As advanced as OpenAI's ChatGPT is, it still has a lot of limitations, including the data it can provide. It is only limited to information up to 2021, which means that new data from beyond that is unknown to the chatbot. However, ChatGPT having access to the internet may change all that.
ChatGPT Browses the Net
There are already existing plugins that allow users to use ChatGPT with access to the internet. Although, since these plugins are not officially developed by OpenAI, they tend to be unstable and may not work as intended.
Thankfully, the AI company is already working on its own official plugin, based on a tweet from OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman. This means that we may be getting a stable, efficient, and effective plugin for ChatGPT to access the internet soon.
In Brockman's tweet, a video shows ChatGPT using a plugin to summarize its result to an inquiry. It browses the web to provide answers, as well as includes the link of the source for its response, followed by the summarization.
Plugins for summarizing the response to a launch: pic.twitter.com/C6457eqRIk
— Greg Brockman (@gdb) March 23, 2023
If you want to try the plugin out, you can't just yet since it hasn't been launched. What you can do is sign up for the ChatGPT plugins waitlist for it. This will grant you early access to the new feature as the company gradually rolls it out.
To join, you can go to the OpenAI website and head to the ChatGPT plugins waitlist page. Once you see the button that says Join Waitlist, click it to be redirected to the access form. Of course, you have to fill up the form which includes fields for your name, email, and address.
You will be asked if you are willing to provide feedback about the plugin. To be on the safe side, click on "Yes" since early access usually draws criticism from users so the company would know how to make the feature better.
You can provide insights on the types or uses of the plugins that you might want to use. You can even share specific plugin ideas, as mentioned in gHacks. You will be presented with options about how you will use the plugin.
Your choices are between "I want to try plugins in ChatGPT" and "I am a developer and want to build a plugin." You will also be asked how you're currently using ChatGPT, whether it's for personal, work, education, or other uses.
What You Can Do With the Plugin
For one, you'll have access to information that goes beyond September 2021. If you ask ChatGPT which NBA team won the championship game back in 2022, it will be able to tell you along with sources of the information.
Since ChatGPT will give you a summary in response to your inquiry, you can choose to simply read that or delve further into the topic by clicking on the link included by the chatbot. It will also have a wider source of information and the possibilities for learning can become limitless.
