OpenAI launched a new feature — build your own chatbot without coding

Chatbots are now a part of our daily lives. We run into them whether we want to or not — usually as helpers for simple tasks, and because they reply instantly, they're mostly welcome.

Chatbots are now a part of our daily lives. We run into them whether we want to or not — usually as helpers for simple tasks, and because they reply instantly, they're mostly welcome. OpenAI has now opened the door for everyone to build their own chatbot — one that can behave according to whatever parameters you give it. Want to ask Warren Buffett how to invest? Want a graphic designer to whip up a logo? Or chat with Neil Armstrong about space? GPT assistants are ideal for tasks like this.

What are these assistants good for?

If none of the previous topics caught your eye, don't worry — GPT assistants can do much more. They're ideal for, say, automating customer responses. The advantage: you can upload your own data and the chatbot will use it as context, so it can answer over a very wide range of questions.

How do I configure a chatbot?

After creating a chatbot, GPT will ask you exactly what you want to build (this onboarding is currently English-only). Let's say you want a chatbot that answers basic IT questions and explains them in plain language to a non-IT person. We'd write that we want an IT specialist who explains basic IT in an accessible way. If you'd like, this is the time to upload your own documents or materials — I chose to use only information from the internet. Then ChatGPT asks up to 6 questions:

·         The chatbot's task

·         The chatbot's name

·         The chatbot's profile picture

·         Whether to focus strictly on one topic or also answer others

·         Whether to be more chatty or stay strictly on topic

·         What questions it should not answer

What to watch out for

First, this feature is only open to ChatGPT Plus subscribers. Second, the security of any files you upload to the chatbot. That data can be extracted with clever prompting. So under all circumstances, avoid using sensitive data. The same goes for the chatbot's instructions — those are also extractable.