ChatGPT Plugins enhance the functionality of OpenAI’s generative AI chatbot by granting it internet access and a direct link to specific services.
ChatGPT Plugins are basically third-party extensions designed to expand the capabilities of ChatGPT. OpenAI states, “Plugins are tools specifically created for language models with safety as a core principle and help ChatGPT access up-to-date information, perform computations, or use third-party services.”
Around 85 ChatGPT Plugins are available on the ChatGPT Plugin store as of May 2023 and as developers familiarize themselves with OpenAI’s development rules and the platform itself, integrating existing websites and services into the ChatGPT platform, the launch of many more ChatGPT Plugins in the upcoming months can be expected.
INSTALLING ChatGPT Plugin
Open ChatGPT. In the bottom left corner, select Settings > Beta Features, then toggle the Plugins setting:
- In ChatGPT, select New Chat.
- Switch the ChatGPT model to GPT-4.
- From the dropdown menu, select Plugins > Plugin Store.
- Now, select the ChatGPT Plugin you want to install.
Installation should only take a moment or two. To uninstall, just select the plugin again.
USAGE OF CHATGPT PLUGINS
The utilization of a ChatGPT Plugin varies based on the specific plugin installed. However, the basic procedure for using a ChatGPT Plugin resembles that of regular ChatGPT. You present your question, and ChatGPT produces an answer. The accuracy of the response relies on the prompt’s quality, but now it also hinges on the ChatGPT Plugin’s caliber.
It’s important to keep in mind that ChatGPT Plugins are currently in the beta phase. The ChatGPT Plugin ecosystem is still in the process of being fully established and despite the availability of numerous plugins, not all of them function as intended—or as desired.
PLANNING A TRIP
During the testing of the Kayak, Expedia, and Trip.com plugins for booking a family trip from the UK to Malta, the results were disappointing. Despite updating the information, the plugins struggled to provide accurate details, including overlooking the availability of direct flights.
Additionally, the functionality of Expedia and Kayak was unexpectedly disabled the day after using them together, possibly due to competition concerns.
However, the plugins performed better when planning a solo trip within the United States. The Kayak plugin successfully found flights and a four-star hotel for a trip from Miami to New York, demonstrating better performance with specific and less complex prompts.
PLANNING MEALS AND SEARCHING FOR RECIPES
When using the Tasty ChatGPT Plugin to plan a week of healthy vegetarian meals for a family of five, it initially found only three suitable recipes from its extensive library. However, upon attempting to search again for more options, the plugin failed to deliver satisfactory results on two occasions.
Furthermore, when asked to find a recipe for a no-bake vanilla and raspberry cheesecake, the Tasty Plugin couldn’t provide an exact recipe from its database. Instead, it suggested adapting a no-bake brownie cheesecake recipe without offering specific steps for the flavor adjustments.
In both cases, a regular ChatGPT prompt using GPT-3.5 produced better outcomes compared to relying on the Tasty ChatGPT Plugin.
CREATING A SPOTIFY PLAYLIST
The PlaylistAI ChatGPT Plugin offers personalized playlists connected to users’ Spotify accounts. While the playlists created were satisfactory, there were some questionable song choices, such as including MC Hammer in the hip-hop playlist. The plugin successfully adds the playlists to users’ accounts for listening.
However, issues arose when attempting to combine playlists into a single one. Although PlaylistAI claimed to have merged them into a playlist titled “Melodic Techno Meets 90s Hip Hop,” the resulting playlist remained solely focused on hip-hop. Additionally, PlaylistAI added three extra hip-hop tracks instead of fulfilling the desired request.
Furthermore, PlaylistAI currently lacks the capability to analyze existing playlists and suggest related tracks, which can be frustrating for users expecting this feature while being connected to the internet and Spotify.