2/2/2024
February 2, 2024
OpenAI introduces a feature in ChatGPT allowing users to integrate custom GPTs into conversations using "@", aiming to boost their use amid low traffic figures.
In November 2023, OpenAI introduced the capability to create custom chatbots, simply termed GPTs, within its conversational AI framework. This feature allows users to develop a chatbot tailored to a specific task, which can be trained and enriched with content and abilities. Early 2024 saw the unveiling of the GPT Store within ChatGPT, providing direct access to a catalog of custom chatbots created by both OpenAI and users, with the future potential for creators to monetize their GPTs.
However, since their launch, custom GPTs have struggled to capture a significant audience. Similarweb reports that they account for only about 2.7% of ChatGPT's global web traffic, a figure that has been declining since November 2023. To counteract the dwindling use of custom GPTs, OpenAI has made them more accessible by allowing users to invoke them directly within a standard conversation with the conversational agent.
Previously accessible solely via the GPT Store, custom GPTs can now be called upon directly within and during a conversation with ChatGPT, provided the user has subscribed to a paid plan. Initially, it's recommended to have experimented with the custom GPTs you wish to quickly access, so they appear in the list located at the top left of the browser interface, or in the navigation pane that opens on your mobile app when you tap the menu at the top left of the screen. A simple "Hello" to a custom GPT is enough to make it appear there.
Then, if you're chatting as usual with ChatGPT, you can at any time call on a custom GPT in the conversation. By typing an "@" in the chatbox, a dropdown menu will open, offering several recently used GPTs. Select the one that suits you, ask your question, and it will respond in the continuation of your initial conversation, understanding the context.
For example, as shown in the image below, we asked ChatGPT what the seasonal vegetables are in Europe in February. Then, we called on the GPT "Sous Chef" to ask for recipes using the initially given list. An indication "Talking to" displays to clarify which chatbot you're addressing. Simply click the small cross to the right of the GPT's name to have it exit the exchange.
