ChatGPT’s popularity brought in a wave of customizations and enhancements that promoted the augmentation of the language model chatbot to fit various use cases. Among these were ChatGPT plugins that allowed the platform to connect to the internet (albeit to a limited degree) and also perform several niche tasks for users. Primarily, they allow ChatGPT to access the latest information in a particular area, essentially extending its capacity to function more efficiently. Open AI began extending support to plugins in March 2023 with the launch of its Plugins Store, and several developers and amateurs alike have made extensive use of the newfound customizability on the chatbot platform. Within a short period, OpenAI’s Plugins Store began witnessing rapid growth, bringing in extensive numbers of users.
Starting with around 70 plugins, the store has swelled to include over 850 options and counting, indicating the rapid growth the section has witnessed. Moreover, OpenAI’s support for the same has also paid off in dividends and has once again obtained the first mover’s advantage. While Bard is slowly growing its capabilities, Google is just getting started on unveiling Bard’s plugins section; on the other hand, ChatGPT’s plugins’ use cases have already grown immensely popular. This gives OpenAI a much-needed edge in what’s turning out to be a stiff rivalry between the AI giants. The following sections explore the potential plugins present and how they can enhance a chatbot’s existing abilities.
What is a Plugin? Understanding OpenAI’s Plugin Store and Its Offerings
Plugins can currently be used only on the GPT-4 model
Plugins essentially enhance the functionality of the language model and orient it for niche requirements defined by it, essentially they allow the AI chatbot to perform a specific task that might lie outside of its capabilities. All plugins are available on the OpenAI Plugins Store. Interestingly, only a minority of the plugins are created by OpenAI, and the vast majority have been developed by third-party developers. While the Plugins Store remains accessible to all users, the plugins in specific can be run only on the paid version of ChatGPT which comes with a subscription to ChatGPT Plus. Because they’re modeled to function primarily on the GPT-4 paradigms, these plugins can often not be used along with GPT-3.5 or GPT-3. Plugins come in a vast variety and can perform a broad range of tasks that extend from simple processes such as providing you with structuring an itinerary to extracting important bits of information from a vast volume of text.
Generative artificial intelligence and its capabilities can be greatly modified and specified using plugins. Plugins on OpenAI’s plugin store can be found by using a keyword, or by sorting them based on numerous filters such as “New,” or “Popular.” While in-house plugins on ChatGPT like the Code Interpreter do not require any separate registration, users looking to install third-party plugins might have to create an account on the source platforms or connect their ChatGPT account to use them. For mobile users, ChatGPT’s plugins are not yet available on the chatbot’s iOS and Android applications. Most importantly, users looking to begin using ChatGPT plugins should be advised that these tools are distinct from browser extensions that can be linked to the chatbot. Browser extensions are often targeted at making the user experience more streamlined when compared to the average session on the language model’s web interface. Regardless, both plugins and extensions aim to enhance productivity brought about by fine-tuning the language model in specific ways.
Why ChatGPT Plugins Matter
Plugins can greatly enhance user experience if they have very specific requirements from the language model.
Plugins are important to language models because they allow language models to bridge any potential gaps that might exist in the underlying data set. Moreover, plugins can even allow chatbots to perform complex tasks such as programming and data analysis, based on the technical soundness and stability of the plugin. LLMs are malleable, and plugins allow these vast generative tools to be molded based on user preferences. Despite ChatGPT’s primary focus remaining on language, its features, and the way it’s used to communicate, the data it’s modeled on is extensive and enables the underlying model to perform a variety of tasks. For example: while ChatGPT is more than capable of solving a range of mathematical problems, advanced mathematics still lies fairly out of its domain and the model tends to hallucinate. This gap can be bridged by linking the chatbot to a math-specific plugin to ensure it performs even complex mathematical operations to a better degree.
The plugins available for ChatGPT still feature under the beta section, and a certain level of instability must be expected. However, given that most plugins come from third parties, each plugin must be verified to avoid any safety issues or risks. Currently, only a maximum of three plugins can be active based on OpenAI’s limits. While the reasons aren’t apparent, a bigger number of plugins might make the platform unstable or just impact the overall user experience on the interface. Good use of plugins can shape language models to better suit advanced applications such as business and big data. Though in the early stages, success with plugins will hint at broader applications of these tools and enhance the overall utility of chatbots such as ChatGPT considerably.
The Future of OpenAI’s Plugins
Plugins will determine the extent of customizability with respect to ChatGPT and other language model chatbots.
While plugins have caught the attention of numerous users ever since their launch, users must be aware of the implications they hold. Moreover, understanding that third-party plugins might not always work the way they should is just as important. Plugins often end up connecting the ChatGPT interface with an external application, and there exists a good chance that the chatbot will exchange a certain degree of data to enhance user experience. That being said, these tools have made a major difference in the way users interact with AI in general and have opened up the possibilities to broader applications of language model artificial intelligence. As more developers look to customize use cases, the number of plugins on the store will only increase. With the growth of the plugins ecosystem, firms such as ChatGPT must ensure ethical and safety concerns are mitigated by adhering to the principles of responsible AI. If primed and secured appropriately, plugins might also provide useful insights into customizing the chatbot efficiently to suit more educational operations and use cases.
FAQs
1. How can one use ChatGPT plugins?
To use ChatGPT plugins, users must be subscribed to ChatGPT Plus. Plugins run only on the GPT-4 language model and can be toggled from the “Beta Features” section of the “Settings” tab of the user profile on the OpenAI interface.
2. How can one add plugins to ChatGPT?
The below process details adding plugins to ChatGPT:
- Access “Settings & Beta” from the profile tab on ChatGPT.
- Access “Beta features” and toggle “Plugins.”
- Select “New Chat” on ChatGPT.
- Toggle GPT-4.
- Access “Plugins” from the dropdown menu under “GPT-4.”
- Click on the “No plugins enabled dropdown,” select “Plugin store,” and choose the plugin to install from the store followed by clicking “Install.”
3. Are ChatGPT plugins free?
While the plugins in themselves are free to use, users will have to be subscribed to the paid ChatGPT Plus to access plugins.