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Learn how to Use ChatGPT Custom Instructions in this guide. So far, this is our favorite thing about ChatGPT. Not only are plugins useful, but this update brought ChatGPT one step closer to being a real personal assistant powered by AI. To put it simply, “custom instructions” let you tell ChatGPT what preferences or requirements you’d like it to take into account when it makes its responses. When you give ChatGPT custom instructions, it will follow your specific instructions for every chat.
These instructions are used by ChatGPT for every response, so you don’t have to keep repeating your choices or information in every conversation. What began as a chatbot that most people only used for fun quickly turned into a useful tool for many. For some, ChatGPT has become their trusted assistant who helps them make grocery lists and for others, it has become someone who helps them with their work.
But it’s annoying that you have to tell ChatGPT the same things over and over again every time you want to do the same thing. Even more annoying is that ChatGPT can forget the instructions in the same chat after a while. Each new chat is a blank slate. Lastly, the people at OpenAI have added the ability to give instructions that are unique to each person. Here are the steps how to Use ChatGPT Custom Instructions.
What are ChatGPT Custom Instructions?
In short, the Custom Instructions feature is a way for ChatGPT to remember important instructions between chat sessions. It lets ChatGPT users give standing instructions that the AI chatbot will remember and use in later chats, so users don’t have to keep explaining things back and forth. New ChatGPT Plus users are now able to use the Custom Instructions feature.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Natural language processing (NLP) | ChatGPT uses NLP techniques to understand and generate text. This allows it to communicate and generate intuitive responses to human inputs. |
| Generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) | ChatGPT is based on the GPT-3.5 architecture, which is a generative pre-trained transformer model. This means that it has been trained on a massive dataset of text and code, which allows it to generate text that is both coherent and grammatically correct. |
| Tabular formatting | ChatGPT can understand and process tabular data. This allows it to answer questions about tabular data, such as “What is the average age of the people in this table?” or “What is the most common country of origin in this table?” |
| Code execution | ChatGPT can execute code in Python. This allows it to be used for a variety of tasks, such as data analysis, machine learning, and natural language processing. |
| Google Play Store | Download Now |
| iOS Store | Download Now |
OpenAI said in an announcement that Custom Instructions would be sent to all Chatgpt users after this. So, if you have a free account, you might have to wait a little longer. Aside from that, one good reason to become a ChatGPT Plus member is to get early access to new features. Without a doubt, the Custom Instructions feature is the most important personalisation feature that ChatGPT has added since it first came out in November 2022.
How to Enable Custom Instructions in ChatGPT
- Go to ChatGPT and sign in to your account.
- Next, open “Settings & Beta” by clicking on the three dots in the bottom left corner.
- Click on the “Beta features” tab and turn on the “Custom instructions” toggle.
How to Use ChatGPT Custom Instructions
- Open the three-dot menu again in the bottom left corner and click on “Custom instructions” after turning it on.
- A welcome pop-up will show up. Press “OK.”
- This is where you can make your own ChatGPT instructions. You can write about yourself here, including where you live, your hobbies and interests, your job, any subject you know a lot about, your goals, and more. This helps ChatGPT get to know you better so it can give you a more useful answer.
- In the field below, you can give ChatGPT a name. For instance, you can tell ChatGPT to answer in a formal or informal way. You can also tell ChatGPT how to address you, how long the response should be, whether it should weigh in on certain questions or stay neutral, and more.
- When you are done, click “Save” and make sure the “Enabled for new chats” switch is on.
- Finally, switch to the “GPT-4” model and begin talking. From now on, ChatGPT will respond to questions based on what you tell it to do. You can see that the answer is short, to the point, and doesn’t have any extraneous information. It also uses personal information about me, like where I am, to give me answers.
Why Custom Instructions Matter in ChatGPT
- Personalisation: Users can change how they interact with ChatGPT by giving it custom instructions. Users can tell ChatGPT how to respond in a way that meets their needs and preferences. This customization makes the experience better for the user and the interactions more meaningful.
- Relevance in Context: Custom instructions give ChatGPT context. Users can tell ChatGPT to think about certain things when it comes up with answers, like where they are, their hobbies, or their job. This information helps ChatGPT give better, more accurate answers that are more relevant to the user’s situation.
- Users can tell ChatGPT: what tone or style they want it to use by giving it custom instructions. For instance, they can ask for formal or casual answers. This tone control feature makes sure that ChatGPT talks in a way that fits the user’s tastes.
- Response Length: Custom instructions let users choose how long responses should be. Depending on what they need, they can ask for short answers or more in-depth explanations. This adaptability makes sure that ChatGPT’s answers match what the user wants.
- Help with Ethics and Values: Customised instructions can include help with values and ethical issues. ChatGPT users can tell it to stay neutral on sensitive issues, stay away from certain topics, or follow certain ethical rules. This helps make sure that the AI model is used in a responsible and moral way.
- Better Usability: Users can make ChatGPT more useful by telling it about their goals, interests, or areas of expertise. The interaction is more valuable when the AI model gives the user insights, suggestions, or help that are in line with their goals.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Custom Instructions
- Ambiguity: Avoid using vague or ambiguous instructions. Make your instructions as clear and specific as possible. Ambiguity can lead to unexpected or incorrect responses.
- Overly Complex Instructions: Keep your instructions simple and straightforward. Complex instructions can confuse the model and result in convoluted responses.
- Contradictory Instructions: Be careful not to give conflicting instructions. If you ask the model to be both formal and informal at the same time, it may struggle to produce a coherent response.
- Inadequate Training: Custom instructions work best when the model has enough information to understand your preferences. Provide sufficient context about your desired tone, style, or content.
- Overly Long Instructions: While it’s important to be clear, overly long instructions can overwhelm the model. Try to keep your instructions concise and to the point.
- Lack of Feedback: If the model is not generating the desired responses, consider giving it feedback. You can ask it to improve or clarify its responses based on your initial instructions.
What Can You Do With ChatGPT Custom Instructions?
- Give ChatGPT basic information about yourself, like your name, job, and location, so it can correctly identify you each time and better tailor its responses to your job and location.
- ChatGPT will know how to write different types of writeups if you tell it what writing tone you want. Set preferences for the tone of voice you want to use when writing emails to friends, coworkers, and bosses at work, for example. ChatGPT will change its responses based on who the email is from and to.
- Define the acronyms and abbreviations you use a lot so that ChatGPT can understand what they mean in all of your chats.
- Let ChatGPT know what you’re interested in and what you’re good at so that it can craft responses that fit your level of expertise and interests.
- Outline the beliefs, values, or morals that should guide ChatGPT’s responses that are relevant.
Questions and Answers
ChatGPT uses transformer neural networks and deep learning, a type of machine learning, to make text that looks like it was written by a person. Based on the typical order of its training data, the transformer guesses text, such as the next word, sentence, or paragraph.
You should use Chat GPT if you want an AI language model that can respond correctly and with nuance to natural language inputs. But Google is the better choice if you want a search engine that is quick, easy to use, and tailored to your needs.
In other words, can Turnitin find ChatGPT? Yes, it can! Some students might be worried about this, but they need to know that using AI in this way is not a replacement for their schoolwork and ability to think critically.