Personalized ChatGPT tone could bridge gap between chatbots and assistants

The news: OpenAI is adding a “traits” feature to customize interactions with ChatGPT.

• Users can give the chatbot its own features, such as “chatty,” “encouraging,” or “Gen Z,” to shape the tone and approach of its responses.
• They can also give ChatGPT more context about themselves, including their preferred name, profession, and other personal details, to get “better, more personalized responses.”

The feature isn’t available yet for all ChatGPT users and may be part of either a slow rollout or a premature launch.

Friendly bot: Gen Z is a driving force behind generative AI (genAI) workplace adoption, and a more customizable tone could boost personal adoption of ChatGPT.

Twenty-four percent of consumers use genAI for companionship, per Cisco Systems. While this pales in comparison to the 56% who use it for news content and 54% who use it for work, there’s a precedent for users who are just looking to converse with a chatbot.

Market application: Adding a more personal tone to ChatGPT outputs could help marketers produce content and copy that feels more authentic and relatable to their audience, with less need for revisions.

• A Gen Z-focused campaign could be created entirely within ChatGPT in a voice that will resonate with that audience.
• That adaptability could save time and reduce the risk of content missing the mark.

AI isn’t known for perfect impressions of human interactions, though, and can be prone to gimmicky or imperfect outputs.

Bot or buddy? For those already wary of AI, customizing ChatGPT’s tone could evoke mixed reactions.

• A more human-like response could make the technology feel less robotic and more familiar.
• However, lifelike interactions could be unsettling for some consumers and make them feel as if the AI is too “real.”

Our take: Tone customization could close the divide between generic chatbots and more individualized, personal AI assistants. Even if the chatbot isn’t able to create perfectly human-like outputs, options to personalize its prompts could increase its usefulness for both casual users and workplaces.

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