What are GPTs for ChatGPT? (November 2023)

This week on OpenAI’s DevDay (November 6^th) the company announced ChatGPT GPTs: custom versions of ChatGPT that anyone can make and share with others. GPTs could become a game-changer when it comes to building, distributing and monetizing AI apps, and totally reminds me of the launch of the Apple App Store back in the day.

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GPTs are versions of ChatGPT tailored for specific tasks

GPTs are custom versions of ChatGPT that can be tailored to make it helpful for specific tasks or interests.

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You can build a GPT for almost any purpose by combining instructions, extended knowledge and ChatGPTs built in capabilities. For the folks who know how to code, it's also possible to build highly customised GPTs by connecting them to third-party applications.

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The things you can use them for are similar to what ChatGPT plugins does, except they're really easy to build. They can be simple things like a language tutor or a writing assistant, or more complex variants like a data science assistant or task automator.

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GPTs are easily shareable with others: you can choose to make your GPT public, private or only accessible for your organization. Soon, creators of GPTs will also be able to monetize their creations through the upcoming GPT store (more on this in a bit).‍

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Anyone can create GPTs – without coding experience

GPTs can be created using natural language. You heard that right – the most amazing thing about GPTs is that anyone can build them, it’s not just for developers.

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To create a GPT, simply follow this process:

1. Inside ChatGPT, select your name and My GPTs. Alternatively, you can access the GPT builder on https://chat.openai.com/gpts/editor. Then, select “Create a GPT”.
2. In the create tab, you can just message the GPT builder to help you build GPT. Try something like “create an analyst that helps users clean their datasets” or “create a product manager who helps draw insights from user feedback”. You can also tweak the instructions for the GPT inside the configure tab, or just create them from scratch there if your prefer.
3. In the configure tab, you select a name and description for your GPT, in addition to configure more detailed settings (see below).
4. Select publish to share your creation with others. Alternatively, you can make your GPT private or share it with your organization only.

Available settings inside the configure tab:

• Image: Adding a logo image for your GPT. This can be done by asking DALL-E 3 to generate an image for you or just uploading your own.
• Instructions: tweak the instructions for your GPT that you generated during step 2, or write these from scratch. Should include instructions on how the GPT should respond and behave, and things it should avoid.
• Prompt starter: write a couple of ideas for prompts the user can make to start a conversation with your GPT. Don’t underestimate this part - a couple of carefully thought out prompts could mean the difference of a user understanding the value of your GPT or not.
• Knowledge: allows you to upload files to give your GPT additional context beyond what the GPT-4 Turbo model already has. Beware of uploading any sensitive data, as parts of the information could be included in the GPT's output to the user.
• Capabilities: use the checkboxes to enable additional capabilities like web browsing, image generation and using the code interpreter.
• Custom actions: For details, see the section on Connecting GPTs to third-party applications in this article or check the API documentation.

Please note that the views and understandings of the topic expressed in this articles are my own and not necessarily aligned with OpenAI.

19 early examples of GPTs

GPTs are still in their infancy, having just been rolled out. Here are some early examples of GPTs that have been created in the first week after the rollout:

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Available now in the explore section in ChatGPT:

Data Analysis - Drop in any files and I can help analyze and visualize your data

Game Time - I can quickly explain board games or card games to players of any age. Let the games begin!

The Negotiator - I'll help you advocate for yourself and get better outcomes. Become a great negotiator.

Creative Writing Coach - I'm eager to read your work and give you feedback to improve your skills.

Cosmic Dream - Visionary painter of digital wonder

Tech Support Advisor - From setting up a printer to troubleshooting a device, I’m here to help you step-by-step.

Coloring Book Hero - Take any idea and turn it into whimsical coloring book pages

Laundry Buddy - Ask me anything about stains, settings, sorting and everything laundry.

Sous Chef - I’ll give you recipes based on the foods you love and ingredients you have.

Sticker Whiz - I'll help turn your wildest dreams into die-cut stickers, shipped right to your door.

Math Mentor - I help parents help their kids with math. Need a 9pm refresher on geometry proofs? I’m here for you.

Hot Mods - Let's modify your image into something really wild. Upload an image and let's go!

Mocktail Mixologist - I’ll make any party a blast with mocktail recipes with whatever ingredients you have on hand.

genz 4 meme - i help u understand the lingo & the latest memes

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Showcased at OpenAI's DevDay:

Canva - Effortlessly design anything: presentations, logos, social media posts and more.

Zapier - Get the power of Zapier's 6,000+ apps directly in your custom GPT.

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Examples I came across on Twitter:

Kraftful - Your product coach. Ask about best practices. Get top gurus' product thinking.

X Optimizer GPT - fine-tunes X posts and pinpoints peak posting times for max engagement on X.

Agi.zip - 20 prebuilt hotkeys to go faster in ChatGPT

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How to Access GPTs for ChatGPT

GPTs in ChatGPT is currently only available to Plus and Enterprise subscribers, although OpenAI plans to make GPTs available to more users soon. A plus subscription currently costs 20$ per month and, in addition to GPTs, gives you access to OpenAI's latest and most capable language model (GPT-4 Turbo), DALL-E 3, web browsing, Code Interpreter.

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Once you have a paid subscription, GPTs are easily accessible in the "Explore" tab near the top left corner inside your ChatGPT interface.

The GPT Store is coming, and it might be the next major app ecosystem

Along with the launch of GPTs, it was announced that a GPT Store will be rolled out later this month, allowing creators to share their GPTs with the world and monetize them.

The GPT store will be a place where verified builders can share their creations publicly and rank on leaderboards against other GPTs.

Given the huge user base of ChatGPT, one of the most exciting aspects of the new store is the ability as a creator to monetize your GPTs based on how many people are using it.

From the glimpse we got at DevDay, the layout is reminiscent of the Apple App Store, with GPTs being searchable and divided into categories.

According to the preview, the GPT Store will be divided into the following categories:

• Productivity
• DALL-E 3
• Writing
• Programming
• Data Analysis
• Education
• Lifestyle
• Just for Fun

There’s also a featured section, a Recent tab to see your recently used GPTs, and a tab named My GPTs to see the GPTs you’ve created.

OpenAI also mentions they will spotlight the most useful plugins in each category that they come across.  The details are not clear yet around what the requirements are for becoming verified and thus qualify to be listed in the Store will be, nor which GPTs that will be featured in the store and how the leaderboards will work.

GPTs are generally safe to use but privacy depends on your settings

The main points outlined by OpenAI when it comes to privacy and safety in GPTs:

1. GPT creators can’t access user conversations. If a GPT uses a third-party API, users choose whether their conversation data can be sent to that API.
2. OpenAI has automatic systems to ensure GPTs adhere to usage policies. These exist to prevent what OpenAI labels as harmful content, such as impersonation and other fraudulent activity, hateful content and adult themes.
3. Users can opt out of allowing OpenAI to train their models based on their conversations with GPTs. The builder of the GPT can choose to allow chats from their GPT to be used for training data, but this is ultimately decided by the user's own privacy controls. As a user, you have the option to opt your entire account out of model training.
4. GPT creators can now become verified - a new system designed to build trust. OpenAI mentioned on DevDay that the upcoming GPT Store will feature the best GPTs from verified creators, so this is likely to become important for builders looking to monetize their GPTs. The exact details on how to become verified or the requirements for becoming verified are not yet clear.
5. Users can report concerns about GPTs for review by OpenAI. Each GPTs dedicated page has a reporting feature.
   

The security measures OpenAI has put in place for launch of GPTs seem to be a meaningful step forward compared to ChatGPT plugins, which were the subject of serious security concerns. However, OpenAI states that they are continuously monitoring and learning how people use GPTs, in order to strengthen their safety measures further.

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If you are concerned about your conversations being used as training data for OpenAI, either on the default ChatGPT or using GPTs, here's how you can turn opt out of model training:

1. Inside the ChatGPT interface, click your name at the bottom left corner
2. Click "Settings & Beta" then select data controls
3. Flip the switch of Chat History & Training to off

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Be aware that this setting does not sync across devices.

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The security of GPTs will only become more relevant as they get increasingly intelligent and capable of taking actions in the real world on behalf of the user. This is a major reason why OpenAI emphasizes moving incrementally towards this new future, and adapting their products and policies along the way.

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For further details on this topic, check out GPTs Data Privacy FAQ: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/8554402-gpts-data-privacy-faqs

Monetization opportunities for creators (my opinion)

With OpenAI's launch of GPTs and the upcoming GPT store, allowing creators to monetise their apps and scaling an ecosystem seems to be a strategic move, and other AI chatbot platforms are thinking along the same lines. This has already been happening for a while with social media platforms, where they basically fight over who can give creators the best buck for their content.

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Here's some benefits I see of the newly introduced monetization system:

• For End-Users: Increased quality and variety of apps, driven by developer incentives.
• For Non-Technical Individuals: Easier app creation, opening opportunities to earn for more people.
• For Small Developers: Possibility to launch an AI app with low operating costs and free distribution.
• For Established Companies: A cost-effective way to test app demand and willingness to pay.
• For OpenAI: Revenue sharing encourages development of useful apps, making the platform more attractive to users.

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On a similar note, Quora’s platform Poe recently launched creator monetisation of their “Bots” (they are like simple versions of GPTs). Creators get paid when users sign up to Poe’s paid plan after using their bot, and they can also set a limit on the number of messages users can send for free to their bot.

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Conclusion 

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I'm personally very intrigued by how we can democratize AI technology, which is why I'm particularly excited about the newly introduced GPTs and the broader ecosystem it introduces for AI app creation, distribution and monetization. It enables individuals from diverse backgrounds to transform their unique skills and insights into valuable digital products for a global audience.

The way I see it, the biggest challenges with the system are related to ensuring safety and security as these apps get more and more advanced and are able to take real-world actions. Additionally, building apps on a commercial and proprietary platform like ChatGPT is something GPT builders and developers should definitely be aware of, due to the likelihood of imitation.

In the best case scenario, GPTs could be the start of a new era of entrepreneurial opportunities, akin to the transformative impact of the Apple App Store in its early days.

By the way – If you want to stay updated on the latest and best GPTs, consider subscribing to my newsletter. It's a short, weekly email with 5,000+ readers that gets you up to speed on the most important trends and developments in AI.