The Usefulness of GPT Plugins in Action

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Key Takeaways

ChatGPT Plus includes three built-in plugins: Browse with Bing, Code Interpreter, and DALL-E, which enhance its capabilities.
Browse with Bing allows ChatGPT to conduct real-time web searches and provides a source for the information it generates.
DALL-E enables text-to-image generation, but it may not accurately make changes to existing images and often generates new ones instead.

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Using ChatGPT doesn’t just involve basic fact-finding. GPT-4, ChatGPT’s premium model, has some interesting extra plugins: DALL-E, Browsing, and Code Interpreter. So, how do these ChatGPT plugins work, and what can you get out of them?

On March 19, 2024, OpenAI disabled ChatGPT Plugin conversations and completely removed them on April 9, 2024. ChatGPT Plugins were removed because much of their functionality can be found in custom GPTs and the GPT Store .

What Are ChatGPT’s Default Plugins?

ChatGPT’s three built-in plugins are offered to all ChatGPT Plus users. ChatGPT Plus uses GPT-4, OpenAI’s latest LLM version, which comes with the DALL-E 3, Code Interpreter, and Browse with Bing plugins.

OpenAI began to introduce its built-in plugins in March 2023. Here’s a basic overview of what each plugin does:

Browse with Bing: Conducts Bing searches on the user’s behalf to find real-time data.
Code Interpreter: Runs, analyzes, and provides Python code in a sandboxed environment.
DALL-E: Allows text-to-image generation in chat using DALL-E 3.

When you open your ChatGPT Plus account, each of these plugins will be active by default, meaning you don’t need to activate anything manually to use them.

How to Use ChatGPT’s Standard Plugins

If you don’t have a ChatGPT Plus account, you won’t be able to access these plugins. So, consider signing up for the $20 monthly premium plan if you want to overcome this barrier.

1. Browse with Bing

To get started with Browse with Bing, make a request requiring real-time data or specifically clarify that you want ChatGPT to search the web for a prompt.

Once you make the request, you’ll be told that GPT is currently searching the web. It may take ten or so seconds to get your results or longer if your connection is patchy, OpenAI’s servers are overwhelmed, or your request contains detailed information that takes time to search for.

When ChatGPT provides a response based on a web search, the source will always be provided in the bracketed quotation marks ([“]) at the end of the response. You can regenerate the response if you’re unhappy with the initial output by clicking on the circular arrow symbol under the response.

Sometimes, ChatGPT provides fabricated or unreliable sources for its answers, so it’s always best to check the source before using any of the information provided.

It’s likely that ChatGPT won’t conduct a web search for data it already has access to, such as historical facts. If searching the web is necessary, make that known in your prompt.

2. DALL-E

DALL-E is a separate platform from ChatGPT, but OpenAI also created it. The latest version of DALL-E is DALL-E 3, released in August 2023. This software uses AI to generate images based on user prompts. DALL-E is a paid tool, but you can use it at no extra charge with your ChatGPT Plus subscription (or access it using Microsoft Copilot )

ChatGPT Plus offers a built-in DALL-E 3 feature , allowing you to use text to generate images whenever you want. Simply describe the kind of image you want, and ChatGPT will create it on your behalf.

It can take 10 or 20 seconds for ChatGPT to generate the image, and possibly longer if there are connection issues, high levels of server traffic, or complex subject matters.

Once you’ve got your image, you can ask ChatGPT to regenerate or make changes. However, the main downside of DALL-E in ChatGPT is its frequent inability to take a previous image and edit it. You may get lucky and have ChatGPT keep the image mostly the same, aside from the changes you requested, but this isn’t guaranteed. In fact, it will likely generate a completely new image.

Now, we ask for changes.

Though we asked ChatGPT to keep the image identical aside from one change, it made the change but also changed almost everything else about the image. Keep this downside in mind when using this plugin.

3. Code Interpreter

If you want to write, run, or be provided with code in the Python language, ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter can help. With this plugin, you can request code excerpts, have ChatGPT analyze and execute code, and enjoy the option to upload files within the chat for review.

If ChatGPT picks up on any errors in your code, it will notify you and provide a correction.

You can upload text files and documents for analysis in a wide range of formats, including PDF, DOCX, JSON, TXT, and PPTX. You can also choose from multiple data and code formats and even upload a JPEG image of the code in question.

After uploading the document, ChatGPT will analyze it and give you its interpretation.

You can also ask ChatGPT to give you Python code for the function or program you want to create. However, this isn’t part of the Interpreter plugin, so it can be used with GPT-3.5 or GPT-4.

Make sure you run whatever code is provided through a dedicated Python execution tool before implementing it. ChatGPT can make mistakes, so it’s always best to run some checks on any data it gives you.

How to Use ChatGPT’s Plugins on Mobile

The process of using any of these standard plugins is the same on the ChatGPT mobile app as it is on your desktop. Make your request in your prompt, and as long as you’re signed in to your ChatGPT Plus account, the relevant plugin should work automatically.

You can use your ChatGPT Plus account on both your desktop and mobile simultaneously.

Download: ChatGPT for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)

With all these plugins on offer, ChatGPT’s capabilities are vastly increased. Whether you want to create AI art, check the weather, find online deals, or test out some code, GPT-4 can help.

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The Usefulness of GPT Plugins in Action