Top 10 Questions Answered: Building Custom GPTs With OpenAI Functions

In our recent webinar "How to Build Custom GPTs Using OpenAI Functions" the SingleStore panelist team received a record number of audience questions during the live session and decided to turn our favorites into an FAQ blog post!

1. What is a custom GPT?

Custom Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPTs) are AI models tailored for specific tasks or industries. They are fine-tuned to provide accurate and relevant responses based on specialized data.

2. How do custom GPTs differ from standard GPTs?

While standard GPTs are versatile, custom GPTs are trained on specific datasets — making them more efficient in niche applications like legal analysis or medical research.

3. Can custom GPTs handle sensitive data securely?

This is a challenge that OpenAI is still working on. However, OpenAI has published their privacy and security commitments for enterprise customers on their API platform.

For the time being, new applications that use the assistants API to build custom GPTs into applications and websites might be more secure than standard GPTs.

4. What are Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) models?

RAG models combine the power of Large Language Models (LLMs) with specific company data, allowing for more accurate and context-relevant responses.

5. How is SingleStoreDB relevant to custom GPTs?

SingleStoreDB efficiently manages both structured and unstructured data, making it an ideal choice for giving custom GPTs the additional data context for powerful, scalable, real-time GPT apps. 

Check out this step-by-step tutorial video and visit the new SingleStoreDB GPT to chat with your database in plain English.

6. Can custom GPTs be integrated with existing databases?

Absolutely. Custom GPTs can be connected to existing databases, allowing them to query data and provide insights in user-friendly formats.

7. How do I create a  custom GPT for data analysis?

You can use OpenAI's platform to create a GPT with specific instructions, tools and knowledge bases focused on data analysis tasks. You can try creating your own custom GPT in OpenAI’s new GPT Builder. And you can also read our recent blog post, "How to Create a GPT with Actions."

8. What is the role of no-code platforms in building custom GPTs?

No-code platforms allow users to create custom GPTs without in-depth programming knowledge, making the technology accessible to a wider audience.

9. Can custom GPTs generate reports or summaries?

Yes, they can be trained to analyze data sets and generate comprehensive reports or summaries, making them useful in business analytics. Custom GPTs still have the full power of OpenAI’s other features (data analysis, generative AI) — they’re simply lending that power to your proprietary data or applications.

10. Are there limitations to custom GPTs?

Custom GPTs are bound by the quality and breadth of their training data. Their performance is directly related to how well they are trained and the specificity of their programming.

OpenAI’s current out-of-the-box GPT builder has some limitations — like a 10-file-maximum upload limit, and 8,000-word maximum instructions limit. However, you can get around this by using the Assistants API and storing your data in a general purpose database like SingleStoreDB.

Conclusion

This webinar showcased the transformative potential of custom GPTs in various sectors. We invite you to watch the full webinar video on-demand, along with the accompanying new SingleStoreDB GPT and step-by-step video tutorial on how to use it. Don't miss this opportunity to equip yourself with the knowledge and tools essential for navigating the complexities of modern AI and data management.