Since OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT last year, there has been a huge influx of developers and companies trying to find creative ways to build AI-powered chatbot assistants. OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Anthroipic’s Claude are two new models that have made this process easier for app makers. These bots are designed to be more accessible and useful for people, allowing for native mobile and desktop experiences.
Some developers have gone even further, seeking ways to integrate their apps with the system. For example, Joe Fabisevich, an indie developer and former Twitter employee, created the app Short Circuit which gives users an opportunity to engage with a chatbot named Shorty. It provides prompts such as diet plans, workout plans, songwriting, and fun facts. It also comes with a “Hey Siri, Hey Shorty” command, allowing you to use voice or text to ask questions of ChatGPT.
MacStories have also developed their own tool in the form of S-GPT which is currently integrated into macOS and iOS. This tool can summarize webpages shared through the Safari share sheet, and can understand complex queries like “Make me a playlist with 25 mellow indie rock songs released between 2000 and 2010 and sort them by release year, from oldest to most recent”. What sets S-GPT apart from Siri is its ability to prompt users to ask for follow-up questions, and its visual prompt helps a great deal since Siri is known to forget the context of conversation.
On the other hand, Siri (or any assistant) is considered superior to GPT-powered models when it comes to simple commands like “what’s the weather tomorrow?” or “what was the score of the last match?” For this reason, Fabisevich included a fact-check button in Short Circuit. He also mentioned that GPT-4 is known to display erroneous information and therefore, skepticism is key.
All in all, AI-powered chatbot assistants are proving useful for numerous purposes such as brainstorming, App Store Optimization, finding DnD stories, and more. We can expect to see more advancements in the future. However, for now, devices such as Siri are still essential for simpler tasks.
Joe Fabisevich is an indie developer and former Twitter employee. He is the creator of Short Circuit, an app that allows users to communicate with a chatbot called Shorty. Short Circuit provides useful suggestions for activities such as diet, writing, workouts, and fun facts. Additionally, the “Hey Siri, Hey Shorty” command allows people to interact with ChatGPT using voice or text.
MacStories are responsible for developing S-GPT, a tool integrated into macOS and iOS that can help with time management, check text in the clipboard, open links from ChatGPT, and create playlists. Additionally, S-GPT is more efficient than Siri when it comes to back-and-forth conversations. Despite this success, both Short Circuit and S-GPT have demonstrated that Siri still holds an advantages when dealing with simple commands such as “What’s the weather?”. In the near future, we can expect greater integration as developers work on various ways to enhance AI-powered assistants.
