The real problem with ChatGPT plugins

… is UX: they interfere with the basic experience of using ChatGPT. In an interview with Raza Habib of Humanloop archived here, Sam Altman says (paraphrased): “The usage of plugins, other than browsing, suggests that they don’t have product-market-fit yet” But I think there could be PMF. The blockage is UX – ironically for a product which is otherwise super simple to use. Here’s the bigger list of issues with plugins: Most of them don’t work as advertised – or just don’t work at all Most of them take too long to return results Many of them require you to do many things outside of the ChatGPT UI, which is annoying Many of them duplicate what ChatGPT can do natively – and do so in a worse way But the big problem: all of them, that I have tried, disrupt the ChatGPT UX To be clear, I think the concept is great and there are several plugins I like. For example: ChatWithGit ChatWithWebsite daigr.am Scraper AskYourPDF Metaphor (<– this is one is great, BTW) But even these disrupt the iterative flow of conversation. It’s like when you’re in an enjoyable, animated conversation and the other person says: “hang on, I have to look that up on my phone”. Then two minutes of silence later: “shit I can’t find it”. Prompting is part priming the model but it’s also priming your own mind – the current plugin UX cuts both short.

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The real problem with ChatGPT plugins

June 9, 2023

… is UX: they interfere with the basic experience of using ChatGPT.

In an interview with Raza Habib of Humanloop archived here, Sam Altman says (paraphrased): “The usage of plugins, other than browsing, suggests that they don’t have product-market-fit yet”

But I think there could be PMF. The blockage is UX – ironically for a product which is otherwise super simple to use.

Here’s the bigger list of issues with plugins:

  • Most of them don’t work as advertised – or just don’t work at all
  • Most of them take too long to return results
  • Many of them require you to do many things outside of the ChatGPT UI, which is annoying
  • Many of them duplicate what ChatGPT can do natively – and do so in a worse way
  • But the big problem: all of them, that I have tried, disrupt the ChatGPT UX

To be clear, I think the concept is great and there are several plugins I like. For example:

  • ChatWithGit
  • ChatWithWebsite
  • daigr.am
  • Scraper
  • AskYourPDF
  • Metaphor (<– this is one is great, BTW)

But even these disrupt the iterative flow of conversation.

It’s like when you’re in an enjoyable, animated conversation and the other person says: “hang on, I have to look that up on my phone”.

Then two minutes of silence later: “shit I can’t find it”.

Prompting is part priming the model but it’s also priming your own mind – the current plugin UX cuts both short.

(This was originally published on Art of Message – subscribe here)