What Is a ChatGPT Plugin?

ChatGPT has been making waves as the fastest growing product of all time. It can write code, draft emails, answer some medical questions better than doctors, summarize text, and much more. However, its limited by outdated information, difficulty with math, and a lack of real-world interaction.

Enter ChatGPT Plugins, the solution to these constraints.

Unveiling ChatGPT Plugins

ChatGPT’s limitations stem from its reliance on training data, which quickly becomes outdated. Plugins act as the “eyes and ears” of ChatGPT, offering a way for the AI to interact with the world.

The current ChatGPT model has a knowledge cutoff in September 2021. Plugins, like the News Plugin that we made, brings up to date information right into OpenAI’s ChatGPT web app.

News Plugin Example Use Case

The News Plugin offers a seamless way to access the latest news stories through ChatGPT:

1. Use natural language to search for news topics of interest.
2. ChatGPT, utilizing the News Plugin, retrieves relevant stories from various sources.
3. The AI then summarizes and analyzes the stories, presenting them to you within the ChatGPT interface.

Watch the demo of the News Plugin in action:

By enabling language models to perform safe, constrained actions in response to user requests, plugins significantly increase the overall usefulness of AI systems.

OpenAI’s Initial Launch Plugins and Third-Party Offerings

To provide you with an easy-to-follow overview of the available plugins, we’ve organized them into two separate categories: OpenAI’s launch plugins and third-party launch plugins. Check out the lists below:

OpenAI’s Launch Plugins

• Web Browser: An experimental model that knows when and how to browse the internet.
• Code Interpreter: An experimental ChatGPT model that can use Python, handle uploads and downloads.
• Retrieval: A flexible solution for semantic search and retrieval of personal or organizational documents using natural language queries
  • This was open sourced by OpenAI, but it doesn’t look like they will actually be serving this Plugin to users.

Third-Party Launch Plugins

• Expedia: Plan trips with ease, including transportation, accommodation, and activities.
• FiscalNote: Access real-time legal, political, and regulatory data sets.
• Instacart: Conveniently order groceries from local stores.
• KAYAK: Search and compare flights, accommodations, and rental cars while receiving budget-based recommendations.
• Klarna Shopping: Effortlessly search and compare prices across thousands of online shops.
• Milo Family AI: Empower parents with daily suggestions to make family life more enjoyable.
• OpenTable: Receive tailored restaurant recommendations and book reservations directly.
• Shop: Browse and discover products from a vast array of global brands.
• Speak: Learn and practice languages with an AI-powered language tutor.
• Wolfram: Access computational resources, curated knowledge, math assistance, and real-time data through Wolfram|Alpha and Wolfram Language.
• Zapier: Interact with over 5,000+ apps, such as Google Sheets, Trello, Gmail, HubSpot, and Salesforce, streamlining workflows and boosting productivity.

Envisioning the Future with ChatGPT Plugins

Imagine planning a vacation using ChatGPT and its plugins.

1. Provide ChatGPT with constraints like price, time, weather preferences, beach access, and more.
2. ChatGPT suggests a list of locations matching your criteria using the Expedia and KAYAK plugins.
3. Request ChatGPT to book delightful reservations for your vacation using the OpenTable Plugin.
4. Ask ChatGPT to find suitable clothing for your trip with the Klarna Plugin.
5. Request ChatGPT to order healthy groceries using the Instacart Plugin, helping you get in peak shape for your beach vacation.
6. Seek language instruction for your destination’s native language using the Speak plugin.

ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be the first to access plugins from early collaborators, and the ability to create custom plugins will be rolled out for developers. OpenAI plans to iterate on the protocol and enable integration of plugins into third-party applications beyond ChatGPT.

In summary, OpenAI’s ChatGPT plugins enhance the AI’s functionality and safety, enabling more accurate responses with evidence-based references and allowing for a wide range of new use cases.

Browsing product catalogs and booking flights is just the start!