Embark on a journey into the realm of AI plugins through our dedicated blog series. As we delve into the intricacies of these intelligent add-ons, discover how they redefine the landscape of software development and digital experiences. From streamlining workflows to introducing advanced functionalities, these articles aim to illuminate the transformative impact of AI plugins across various industries. Whether you’re a developer, business owner, or simply curious about the latest innovations, join us in exploring the powerful synergy between artificial intelligence and the evolution of software enhancements.
Back in March, OpenAI began to develop “eyes and ears” for ChatGPT in the form of plugins. This would allow ChatGPT to exponentially expand its capabilities as a tool for users to basically delegate any task to. At the time, these plugins were only available to a select few in a “limited alpha.” But with OpenAI’s announcement Friday afternoon, over 70 third-party plugins are finally being rolled out to ChatGPT Plus users.
“We’re rolling out web browsing and Plugins to all ChatGPT Plus users over the next week!” OpenAI announced in a tweet. “Moving from alpha to beta, they allow ChatGPT to access the internet and to use 70+ third-party plugins.”
The plugins should automatically activate upon subscribing to ChatGPT Plus and can be found under “Beta Features” in a user’s settings. The service costs $20 a month and allows users to utilize OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 model, a significantly better, but still flawed, upgrade over ChatGPT-3. Plus subscribers will have access to over 70+ third-party plugins. These can parse through website content, visualize and analyze data, and even help you learn foreign languages.
Users can install as many plugins as they want, but are only allowed to use three at a time. The plugins cover a range of industries and business ventures including shopping, real estate, stocks, travel, and food. For example, one plugin, “ndricks Sports,” finds and compiles relevant sports news and information.
Other plugins like, “AskYourPDF,” and “ChatWithPDF,” allow users to provide a URL of a PDF document for ChatGPT to parse through. However, these plugins are very particular about what URLs it can and cannot accept, and this one does not accept local files from your computer.
ChatGPT-plugins are still in beta and it shows. I pointed out the “ndricks Sports” plugin earlier, and while the information it provided me is accurate, the sources it gave me don’t actually link back to wherever ChatGPT got that information. Or in some cases like with “ChatWithPDF,” the plugin just straight up did not work at the time I tried it.
Regardless, the implementation of plugins represents a radical shift in the capabilities of ChatGPT, especially in the wake of Google Bard getting a massive multimodal upgrade. The consequences of giving generative AI the ability to access the internet are yet to be seen in full, but you can’t say the progress of these machines isn’t at least a bit exciting.
Topics Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT OpenAI
Currently residing in Austin, Texas, Chance Townsend is an Assistant Editor at Mashable. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas with the bulk of his research primarily focused on online communities, dating apps, and professional wrestling.
In his free time, he’s an avid cook, loves to sleep, and “enjoys” watching the Lions and Pistons break his heart on a weekly basis. If you have any stories or recipes that might be of interest you can reach him by email at [email protected].

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