OpenAI unveils innovative feature Pulse for ChatGPT users

OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT service with the introduction of Pulse, a feature that creates personalized reports for users while they sleep. Pulse presents users with five to ten concise summaries in the morning to bring them up to date. This innovation is intended to encourage users to consult ChatGPT in the morning similarly to social media or news apps. This development is part of a broader transformation of OpenAI's consumer products, which increasingly aim to work asynchronously for users instead of merely responding to questions. Features such as ChatGPT Agent and Codex are designed to position ChatGPT as an assistant rather than just a chatbot. With Pulse, the company aims to operate more proactively. Fidji Simo, the new CEO of applications at OpenAI, explained that the company is developing AI to provide support that only the wealthiest could afford, making it accessible to everyone. Pulse is the first step in this endeavor, initially offered to pro users but intended to be available to all users in the long term. However, not all new ChatGPT products are available to everyone. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasized that some of the elaborate products will initially be reserved for more expensive subscribers, which also applies to Pulse. OpenAI's server capacities are limited, which is why the company is working with partners like Oracle and SoftBank to expand its infrastructure by building new data centers. From Thursday, Pulse will be available to subscribers of the $200 Pro plan and will appear as a new tab in the ChatGPT app. A future expansion of access to all ChatGPT users is planned, but the product's efficiency must first be improved. Pulse creates summaries of news articles on specific topics as well as personalized content based on user context. In a presentation for TechCrunch, Adam Fry, a product leader at OpenAI, demonstrated how Pulse created reports on the British football team Arsenal, group costume suggestions for Halloween, and travel-ready plans for his family. Each report is presented as a "card" with AI-generated images and text. Users can click on these cards to receive full reports and then question ChatGPT about the content. Pulse regularly generates reports, but there is also the option to request new reports or provide feedback on existing ones. Pulse integrates seamlessly into ChatGPT's Connectors and allows connection with applications like Google Calendar and Gmail. Once set up, Pulse will filter all important messages overnight or turn upcoming appointments into a tailored agenda. If the user enables ChatGPT's memory functions, Pulse will use context information from previous interactions to generate improved reports. Christina Wadsworth Kaplan, head of personalization at OpenAI, stated that Pulse can even recognize specific interests, such as her preference for running, and consider these when creating travel plans. However, this new functionality could also pose competition for existing news products. Nevertheless, Fry does not expect Pulse to replace traditional news apps, especially since the feature cites its sources just like ChatGPT Search. In the future, Pulse could become even more agentive and take over tasks such as restaurant reservations or email writing. Such functions, however, require significant advancements in OpenAI's agent models to gain the trust of users.