During its first tech conference, OpenAI introduced a new service that will allow you to create your own version of ChatGPT tailored to your specific needs. What’s more, you don’t even need to know how to code.
Simply called GPTs, these custom chatbots can handle a variety of use cases across different scenarios. Businesses, for example, can create a special GPT that only their employees can access. Or parents can have one that’ll teach their kids how to solve tough math problems. It appears this is an evolution of Custom Instructions from this past July. The company told TheVerge they rolled out the features in order to give users some control over their AI, but people wanted more.
Making a custom GPT model, from the looks of it, is a fairly straightforward process. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman demonstrated the process at the event. What you need to be aware of is that there are a lot of steps involved.
A demonstration
First, you’ll need a subscription to ChatGPT Plus which is $20 a month or ChatGPT Enterprise if you own a business. Then you head over to your personal account and select the Create a GPT option at the top of the page. The GPT Builder tool will proceed to ask you what you want to make. Sam Altman demonstrated the process by telling the platform to generate a chatbot that will offer business advice to tech startups.
The tech will then create a fledgling AI model, which will be previewed on the right side of the screen. GPT Builder will press for more details like what name you want to give the chatbot or what kind of thumbnail image should it have. It is possible to configure it further by uploading your own data files to the AI, and further refining it for your purposes. There are also extra “capabilities” you can enable such as browsing the internet or integrating the DALL-E image generator.
Once you’re done, you can save your newly-made chatbot to make additional tweaks down the line or you can release it by sharing it with the public via link. There will be support for select third-party services so your model can access data from “emails, databases, and more”. Another live test displayed how users can connect their Google Calendar schedule to the custom AI through the Zapier tool.
The developer demonstrating her personal GPT asked it what her schedule looked like for the day and it brought up every single meeting she had penciled in. The bot even highlighted scheduling conflicts. Third-party support is currently limited to the Zapier tool, as well as the image editing site Canva.
Consent and security
OpenAI states chats between you and your personal GPT will not be shared with other people or the company unless you give your explicit consent. You are in control of your data at all times. That said, the developers do have “systems” in place that give them authority to review user-generated GPTs to make sure they don’t run afoul of company policy. OpenAI doesn’t want people to create chatbots that involve themselves with “fraudulent activity, hateful content, or adult themes.” They want to keep things squeaky clean.
The GPT Builder is available in a beta state to everyone who has a subscription to ChatGPT Plus. Later in November, OpenAI will launch the GPT Store which will display “creations by verified builders.” You’ll be able to search chatbots made by others across multiple categories like productivity and education. Further down the line, presumably next year, it will be possible to make money off your chatbots “based on how many people are using your GPT.”
Pretty cool stuff, we must admit. It’ll be interesting to see what chatbot climbs to the top of the leaderboards on the GPT Store.
If you want to learn more about the tech, check out TechRadar’s list of the best AI tools for 2023.