Auto-GPT - Automating Generative AI
April 25, 2023
As if ChatGPT wasn't impressive enough, now we have Auto-GPT, the next killer app. This so-called agent utilizes GPT and the internet to achieve objectives. It prompts autonomously, explores various solutions if needed, evaluates them, and then delivers the best possible outcome. However, Auto-GPT isn't quite an app yet; it's more of a proof of concept.
How Auto-GPT works
Auto-GPT doesn't require much to get started:
- A name for the project
- A role for the agent to assume
- One or more goals to be accomplished
Auto-GPT assumes the role and breaks down the goals into individual tasks that it tackles. These tasks can be prompts, similar to what we're familiar with in ChatGPT, or they can involve traditional internet research. Results are stored along with the tasks, then evaluated to determine if the goals have been achieved. If not, they are further divided into additional tasks.
Similar to ChatGPT itself, the intriguing aspect of Auto-GPT lies in its ability to retain context. Actually, the agent can maintain it for even longer periods compared to ChatGPT. However, in a new project, the results are not yet available. But that could change in the future.
The output of Auto-GPT doesn't necessarily have to be text; it can also be delivered as a file.
Room for improvement
The hype surrounding Auto-GPT is justified as it impressively showcases the possibilities that arise from bundling language models and integrating them into applications. Strengths:
- Self-prompting
- Independent evaluation of intermediate results
- Context retention
- Storage of intermediate results
- Various output formats
- Integration with other applications is possible "by design" to automate processes such as ordering or scheduling appointments
Of course, this assistant is far from perfect or even reliable. Weaknesses:
- Inheriting the issues of GPT (distortions or hallucinations, although the utilization of internet research makes the latter less likely)
- Inability to always break down tasks into subtasks
- Struggles with internet obstacles that humans can easily overcome (cookie banners, logins)
When we view Auto-GPT more as a blueprint for what is possible with language models combined with other sources and tools, this agent inspires the development of proper applications and takes the automation of tasks to a new level.
GitHub or Auto-GPT apps
Auto-GPT is not a ready-to-use application like ChatGPT. If you want to experience it firsthand and play around with it, you have two options: