How to create your own chatbot with OpenAI custom GPTs

 For nearly a year after its release, ChatGPT behaved the same way for everyone. With the exception of the paid ChatGPT Plus tier and the optional GPT-4 language model, there weren’t many ways in which you could customize the chatbot. However, that finally changed when ChatGPT introduced custom instructions, which let you specify the chatbot’s response styles. Now, OpenAI is going one step further with custom GPTs that anyone can build and share with the world.

Imagine a customized ChatGPT that can simulate an interview, teach you a new language, critique your creative work, or just recommend movies to watch on a weekend night. Custom GPTs can do all that, without the monotony of explaining the task to ChatGPT every single time. Sounds useful? We agree! Here’s how you can get started.

OpenAI GPTs are an extension of ChatGPT’s custom instructions in that they allow you to specify the chatbot’s tone, knowledge, and purpose. You can share custom GPTs with others — think of them like mini apps, each tailored for a specific use-case.

Along with specifying your own custom instructions, GPTs also allow you to upload reference files like PDFs for the chatbot to reference. For example, you could upload the rule book for an obscure board game and have the custom GPT play along or act as a referee.

OpenAI has created a special interface that allows you to create custom GPTs in a conversational manner, which it aptly calls GPT Builder. Unfortunately, you’ll need an active ChatGPT Plus subscription to access it. The feature may trickle down to the free tier sometime in the future, but for now, you’ll have to shell out $20 per month.