OpenAI has significantly enhanced the capabilities of its free ChatGPT version, bringing it closer to the feature-rich experience enjoyed by ChatGPT Plus subscribers. One of the most notable additions is access to custom GPTs, previously a Plus-exclusive feature. These tailored versions of ChatGPT are designed for specific tasks, allowing users to leverage specialized knowledge and customized prompts without any coding required.
Custom GPTs cover an impressive range of applications, from travel planning and songwriting to presentation creation and logo design. OpenAI’s GPT store showcases popular models, simplifying discovery, and also features a dedicated section for GPTs created by the OpenAI team. While free users can’t create their own GPTs or utilize image generation features like DALL·E, access to this library of specialized AI tools is a substantial upgrade.
Beyond custom GPTs, OpenAI is extending some GPT-4o capabilities to free users. The enhanced image understanding of GPT-4o enables impressive feats like translating menus from photographs and analyzing nutritional information from images of food. Free users now also gain access to web browsing capabilities and file uploads, allowing ChatGPT to summarize, translate, or analyze documents and spreadsheets. Furthermore, ChatGPT will utilize a memory feature to retain user information for more personalized future interactions.
OpenAI developer using GPT-4o.
While many of these features are offered in a “limited” capacity for free users, with usage eventually reverting to GPT-3.5, the upgrades represent a significant improvement. Initially limited to paid users, upcoming features like video and voice calls with ChatGPT are also on the horizon, further blurring the lines between free and premium versions.
In conclusion, OpenAI’s free ChatGPT has received a substantial upgrade, offering access to custom GPTs, enhanced GPT-4o features, web browsing, file uploads, and a memory function. While some limitations remain for free users, these enhancements provide a more powerful and versatile AI experience, narrowing the gap between the free and paid versions of ChatGPT.
