Unlock ChatGPTs Full Potential Six Key Settings

Credit: Photographed by Joseph Maldonado / Mashable Composite by Rene Ramos.

ChatGPT has undeniably reshaped the tech world in significant and lasting ways. As the pioneering AI chatbot to capture broad public attention, ChatGPT has undergone considerable evolution and enhancement since its debut.

But are you aware of the various settings and features you can use to elevate your ChatGPT experience? ChatGPT provides several options to personalize the AI, making it more effective for specific needs. Here’s a guide to the settings and features I suggest tweaking or customizing to get the most from this service.

Fine Tune Your Data Controls and Privacy

Before you begin personalizing ChatGPT, it’s wise to review your data controls to ensure they align with your comfort level. Like many modern tech services, OpenAI utilizes user data to refine ChatGPT. If you prefer to keep your personal data as private as possible, you can adjust these settings.

To modify your data controls on the web, log into ChatGPT, click your profile picture in the top right corner, select “Settings,” and then choose the “Data Controls” option. From this menu, you can toggle the “Improve the model for everyone” option to off. If you allow OpenAI to use your text chat data for model improvement, you can still individually disable audio and video recordings. Note that turning off overall model improvement automatically disables audio and video recording collection, and they cannot be enabled separately.

Personalize Your ChatGPT Interactions

While ChatGPT can learn about you through interactions (more on that later), you can proactively provide information to tailor its responses specifically to you using the Customize ChatGPT feature. This also allows you to set preferences for its response style; for example, if you find ChatGPT overly positive, you can instruct it to be more neutral.

To customize ChatGPT, go to the ChatGPT website, click your profile picture in the top right, and then select “Customize ChatGPT.” Here, you can specify your preferred name, occupation, and other details. You can also describe the traits you want ChatGPT to exhibit or select from preset options. Additionally, a text box allows you to share any other information you want ChatGPT to know about you, such as details about your family, location, or interests.

Leverage ChatGPTs Memory Feature

Even without explicit customization, ChatGPT can learn about you as you converse, thanks to the Memory feature. Memory, as the name suggests, is a compilation of information that ChatGPT “remembers” about you, including your past prompts and questions.

With the Memory feature enabled, the information ChatGPT stores will grow and adapt over time. This allows ChatGPT to reference previous conversations, so you don’t have to re-explain yourself with each new chat. This is particularly useful if you frequently ask questions about the same topics.

To manage the Memory feature, access the website, click your profile picture, then “Settings,” and choose “Personalization.” Here, you can enable the feature for ChatGPT to reference saved memories and manage stored information, including deleting individual memories. OpenAI recently expanded this feature, allowing ChatGPT to refer back to all your previous conversations, making it even more potent. You can toggle this expanded memory on or off in the settings.

Explore Voice Mode Capabilities

Voice mode enables you to converse with ChatGPT using your voice instead of typing. This is convenient when you’re unable to type or simply prefer a faster, more natural conversation.

While voice mode has limited settings, you can choose ChatGPT's voice. To do this, navigate to the “Settings” menu and click on the “Speech” option. You can then select from various voices and preview them.

Integrate External Services with Connectors

Connectors permit ChatGPT to access information that would typically be behind a password. For instance, you can link your Google account, enabling ChatGPT to read your emails and then answer questions about them or summarize unread messages. Numerous connectors are available, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Dropbox, Outlook email, Microsoft Teams, and others.

To connect these accounts, go to the settings menu and click on the “Connectors” option. From there, you can log into any accounts you wish ChatGPT to access.

Utilize ChatGPTs Built In Tools

ChatGPT can employ different features and tools on a chat-by-chat basis. Familiarizing yourself with these tools can help you select the best ones for specific tasks. The most fundamental choice is the large language model (LLM) you want to use. Selecting the right model can be confusing, so unless you're well-versed in the different models and their pros and cons, it's often best to follow OpenAI's recommendations provided below each model. You can choose a model in a new chat by clicking the drop-down menu at the top left of the screen, which displays the currently active model.

Other tools are accessible directly from the chat window. By clicking the small tools button, you can instruct ChatGPT to perform actions like creating an image, searching the web, writing, or conducting deep research, which involves multiple steps to investigate a topic. Also available in the chat window is an option to record your prompt via voice, which will then transcribe it to text, or to enter advanced voice mode.

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Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.