How to use third-party ChatGPT plug-ins

Since its release on November 30, 2022, OpenAI's artificial intelligence (AI) language processing tool ChatGPT has captivated the world. Its mind-blowing ability to generate content by effortlessly mimicking the subtleties of human language has delighted users around the world and has been one of the main reasons for its rapid growth in popularity.

Trained on a massive data set spanning a wide range of literary works and online sources, ChatGPT has ushered in an era where artificial intelligence is impacting communication, computation, transcription, translations, and more.

While the standard features of ChatGPT are already in use in a wide variety of environments, both OpenAI and third-party developers are working to extend its capabilities with plugins.

In March 2023, OpenAI introduced its own ChatGPT plugin library along with a collection of third-party plugins. The initial list of third-party plugins included offerings from such well-known companies as Expedia, Instacart, OpenTable, Kayak, Milo, Slack, and Shopify.

What are the advantages of using third-party ChatGPT plugins?

Third-party ChatGPT plugins play a key role in improving ChatGPT's capabilities.

ChatGPT enhancements to improve functionality

Third-party plugins extend ChatGPT's capabilities by adding new features and services beyond its basic capabilities. Some of the chatbot enhancements offer industry-specific solutions to combat unique challenges, customizing ChatGPT's capabilities to ensure fine-grained workflows and compliance with internal standards.

For example, plugins intended for use in the healthcare industry can be customized to use medical terminology and to make possible diagnoses based on a patient's symptoms and tests. Third-party plugin developers are improving the effectiveness of ChatGPT across a wider range of industries by targeting specific use cases.

Removal of restrictions

Third-party plug-ins extend the ChatGPT user experience by exposing various features beyond the standard version of ChatGPT. For example, some plug-ins can utilize information released after 2021, while the standard ChatGPT tool can only access pre-2021 information.

Many plugins rely on special services that provide access to more recent data to allow them to have this capability.

How to install third-party ChatGPT plugins

The first step in installing ChatGPT plugins is to obtain a ChatGPT Plus subscription, as ChatGPT plugins are available exclusively to ChatGPT Plus users. Once you have a ChatGPT Plus subscription, log into your account, find the "Settings" icon in the bottom left corner of the page and click on it. This will take you to the settings menu.

In the settings menu, you will find the Beta Features section. Click on it to go to the beta features settings. In the "Beta Features" section, toggle the "Plugins" button to enable plugin support, and then select "New Chat" from the drop-down menu located at the top left of the page.

After that, switch the ChatGPT version to GPT-4. The next step is to access the plugin store, to do this click "Plugins" from the menu and select "Plugin Store". This will allow you to manage and install ChatGPT plugins.

Take your time and carefully review the options offered and select the plugins you want to install. To start the installation process, click the "Install" button for the corresponding plugin.

Once the installation process is complete, you can start using the installed plugins. So are the ChatGPT plugins free? Yes, the plugins are free and are available with a ChatGPT Plus subscription.

What features do third-party ChatGPT plugins offer?

Third-party ChatGPT plugins are used for different purposes depending on their functionality. The following describes how plug-ins are used with ChatGPT and some of the main purposes of third-party ChatGPT plug-ins:

Extraction

Some third-party ChatGPT plugins are used for information retrieval. Many of these are designed to optimize the retrieval of relevant data from a large knowledge base. Rather than relying solely on ChatGPT's generative abilities, these plugins use pre-indexed data from internal records to quickly retrieve information.

Using indexing techniques or specialized search algorithms, these plugins allow ChatGPT to access specific information, speed up response times, and improve response accuracy.

The ChatGPT Retrieval plugin is an example of a ChatGPT plugin designed for information retrieval. The plugin has semantic search capabilities, which allows it to retrieve data from third-party sources.

Users using the plug-in can obtain the information they need by asking ChatGPT relevant questions, which are then processed and communicated using natural language. The plug-in has been developed for organizations seeking to improve usability by making internal documents more accessible to employees via ChatGPT.

Calculations

Some ChatGPT plugins are designed for computational purposes. Plug-ins are used to extend ChatGPT functionality by integrating AI with math libraries or frameworks that allow solving unique arithmetic and other computational problems.

Many plugins analyze user input to identify mathematical expressions embedded in the conversation. They then process these expressions using basic math libraries.

Once the computation is performed, the plugins generate an appropriate response containing information related to the computation and the result of the computation.

The Wolfram ChatGPT plugin is an example of a computational plugin designed to customize and integrate ChatGPT. The plug-in allows ChatGPT to utilize real-time data and the unique computational capabilities offered by the Wolfram technology stack to enhance ChatGPT's proficiency in providing insightful and data-driven answers.

This is made possible by Wolfram|Alpha technology, which includes computational algorithms that solve a variety of mathematical problems, including differential equations and linear algebra.

Visualization

Third-party ChatGPT visualization plug-ins are designed to integrate visualizations and graphical representations into the responses generated by ChatGPT, allowing users to more intuitively understand and interpret data and trends. Visualizations are typically presented using charts, graphs, diagrams, diagrams, and other visual representations.

They facilitate the analysis of user input in ChatGPT to determine the type of visualization required and then present the requested data in the appropriate format.

That said, ChatGPT visualization plugins differ in the way they work due to their different designs. Some plugins, for example, offer domain-specific visualization, while others may have a more universal approach.

The Polygon ChatGPT plugin is an example of a domain-specific third-party ChatGPT plugin used to create data visualizations. The plugin helps users explore real-time and historical trends in financial markets by presenting information in a visual format, making the data presentation richer. It covers equity, forex, options, index and cryptocurrency markets. Some general purpose third-party plugins such as Notable, which creates computational notebooks, can also be used to create data visualizations.

Other functionalities

In addition to the above features, ChatGPT plugins can recommend products for online shopping, create travel recommendations, enable ChatGPT browsing, and even help with coding and transcription. The possibilities of the plugins are endless due to their unique functionality.

In addition to the standard plugins, there are also ChatGPT Chrome extensions that integrate with ChatGPT. The extensions allow users to interact directly with the AI in the Chrome browser window. Some of them enhance the user's search experience by displaying AI answers next to search engine results.

Are third-party ChatGPT plugins reliable?

It is important to note that while third-party plugins can extend the capabilities of ChatGPT, they are not part of the core model and have their own limitations. The effectiveness of these plugins depends on their design, the quality of their integration, and the data and services they access.

In addition, ChatGPT plugins typically require human input to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information they generate, so without supervision, their results are likely to be less than perfect.

Another limitation is that third-party plugin developers are likely to provide varying levels of support. As a result, the frequency of updates and reliability of plugins may vary significantly.

The Future of ChatGPT Plugins

Third-party ChatGPT plugins are expected to bring significant enhancements and innovations to further extend the versatility, utility and resources of ChatGPT's large language generative model.

Future plugin developments are likely to enable them to provide more accurate responses. In addition, ethical considerations are likely to play a key role in the future development of ChatGPT plugins as AI regulation looms. As such, plugin developers are likely to utilize bias reduction mechanisms to ensure that responses are fair and ethical.