17 | Why ChatGPT Plus is More Than Just Another Chatbot
A StrefaTECH Deep-Dive Series
Hey StrefaTECH readers,
I've been diving into ChatGPT Plus (the paid, or “ChatGPT-4” version) lately, and I think it's something worth sharing with all of you.
Before we dive in, it's worth mentioning that the value of a subscription truly hinges on how relevant these upgrades are to your needs. I'm here to shed light on the features, highlighting some that might've slipped under your radar, and assist you in gauging if and when it makes sense to invest. Rest assured, this isn't a sales pitch; it's a shared exploration of what's available.
Understanding ChatGPT Plus
From 3.5 to 4 (Plus): ChatGPT Plus isn't just an upgraded ChatGPT 3.5. While they share the foundational technology, Plus takes the conversational depth and breadth to new heights. ChatGPT 3.5 gave us a taste of what natural language processing could achieve – it was like having a chat with someone who had read a lot of books. With Plus, it feels more like conversing with someone who doesn't just have knowledge, but also a more refined understanding of context and nuances. Also, ChatGPT 3.5 isn’t connected to the internet; its training data stopped in 2021, so if you want to have a conversation about anything that may have evolved since then, ChatGPT 3.5 isn’t a good candidate.
I can’t fully explain how much my interactions with ChatGPT have changed since I’ve been using Plus more … it really freaks me out as to how good its responses are (though it still has the issues with contorting facts, being bad at math, and hallucinating, so the cautions remain!).
Bard, Claude, and Bing – How They Stack Up:
Bard: Known for its poetic and creative flair, Bard is less about raw information and more about crafting narratives. If ChatGPT Plus is the researcher, Bard is the storyteller. It’s been skewered by AI experts as being inferior to ChatGPT, but I’ve found that sometimes I like its narrative responses better. It also is connected to the live internet (as is ChatGPT Plus), so if you’re interested in something that’s relevant to the last 2-3 years, it’s an option.
Claude: If ChatGPT Plus is the researcher and Bard is the storyteller, Claude to me is the professor. Anthropic (the company that created Claude) is committed to an innovative form of “guardrails” that is cited as resulting in fewer harmful or inaccurate responses. Like Bard, it tends to provide more narrative responses than ChatGPT, which often is more terse and organized with headers and bullet items. And like ChatGPT 3.5, it’s not connected to the live internet, so its ‘knowledge’ stops in early 2022.
Bing: Here's where things get interesting (a/k/a confusing!). Bing incorporates elements of ChatGPT 4's tech, especially in terms of conversational capabilities. It's akin to a sibling of ChatGPT Plus but tailored more for general search and quick information retrieval. However, some advanced features like Plug-Ins and Advanced Data Analysis, which are integral to ChatGPT Plus, are absent in Bing. But, Bing is free and connected to the internet, so if you don’t see enough value in the other ChatGPT Plus features, Bing could be a good starting point for AI chatting.
Unique to ChatGPT Plus: Beyond the foundational conversational AI that Bing shares with ChatGPT Plus, the latter stands out with its additional features. DALL-E 3, Vision, and the ability to integrate Plug-Ins make it versatile for a wide range of tasks, from content creation to data integration and analysis. It's not just about having a conversation; it's about having a tool that can adapt to diverse needs. I’m looking forward to pulling together my experimentation with these features over the last few weeks into upcoming StrefaTECH articles!
A Hidden Gem: Custom Instructions
One of the somewhat overlooked features I stumbled upon in ChatGPT Plus is the ability to give Custom Instructions. These are essentially instructions that ChatGPT will keep in mind for all of your conversations, without you having to remind it.
Because I’m using ChatGPT a lot with StrefaTECH, I’ve geared my custom instructions to the tone I want for these articles. Here’s what I’ve entered.
Custom Instructions Question 1: What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?
My entry:
I'm the founder of StrefaTECH, an initiative to help nonprofit leaders learn more about technology -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know a lot about technology and software, and I also know a lot about how nonprofits (particularly smaller ones) work.
Custom Instructions Question 2: How would you like ChatGPT to respond?
My entry:
Tone: Ensure the content is professional yet familiar. The language should be relatable, as if speaking with colleagues or peers. Avoid overly commercial or promotional language. Think of it as sharing insights rather than selling a concept.
Style: The writing should not resemble podcast scripts or promotional pitches. It should read more like an informal conversation or a friendly email.
Nuance: Aim for a level of familiarity that resonates with regular readers or members of a community, but avoid getting too intimate or personal. The tone should evoke a sense of camaraderie without overstepping boundaries.
Images: Use a photorealistic style unless I specify a different one. Do not include any letters or text.
What's Coming Up
In upcoming articles, I’m going to go through the special features that have been added to ChatGPT Plus.
DALL-E 3: Text-to-image incorporated into ChatGPT Plus, in particular with some very creative generation of detailed prompts from a more general ones. As a note, there’s a lot to dig into related to the various apps that generate images from text. I’ll explore that sometime down the road, but for the moment am focusing on the general differences among the major chatbots.
Vision: Wide-ranging capabilities of ChatGPT Plus to look at images you upload and respond
Plug-Ins: The ChatGPT "store” that allows third-party developers to create special-purpose add-ons to ChatGPT
Advanced Data Analysis: The most exciting feature of ChatGPT Plus, and one that I anticipate spending a few articles investigating
Honestly, I'm still exploring and learning about ChatGPT Plus myself. If you’ve been experimenting or using it, lend me a hand by sharing anything you’ve seen—good, bad, or ugly. I’m debstuligross@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!