ChatGPT gains plugin support

OpenAI has added support for third-party plugins in ChatGPT, providing the chatbot with access to up-to-date information from the internet.

We are adding support for plugins to ChatGPT — extensions which integrate it with third-party services or allow it to access up-to-date information. We’re starting small to study real-world use, impact, and safety and alignment challenges: https://t.co/A9epaBBBzx pic.twitter.com/KS5jcFoNhf

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) March 23, 2023

OpenAI said that plugins would not only allow the chatbot to browse up-to-date web pages but also interact with specific sites. Potentially, this could turn ChatGPT into a broad interface for a range of services.

In one of the examples, OpenAI showed how the chatbot finds a recipe and orders the necessary groceries via Instacart. ChatGPT automatically loads the list of ingredients into the service and directs users to the site to confirm the order.

We’ve added initial support for ChatGPT plugins — a protocol for developers to build tools for ChatGPT, with safety as a core design principle. Deploying iteratively (starting with a small number of users & developers) to learn from contact with reality: https://t.co/ySek2oevod pic.twitter.com/S61MTpddOV

— Greg Brockman (@gdb) March 23, 2023

The company has already integrated 11 plugins into ChatGPT, including Expedia, Instacart, OpenTable, Wolfram and Zapier.

In addition, OpenAI added two in-house plugins: a code interpreter and a web browser. The latter can search the internet and provide links to the sources used.

This feature is similar to Microsoft Bing, which is also based on GPT-4. However, unlike the search engine, ChatGPT does not merely search for information but can interact with services on behalf of users via an API.

Security experts have already voiced concerns about experiments with GPT-4. Earlier, a bot guided by a human hired a TaskRabbit worker to solve a CAPTCHA that it could not solve on its own.

OpenAI said that they had addressed the concerns and \”implemented a number of safety measures.\” One of them is a limited number of people who have access to using the plugins.

Developers said that initially a small number of selected developers and ChatGPT Plus users from the waitlist will be able to test the new capability.

On March 14, OpenAI introduced a large multimodal model GPT-4.

In the same month, OpenAI acknowledged the risks of ChatGPT.

Later, OpenAI researchers published a report asserting that GPT models will affect 80% of jobs in the United States.