ChatGPT, the versatile generative AI bot, has been making waves by assisting writers, engaging in debates, generating code, and much more. With OpenAI’s introduction of third-party plug-ins, a whole new world of functionality has opened up for users.
These plug-ins enable ChatGPT to perform tasks like web research, diagram creation, travel planning, Wikipedia queries, and much more. To access these plug-ins, you’ll need an active subscription to ChatGPT Plus, priced at US$20 per month.
ChatGPT, combined with these plug-ins, can swiftly help you search, summarize, and navigate PDF files. To access the plug-ins, initiate a new chat in the ChatGPT interface, select GPT-4, and then choose Plug-Ins from the options at the top. Click the small icon under the header, which lists your currently installed plug-ins, and scroll down to the Plug-In Store to discover new additions.
One noteworthy PDF plug-in is AI PDF, which promises “super-fast, interactive chats”. To make use of it, simply provide ChatGPT with the URL of a web-hosted PDF. Alternatively, the plug-in offers a PDF upload option, allowing you to analyze documents stored on your computer.
Once you’ve submitted the PDF, the plug-in can answer questions about the document, ranging from its main argument and conclusions to specific details and writing style. What sets AI PDF apart is its ability to reference page numbers in the PDF during summaries and answers, providing transparency. You can even request individual lines from the document to support ChatGPT’s responses.
For PDFs not available online, AskYourPDF can assist. This plug-in lets you upload your PDFs, enabling you to submit queries through ChatGPT. You can request specific details from particular sections, receive overviews and summaries, have sections rewritten, and perform tasks similar to what ChatGPT does with standard text blocks. Moreover, AskYourPDF handles follow-up questions adeptly, ensuring clarity and source identification within the PDF.
Doc Maker offers a unique twist as it focuses on PDF creation rather than querying. While numerous tools can create PDFs, Doc Maker leverages ChatGPT to streamline the process. Specify the type of PDF you need, and Doc Maker, with ChatGPT’s assistance, guides you through its creation. Whether it’s a resume, financial report, or newsletter, the plug-in prompts you for necessary text or generates it using AI. For instance, if you need to draft meeting minutes, Doc Maker and ChatGPT can quickly provide a shareable PDF summary.
ScholarAI caters to those who frequently work with scientific papers. This plug-in grants access to over 40 million peer-reviewed PDF papers from the web, enabling individual queries or database-wide searches. You can start by searching for papers on a specific topic published within a particular timeframe. ScholarAI can then assist in dissecting specific papers -summarizing sections, inquiring about experimental methods, and more. Simultaneously, ChatGPT can supplement this knowledge with background information not found in the papers.
In summary, ChatGPT’s PDF plug-ins expand its capabilities, allowing you to efficiently work with, search, and create PDF documents for a wide range of tasks, from research to document generation and beyond.
