- ChatGPT users will now be able to use the “custom instructions” feature, previously reserved for paying subscribers.
- The feature allows you to set certain prompts to be remembered by the chatbot in order to save you time when asking different questions.
- South African users can access the feature via the three-dot menu beside their usernames on the platform.
Custom instruction features previously locked behind a subscription for the premium edition of ChatGPT will be rolling out to the majority of the platform’s users on the free tier. All users will now be able to set their custom instructions via the three-dot menu found at the bottom of the page near your username.
The feature is now available in South Africa after rolling out to the EU and US on Thursday. Users will be shown that they can access custom instructions via a pop-up telling them to try the new feature out.
The option to select instructions is now listed above settings and clicking it will take you to a new menu where you can set two new prompts. Namely “What would you like ChatGPT to know about you to provide better responses?” and “How would you like ChatGPT to respond?”
Both these features will allow you to not have to repeat specific prompts each time you ask ChatGPT something. The chatbot will remember your custom instructions and use them in each answer.
For example, we asked it to talk like a certain Warchief of the Horde and it didn’t disappoint.
OpenAI intended for the feature to be used to save users their time. Apart from asking to respond in certain voices, you can also set specific character counts and change the tone of answers. When launched in July, OpenAI via blogpost gave the example of a teacher using instructions to create their own lesson plans without having constantly repeat themselves.
“A developer preferring efficient code in a language that’s not Python – they can say it once, and it’s understood. Grocery shopping for a big family becomes easier, with the model accounting for 6 servings in the grocery list,” it added.
Previously custom instructions were bundled together with the $20 ChatGPT subscription which brings a host of improvements over the base version of the platform. Like the ability to use GPT-4, the latest model of the chatbot, as well as faster response times, and improved access to ChatGPT even during peak times when servers are full.
Subscribers also receive priority access to beta features and the latest updates and improvements that OpenAI makes to the super-popular AI.
“We’ve heard your feedback about the friction of starting each ChatGPT conversation afresh. 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,” the firm explained.
