AI Operations & Administration

ChatGPT Plug-ins: The New Frontier for Business

The time is ten past tomorrow; the perfect time to look in the rear view mirror.

You'll no doubt recall the moment Apple revolutionized the world of smartphones with the introduction of the App Store. A platform that allowed developers to showcase their innovative apps and enabled users to easily discover, download, and revel in them. That game-changing moment transformed our smartphones into versatile devices and unleashed a universe of creativity for consumers.

Now, it's time for another paradigm shift, and it comes in the form of ChatGPT's announcement that they are launching a plug-in ecosystem for businesses.

This new framework will enable the creation of "plug-ins" (similar to apps) that will be used within ChatGPT. 

If you haven't caught wind of ChatGPT's newly unveiled plug-ins, brace yourself for impact. This impending breakthrough is momentous, and you can catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be-released capabilities in this demo video

Let's delve deeper into the most important implications of this groundbreaking development…


Real-Time Web Access: Unprecedented information at your fingertips

ChatGPT has achieved remarkable progress in an astoundingly brief period. However, it is currently confined to the data it was trained on, which didn't include information beyond 2021. 

But now, with the announcement of perhaps the most crucial plug-in within OpenAI's initial suite of plugins, ChatGPT will be directly connected to the web, capable of providing answers based on real-time data.

How is this different from the way we already have access to information on the internet (e.g. Google)?

In short; we will now have immediate access to all of the web’s information, and have the ability to engage, converse with, and inquire about that information. 

Within the context of the Ten Past Tomorrow community, the result is that our business decision-making abilities will be amplified like never before, empowering us to much more effectively guide our companies.

Consider the following example: a marketing agency needs to create a campaign for a new product. With ChatGPT's real-time web access, the agency will soon be able to collect real-time information on competitors, market trends, and consumer preferences. By strategizing and testing in real-time, they will be able to harness ChatGPT's exceptional analytical and predictive abilities to significantly increase the likelihood of a successful campaign.


The Retrieval Plug-in: Revolutionizing customer discovery and engagement

Another notable advancement is the ChatGPT Retrieval Plug-in, which will soon be a new (perhaps the) channel for users to find and interact with information about your business.

The retrieval plug-in is a bit of an outlier in that it’s not actually a plug-in per se, but rather a clever template that enables businesses to create their own custom plug-ins. 

How? By allowing businesses to upload a corpus of text (files, webpages, etc) that ChatGPT can utilize to answer inquiries. Think about those innovative AI tools popping up everywhere right now where you can "chat with a book" or "chat with a newsletter." Well, this plugin serves as a seamless way to replicate that experience right within ChatGPT, for your business.

I foresee this plug-in revolutionizing not only how we interact with the internet but also completely changing how consumers discover and learn about your business. By providing tailored, relevant responses, based on the information you give it access to, ChatGPT with plug-ins will pave the way for stronger customer engagement, ultimately driving sales and fostering loyalty.

ChatGPT plug-insYou, paving the way to stronger customer engagement and more sales with ChatGPT plug-ins.

Seamless integration with third-party services: Turbocharge your business processes

The new ChatGPT upgrade signals the beginning of an explosion of plug-ins and integrations developed by businesses worldwide, reminiscent of the Apple App Store launch. 

OpenAI is introducing a first round of plug-ins in collaboration with popular services like Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier. .

These initial plug-ins represent merely the tip of the iceberg. A Cambrian explosion of plug-ins is on the horizon, with businesses around the globe eager to join the OpenAI ecosystem. This is set to become a red-hot channel for businesses to attract new customers and engage existing ones.

The competitive advantage gained through seamless plug-in integration will be immense. 

Internally, streamlined workflows will allow your team to spend less time managing multiple tools and more time focusing on essential tasks. 

Externally, an enhanced user experience for your customers is guaranteed. Should you choose to do so, by building a ChatGPT's plug-in for your own business, you'll be ideally positioned to enable prospects and customers to utilize your products and services in new and innovative ways.

I picture a restaurant owner who can handle reservations, create customized promotions, and automate inventory management, all through ChatGPT. This is not a mere dream; it's rapidly becoming a reality.


Automation capabilities: Scale your business like never before

The new plug-in capabilities of ChatGPT are set to unlock powerful automation solutions for businesses. Improved productivity and cost savings will enable businesses to scale beyond previously imaginable heights.

Ponder the possibilities: a small e-commerce store automating customer support and order fulfillment, an accounting firm utilizing ChatGPT to sort, analyze, and interact with financial data, or a factory “chatting” with machinery data to predict breakdowns and schedule impromptu maintenance to avoid downtime.

Importantly, the plug-in ecosystem that ChatGPT is unveiling will allow multiple plug-ins to be used in conjunction with each other, expanding the potential for collaboration and efficiency. 

For instance; I could ask ChatGPT to identify the top 10 AI speakers in my city, compile their contact information, summarize their most prominent books (including Amazon ratings), rank them by the price of their speaking fees, check their availability for an upcoming event, and even draft personalized email templates for me to use to reach out to them. ChatGPT will achieve this by leveraging specialized plug-ins for each action, linking them together, and executing the steps in one seamless process.

No longer reserved for large corporations, powerful AI automation will soon be accessible to businesses too.


Redefining business operations: Embrace the ChatGPT revolution

Plug-ins will offer a massive boost to ChatGPT's utility - we're talking a potential increase of 10x, if not 100x. 

That's no small feat, considering the platform's already earned itself the distinction of the fastest-growing platform in history (acquiring 100 million monthly active users just two months after launch). 

The transformative potential of ChatGPT's new plug-in capabilities for New Zealand businesses will be nothing short of extraordinary. As business leaders, it’s on us to seize this opportunity to explore and implement ChatGPT solutions in our operations. 

Remember that innovation is the lifeblood of success. 

Don't observe from the sidelines. Immerse yourself, experiment, and embrace the ChatGPT plug-in revolution. 

Got something to add? Chime in below...