What are ChatGPT plugins, how do I install and use them?

Artificial intelligence is a major topic of conversation these days, and ChatGPT is credited with making that happen. People have found creative uses for generative AI tools, using ChatGPT to build resumes, write code, and even play chess. If you want to improve your AI skills, you need to learn ChatGPT plugins that will allow you to do even more things than was possible before. But what are ChatGPT plugins and how do you use them? These and other questions will be answered in this article.

FAST ANSWER.

ChatGPT plugins are tools developed by third-party developers that allow ChatGPT to access their APIs. This allows the AI to exploit new use cases by enabling actions that depend on these third-party developers.

To use a plug-in in ChatGPT, you must be a ChatGPT Plus subscriber. After subscribing, switch to the GPT-4 model and install the plugin of your choice from the plugin store in ChatGPT. Then open a new conversation and use the written prompt to automatically or manually invoke the installed plugin to reply.

What are ChatGPT plugins?

OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, describes its plug-ins as "tools that help ChatGPT access relevant information, perform computations, or utilize third-party services." Essentially, the plugins connect ChatGPT to external third-party applications, allowing the AI to interact with those third-party APIs to perform a wide range of actions.

With ChatGPT plugins you can:

• Receive real-time information such as sports scores, stock quotes, latest news, etc.
• Obtaining knowledge-based information such as company documentation, personal notes, etc.
• Perform external actions such as ordering an airline ticket, ordering food, buying groceries, etc.

Since plug-ins are designed to connect to third-party tools and services, they are not activated by default. Users must manually find, install and activate the appropriate plug-in before using it in ChatGPT.

How to subscribe to ChatGPT plugins

Since we are in the early stages of developing plugins for ChatGPT, access to plugins is also limited to ChatGPT Plus users only for now. There is a waiting list for developers who wish to create plugins, while non-paying users cannot access plugins and join the waiting list.

Here's how to access the ChatGPT plugins:

• As a user: You must subscribe to ChatGPT Plus to access the plugins.
• As a plugin developer: You can join the waiting list on the OpenAI website. You will need to answer a few questions about yourself, your company, your vision for plugins, and what kind of plugin you want to create.

How to install ChatGPT plugins

Once you have access to ChatGPT plugins, either as a ChatGPT Plus subscriber or as a plugin developer, you can install the plugin.

First of all, you need to enable plugins as a feature. Here's how to do it:

• Open ChatGP.
• Click the three-dot menu in the lower left corner and navigate to Settings > Beta Features.
• Switch the Plugins setting to the on position.

Next, you can install plug-ins from the Plugin Store.

• In ChatGPT, select New Chat in the upper left corner.
• Switch the ChatGPT model to GPT-4. This will give you access to an enhanced version of the artificial intelligence tool that can do even more.
• Click on the button directing to the plugin store.
• Click OK in response to the plug-in disclaimer prompt. As noted, plug-ins work with third-party applications that OpenAI does not control.
• Now select the ChatGPT plugin you want to install from the store.

That's it. The installation takes place in your ChatGPT account, not on your computer or in your browser. Therefore, once the plugin is installed, it will be available in all your future ChatGPT conversations until you uninstall it.

You can install multiple plugins for your conversations and usage scenarios if needed.

Note that there is currently no easy way to find out what plugins you have installed. You will have to remember the installed plugins when you want to remove them. In addition, the Plugin Store does not currently have a search tool, so it will be difficult to find the plugin you need.

How to use ChatGPT plug-ins

Using the ChatGPT plug-in is not difficult. You can continue writing your prompts as before, as ChatGPT automatically chooses when to use plugins during a conversation. If you have multiple plugins installed, you will probably get better results if you specify when and which plugin should be activated during a prompt.

For example, you can install the WolframAlpha plug-in in ChatGPT to get more scientific results for your prompts. You can then use ChatGPT to solve complex math problems that it was previously unable to do, such as solving equations graphically or using it to solve word puzzles.

Here's how ChatGPT can solve a complex algorithmic problem using the WolframAlpha plugin:

You can also use plugins like Expedia to have ChatGPT help you plan a trip, and then integrate it with OpenTable to make restaurant reservations for you along the way. Or, by installing the Instacart plugin, you can search ChatGPT for a recipe and have it order the ingredients for you.

As you can see, the capabilities of AI and ChatGPT were already huge, but plugins extend them even further. Integration with third-party developers allows us to use AI where it wasn't possible before, turning ChatGPT from a standalone tool into a platform that can utilize even more tools to solve more complex problems. Given that we are still in the beta testing phase of both AI and plugins for ChatGPT, one can only imagine what potential the future holds.

Questions and answers

Several ChatGPT plugins are already available, and many more are under active development. It can be expected that the number of available plugins will constantly grow.

ChatGPT plugins are free for now, but you must pay for a ChatGPT Plus subscription to use them. For now, the plugins in ChatGPT are used for free, but in the future some plugins may use monetization models.

OpenAI does not disclose more information about the ChatGPT plugin waitlist. The waiting list is closed to regular users and open only to developers. You will have a better chance of gaining access if you answer the survey questions honestly.