching for it in the GPT store. (Kayak and Wolfram were right up there.) Of course, the large number of GPTs in the store means that things have changed significantly: Like other app stores, the GPT Store has “Recommended” and “Trending” tabs for searching for GPT OpenAI and other apps. ChatGPT users love it. OpenAI is currently offering me a position as a GPT wine sommelier as well as a language teacher .
Browse through the GPT store and see if any of the options on offer suit your needs. Then search for the apps you’re looking for and see if they’ve already been created. You can get an idea of how well GPT is liked by reviews and the number of conversations it’s been used in, similar to checking app store ratings. However, if you don’t find what you’re looking for, you can try creating a GPT yourself.
Of course, like all artificial intelligence products, GPTs can hallucinate . In other words, sometimes they just make things up. Don’t take everything your GPT answers as proven fact, even if it has internet access. If you are using GPT for something important, always check the facts before using the information it provides.