OpenAI introduced plugin support for ChatGPT, their AI chatbot based on the GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 large language models. The latest version, GPT-4, became available to ChatGPT Plus users on March 14, 2023. This move aims to enhance the language model’s capabilities, allowing it to use third-party services, perform computations, and access current information.
Benefits of ChatGPT Plugins
Plugins have been eagerly anticipated by both users and developers due to their potential to expand ChatGPT’s use cases. They can provide access to more recent, specific, or personal data, acting as the AI’s “eyes and ears.” Additionally, plugins enable the AI to perform limited, secure actions on behalf of users.
OpenAI Hosted Plugins Browse and Code Interpreter
The Browse plugin allows ChatGPT to access information from the internet, offering more accurate and up-to-date responses. The Code Interpreter plugin enables ChatGPT to use Python and manage uploads and downloads in a sandboxed environment, proving useful for tasks like solving mathematical problems, analyzing data, and converting file formats.
Finding Plugin for Personal or Organizational Data Access
The open-source retrieval plugin enables ChatGPT to access personal or organizational information sources such as files, notes, emails, or public documentation. Developers can deploy and register their version of the self-hosted solution with ChatGPT, indexing and searching documents using OpenAI embeddings and various vector databases.
Third-Party Plugins and New ChatGPT Capabilities
Plugin support allows ChatGPT to interact with developer-defined APIs and connect to other apps, enhancing its range of tasks. Initial plugins come from companies like Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier. These plugins can access knowledge-based data and perform actions such as booking flights or ordering food for users.
Availability and Access to Plugins
Access to the plugin alpha will be granted to users and developers on a waitlist. Initially, a select group of developers and ChatGPT Plus users will receive access, with plans to gradually expand availability.
