The 6 ChatGPT settings you need to change to get the most out of the AI chatbot

ChatGPT has completely changed the tech landscape in some massive and irreversible ways. ChatGPT was the first AI chatbot that really made an impact in wider society, and since then, it has evolved and improved a fair bit.

Did you know that there are lots of settings and features that you can leverage to get even more out of your ChatGPT experience? ChatGPT offers a range of features that help make it more personal and, as a result, more helpful in certain use cases. So, here are all the settings and features I recommend changing or customizing to get the most out of the service.

Data controls and privacy

Before trying to make ChatGPT more personal, it's worth taking a look at your data controls to ensure that they're set up in a way that you're comfortable with. Like most tech services and software services these days, OpenAI relies on user data to improve ChatGPT. If you're anything like me, then you don't really want OpenAI to be doing so and would prefer that your personal data remain as private as possible.

To tweak your data controls on the web, log in to ChatGPT, then tap on your profile picture in the top right-hand corner. Then click on “Settings” and choose the “Data Controls” option from the settings menu. From here, you can toggle the “Improve the model for everyone” option to off.  Alternatively, if you don't mind OpenAI having access to your text chat data, you can individually toggle off audio and video recordings. Note that if you turn off model improvement as a whole, audio and video recordings are automatically off and cannot be enabled on their own.

Customize your ChatGPT

While ChatGPT can learn about you as it goes, which we'll get into later, you can give it information about you that can help tailor its responses to you specifically, through the Customize ChatGPT feature. This is also how you can tailor responses to your preferences, so for example, if you prefer that ChatGPT is a little less overly positive, you can tell it so. 

To customize ChatGPT, head to the ChatGPT website, then tap on your profile picture in the top right-hand corner, then click on the “Customize ChatGPT” option. From here, you'll be able to tell the service what you prefer to be called and your occupation, for example. You'll also be able to detail what kind of traits you want ChatGPT to have, or you can choose one or multiple preset options. Lastly, there's a box that lets you basically tell ChatGPT whatever you want it to know about you apart from your name and occupation, so you could give it information about your family, where you live, your interests, and so on.

Memory

Even if you don't explicitly tell ChatGPT things about you through the customization options, you can have it learn about you as you chat with it, through the Memory feature. Memory is basically what it sounds like: a list of things that ChatGPT will “remember” about you. It also includes your past prompts and questions.

With the Memory feature turned on, the so-called memories that ChatGPT stores will evolve and expand over time. Not only that, but the feature will allow ChatGPT to refer back to previous conversations so that you don't have to spell out everything about yourself each time you start a new chat. This is also helpful if you often ask questions about the same topic.

To customize the Memory feature, head to the website and tap on your profile picture, then click on “Settings.” Choose the “Personalization” option from the settings menu. From here you can toggle on the reference saved memories feature and manage the memories that the service has saved, including deleting individual memories if you want to. Recently, OpenAI also added a new Memory feature that essentially allows ChatGPT to refer back to all your previous conversations. It's an expanded version of memories that makes the feature even more powerful, and you can toggle it on or off here.

Voice Mode

Voice mode essentially allows you to have a conversation with ChatGPT through voice instead of chat. It's helpful for when you're not in a position to be able to type things out or you simply want to have a quicker conversation. 

There aren't a ton of settings to tweak for voice mode, but you can choose which voice you want ChatGPT to have. To do this, head to the “Settings” menu, then click on the “Speech” option. From here, you can choose from a number of different voices and play a clip of those voices speaking as you choose.

Connectors

Connectors allow ChatGPT to access information that would otherwise be locked behind a password. In other words, you can connect your Google account to ChatGPT so that it can read your emails, which allows it to answer questions about emails, create a summary of any unread emails, and so on. There are actually a number of different connectors that you can choose from. On top of your Gmail account, you can also connect to Google Drive and Google Calendar, Dropbox, Outlook email, Microsoft Teams, and more.

To log into these accounts through connectors, head to the settings menu, then click on the “Connectors” option. From here you can log into any accounts you want ChatGPT to have access to.

Tools

ChatGPT can make use of different features and tools on a chat-by-chat basis, and it's worth familiarizing yourself with these tools so that you can select the best ones for the specific situation. The most basic option to choose from is the large language model that you want to use. Unfortunately, choosing the right model is pretty confusing, so unless you're familiar with the different models and the advantages and disadvantages that they have, it's probably best to just read the OpenAI recommendations below each model and do your best to choose the best one. You can choose from the different models in a new chat by tapping on the drop-down menu on the top left of the screen, which is labeled with whatever model you're currently using.

The other tools that you can make use of are available straight from the chat window. When you tap on the little tools button, you can choose for ChatGPT to do things like create an image, search the web, write, or conduct deep research, which tells the service to go through multiple steps to research a particular topic. Also available in the chat window is an option to record your prompt using voice, which will then transcribe the prompt text or enter advanced voice mode.

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.