OpenAI expands custom instructions for ChatGPT to all users, including free tier

TL;DR:

  • OpenAI expands custom instructions for ChatGPT to all users, including free tier.
  • Users gain control over AI responses by setting preferences and requirements.
  • Custom instructions save time and improve user interaction.
  • Examples include specifying character count and adjusting response tone.
  • Previously limited to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, now available to all.
  • Functionality extends to iOS and Android users, even with chat history off.
  • Custom instructions are to be introduced in EU and UK soon.

Main AI News:

In a groundbreaking move, OpenAI has magnified its custom instructions feature, empowering users across the board, including those availing of the free tier of the service. Building upon its initial introduction in July as a beta feature for ChatGPT Plus subscribers, this enhancement enables users to wield greater influence over the way ChatGPT formulates responses.

This distinctive attribute serves to expedite user interactions, liberating them from the chore of reiterating identical instruction prompts with every engagement, a concept elucidated by TechCrunch earlier. By way of illustration, users can now prompt ChatGPT to conform its responses to a specified character count or tailor its tone to their preference.

A concrete instance offered by OpenAI at the debut of this feature portrayed a teacher leveraging ChatGPT to devise lesson plans. No longer beholden to repetitively specify their role as a 3rd-grade educator, they could instead expect a meticulously customized answer attuned to their needs.

Simultaneously, software developers leveraging this innovation could entreat the AI chatbot to furnish responses in their preferred languages, whilst expunging those languages they find unsuitable.

OpenAI has been resolute in its commitment to fortify the adaptability of its models, allowing them to seamlessly mirror the varied milieus and distinctive requisites of individual users, an ethos the company had earlier expounded upon.

Nonetheless, until the present week, the privilege of custom instructions remained exclusive to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, who paid a monthly fee of $20 to avail of it. However, this paradigm has been reshaped, as the functionality now extends its reach to both free users and ChatGPT Plus subscribers, including those on iOS and Android platforms. Furthermore, the utility of custom instructions persists even with the chat history feature deactivated, as highlighted by OpenAI.

To harness the potential of custom instructions, users are guided to initiate the process by clicking on their username and subsequently selecting “Custom instructions.”

The ambit of this game-changing feature is poised to proliferate throughout the European Union and the United Kingdom in the imminent future, as indicated by the company’s trajectory.

Conclusion:

This expansion of the custom instructions feature by OpenAI marks a significant shift in user interaction with AI technology. By providing users, including free tier subscribers, the ability to tailor AI responses to their preferences, OpenAI addresses the need for personalized and efficient communication. This move is expected to drive increased engagement with the ChatGPT platform, enhancing its utility across diverse industries and markets.

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