The Custom GPT Problem

I have logged over 875 hours on ChatGPT.

(don't judge me.)

One of the first posts of mine that really exploded was this one where I go into my assessment after the 400 hour mark.

I genuinely use ChatGPT every day of my life. Mainly, I use it for content ideation and drafting. That's pretty much it. In the past, I've fed it major datasets to test the limits of what I could do with data analytics. In hindsight, I clearly spent way too much time piecing together a ChatGPT data analyst before I realized that would be a feature added later. I have a few other "heavy lifting" instances, but they're not the daily drivers by any means.

That said, we really need to talk about Custom GPTs and why marketing is going to be in trouble.

As always, I'm here to call out the BS in this industry, and today is absolutely no different.

Let's get into it.

Ok, so what are custom GPTs?

Custom GPTs are touted as the next big thing in marketing, promising personalized and sophisticated tools beyond the capabilities of standard ChatGPT.

It's build-your-own ChatGPT.

Take a look:

"Make a creative who helps generate visuals for new products"

Doesn't that sound a lot like, "Hey ChatGPT, can you help me generate visuals for new products?"

Exactly.

At the surface level, that's all it is.

However, when you pull up the Configure menu:

• We can add a photo (Ooooh, fancy.)
• Give it a name
• Describe it
• Give it instructions
• Add conversation starters to get you going

This alone is just ChatGPT with extra steps.

This is nothing of substance here.

When you get to "Knowledge", this is where it gets tricky. You can upload files that it will reference.

For example, I added every post I've ever written to train it on my style, tone, and voice. The issue here is that I could copy and paste this info into any ChatGPT 4 instance and it would have the exact same effect.

This is of course a generic example. Yes, you can add data tables, etc. Analyze it, etc.

The point is this:

This only thing that matters is "Actions"

This is where it's going to get really good. People far smarter than me are working on some amazing things right now.

Ok, so where does that leave us as marketers?

Well...

Custom GPTs going to be a problem.

To really drive this home, here's what you may not realize about custom GPTs:

Most of these 'customized' GPTs, unless they're backed by genuinely sophisticated API integrations and fed accurate, relevant data, are nothing more than your garden-variety ChatGPT instances dressed in fancy garb.

Yes, you heard that correctly.

And you may already know where I'm going with this.

There are going to be the try-hard guru's that claim their custom GPT is the best there is, blah blah blah.

Why? Because they're going to try to sell it to you. (Bet.)

It's all bullshit.

Unless you are have master level API integrations with huge datasets, a custom GPT is nothing more than ChatGPT.

So, why should marketers care and what does that mean for us?

Well, let's talk about the marketing world's favorite pastime: Repackaging old strategies and tactics as brand-new, groundbreaking solutions. If you've been following my stuff lately, you know I'm on a kick.

Snake oil is back on the shelves.

If there's one thing marketers are notorious for, it's their uncanny ability to repackage and resell old strategies and tactics under the guise of innovation. This isn't new. It's a time-honored tradition in our industry – the art of dressing up old ideas in new clothes and selling them as the next big revolution. But let's call it what it is: snake oil salesmanship.

Mark my words - There are companies that are going be completely ripped off by fractional marketers and consultants selling them custom GPTs that have no merit whatsoever.

The differentiation is minimal, and the promised revolution in marketing might just be a rehash of old tools in new packaging.

But here’s the real kicker: Marketers are so good at this game that sometimes even they start believing in the novelty of their repackaged strategies. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle of hype, where the line between innovation and recycling becomes increasingly blurred.

Moreover, there's a looming ethical quandary in this rush towards custom GPTs. The narrative of 'advanced AI solutions' is enticing, but without thorough vetting and transparency, we risk stepping into murky waters. Are these custom GPTs genuinely transformative, or are we witnessing the birth of another overhyped tool that underdelivers?

So, what do we do about this?

The first step is to cultivate a culture of authenticity and transparency in marketing. That's what I've been trying to do with Demand Gen Therapy .

It's time to cut out the nonsense and start talking about the actually issues. We can't continue to self sabotage our own profession and craft.

• Call out the snake oil when you see it.
• Challenge the status quo.
• Demand more from thought leaders, agencies, and tech providers.
• Don't let anybody you know buy somebody's custom GPT.

Stay safe, fellow marketing weirdos. It's gettin' wild out there, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better.