OpenAI has announced the availability of a new feature in ChatGPT to allow customers to make the chatbot fit their needs. Custom instructions can now be used to add preferences or requirements for ChatGPT to use when generating responses.
Custom instructions can be applied to all future conversations, eliminating the need to restate these requirements each time. According to OpenAI, it has been gathering user feedback and has learned of the friction users feel when having to start new on each conversation.
For example, a teacher who is using ChatGPT to plan lessons would be able to tell it that they teach third grade science, or a parent shopping for a family of six could get meal prep advice and a shopping list that accounts for that many people.
“Through our conversations with users across 22 countries, we’ve deepened our understanding of the essential role steerability plays in enabling our models to effectively reflect the diverse contexts and unique needs of each person,” OpenAI wrote in a blog post last month when they first added this as a beta feature.
In order to add instructions, a user just has to click on their name and then select “custom instructions,” which will bring them to the area where they can add requirements.
Other recent changes to ChatGPT includes suggested replies, prompt examples, the ability to upload multiple files, new keyboard shortcuts, GPT-4 used by default, and users will no longer be logged out every two weeks.
