ChatGPTis a scary-smart AI that, until now, has been easiest to use with a full web browser or an invite for Microsoft’s waitlisted Bing search integration. It definitely hasn’t been the most mobile-friendly generative AI in its early days, but after a new API was made publicly available, the developer behind automation app Tasker quickly set out to integrate ChatGPT with Android in ways that would make Google Assistant jealous.
João Diastook to Redditto announce the powerful new features he added to Tasker today. With everything configured, you can now use ChatGPT at the press of a button on Android. There are options for typing to the chatbot or speaking to it by voice, though the latter takes more effort to set up. You can carry on a conversation or easily start a new one, and it’s even possible to change the AI’s personality. The developer has also included a few profiles to integrate the chatbot with WhatsApp, so this isn’t just some surface-level link to ChatGPT.
Once you’ve laid the groundwork, you may add buttons to your home screen for quick access to ChatGPT by placing Tasker’s Task Shortcut widgets anywhere, then choosing the corresponding ChatGPT task when prompted. The options here areNew Chat, which starts a new conversation with ChatGPT,Continue Chat, which allows you to ask follow-up questions,Voice Chat, which lets you actually talk to ChatGPT,Set Assistant Personality, which lets you change the chatbot’s temperament, andSummarize WhatsApp Notifications, which uses the AI to give you a brief rundown of your recent messages.
Setting up ChatGPT integration in Tasker with easy-access home screen widgets
Be warned, voice chat isn’t the easiest to set up, but the app will walk you through it if you tap the question mark icon on the Say WaveNet action inside the Voice Chat task. You’ll need to create a Google Cloud project, then enable billing on your account so you can generate another API key to add into Tasker. This means you’ll need to add a credit card to the Google Cloud Developer page, but you shouldn’t be charged unless you use the voice output for more than 4 million characters a month.
You might also want to be careful with the Set Assistant Personality option. Tasker’s developer set his to “You are an assistant who never helps and is always in a bad mood,” and the chatbot fired back snarky responses like “If you are unable to answer such a simple question, I suggest you search on Google.” He was even able to set it up to where ChatGPT got quite abusive and honestly a little terrifying:
If you haven’t bought Tasker already, this ChatGPT integration alone makes it well worth the $3.49 asking price — after all, you’re beatingGoogle Bardto the punch with powerful AI features on Android. And once you start using the app, you’ll quickly notice how it’s possible toautomate almost anything on your phone with Tasker.
