Here's Why ChatGPT Now Calls Me Arnold Schwarzenegger

pcmag.com:

OpenAI's new "custom instructions" feature for ChatGPT Plus promises to make the chatbot easier to use and a more helpful personal assistant.

"Custom instructions allow users to add preferences or requirements for ChatGPT to consider when generating its responses so every thread doesn’t have to start as a blank slate," OpenAI says. "For example, a teacher crafting a lesson plan no longer has to repeat that they're teaching third-grade science."

In other words, ChatGPT now remembers the basic parameters of how you use it. If you ask ChatGPT to generate meal plans, you can tell it to always cap the daily calorie count at 2,000. Or it can remember that you prefer Python for coding projects.

These custom instructions also extend to plugins, or apps Plus users can enable to expand ChatGPT's capabilities. "For example, if you specify the city you live in within your instructions and use a plugin that helps you make restaurant reservations, the model might include your city when it calls the plugin," OpenAI says(Opens in a new window).

The feature will roll to ChatGPT Plus accounts ($20 per month) in the coming weeks. Anyone with a Plus account can enable a beta version in the settings menu, so I took it for a spin.

When turning on custom instructions, ChatGPT asks for two main pieces of information, starting with: "What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?" It then serves up thought starters to help frame your response: "Where are you based? What do you do for work? What are your hobbies and interests? What subjects can you talk about for hours? What are some goals you have?"

Then, it asks: "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?" with thought starters such as, "How formal or casual should