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Global Brands, Local Voices in Apps: Breaking Cultural Barriers with Custom ChatGPT

Olga Gubanova

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June 6, 2024

As global app users near 7.33 billion by 2023, brands face a significant challenge. They must connect with an increasingly diverse audience. In this landscape, Custom ChatGPT emerges as a pivotal solution, empowering businesses to tailor their content for varied cultural contexts, thereby achieving a meaningful resonance on a global scale.

In this article, we explore how global brands are using Custom ChatGPT to connect with users worldwide. You look at how AI is changing e-commerce, language learning, and more. We also share our journey in making ChatGPT work for a big company in Japan. This story is about using AI to bring global brands closer to people everywhere.

ChatGPT's Global Reach in Language and Cultural Understanding

ChatGPT, artificial intelligence AI developed by OpenAI, is adept in multiple languages, with support for at least 95 languages and dialects. This proficiency is achieved through training on extensive datasets, encompassing text in various languages. Key aspects include:

  • Language Understanding. ChatGPT can converse in English and switch to Spanish, offering seamless bilingual communication. For instance, responding in Spanish when asked, "¿Cómo estás?" (How are you?).
  • Cultural Nuances. It recognizes cultural references, such as understanding the significance of Thanksgiving in the U.S. or Diwali in India, and can tailor conversations accordingly. This adaptability is further enhanced through custom ChatGPT integration, aligning the AI's responses with diverse cultural contexts.
  • Training Data. ChatGPT's knowledge of European football and other topics stems from extensive training across various fields. This concept extends to AI in e-commerce, where it uses diverse retail data to understand and interact with online customers effectively.

International companies are utilizing the benefits of GPT in areas beyond just commerce. Several leading companies in completely different industries are now integrating ChatGPT into their operations.

Bain & Company

ChatGPT in Global Business: Bain & Company's AI Integration Success

In answering the question, "Which businesses use ChatGPT?", we see Bain & Company as a prime example. Their alliance with OpenAI, using ChatGPT, focuses on enhancing global business processes. This collaboration involves embedding AI into clients' operations, including The Coca-Cola Company, to improve customer experiences and marketing.

Bain & Company's team, comprising over 500 experts, focuses on integrating AI in several key areas:

  • Developing next-generation contact centers for retail banks, telcos, and utility companies.
  • Implementing automated, personalized scripts for improved customer service.
  • Enhancing real-time interaction capabilities in customer support.

This partnership highlights the use of AI in adapting to diverse cultural needs in different markets.

For even more ways to increase productivity with chatGPT integration into your app, check out our article: How to Integrate ChatGPT into Your Business.

Snap

Snapchat's My AI: Revolutionizing Social Media Engagement with ChatGPT

Snap's "My AI" in Snapchat+ is an AI-powered chatbot, a prime example of virtual assistants utilizing large language models to enhance user interaction. Introduced as a versatile tool for various inquiries, it supports content creation in fields like travel, food, personal care, and entertainment.

With over 150 million interactions, "My AI" demonstrates the expansive role of AI in business operations within social media, catering to a diverse, global audience. This innovation highlights how advanced AI systems can dynamically engage users in multiple areas of interest.

"My AI" exemplifies how AI can be utilized in social media to cater to a global audience with varied interests and needs.

Quizlet

Quizlet's Q-Chat: Transforming Education with ChatGPT's AI Tutoring

Quizlet's Q-Chat, built on OpenAI's ChatGPT API, is an AI-powered tutor designed to enhance student learning. It provides personalized, interactive tutoring by leveraging Quizlet's educational content and ChatGPT's AI models. This virtual tutor automatically quizzes students, adapting to their individual learning needs.

Q-Chat's use of ChatGPT suggests a capacity for multilingual interaction and cultural adaptability, making it a versatile tool for diverse global learners. For example, if a student is studying Spanish, Q-Chat might quiz them in Spanish and help with difficult words or grammar. It's designed to make learning more interactive and personalized.

Instacart

Revolutionizing Online Grocery Shopping with Instacart's ChatGPT-Powered 'Ask Instacart’

Instacart's "Ask Instacart" feature, powered by ChatGPT, is a breakthrough in the realm of online grocery shopping. This AI-powered tool responds directly to culinary queries, helping shoppers with breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas. It utilizes OpenAI’s language understanding capabilities alongside Instacart’s AI models, covering a data catalog of over a billion shoppable items across more than 80,000 retail locations.

Accessible from May 31, the feature integrates directly into Instacart's app search bar. It provides product recommendations, food preparation tips, dietary information, and more. Instacart has also personalized the search experience with question prompts to anticipate customer preferences based on shopping history, aiming to inspire product discovery.

This initiative is part of Instacart's broader technology advancements, including other AI-native tools. A notable aspect is the integration of the ChatGPT plugin, enabling users to express their food needs in natural language and have the desired products shoppable and delivered swiftly.

Shoppers use "Ask Instacart" for various inquiries like pairing ingredients, finding alternative ingredients, and learning cooking techniques. For instance, it can suggest side dishes for lamb chops, offer alternatives to salmon, or advise on sauces for grilling chicken.

For instance, when a user types “lunch” into the chatbox, they're greeted with various questions. Options like “What are some vegetarian and vegan lunch ideas?” or “What’s a healthy lunch for my kids?” are available.

Choosing any of these questions prompts the app to generate a list of ingredients tailored for nutritious lunches. Additionally, it offers further relevant questions. This feature simplifies meal planning and adds a touch of personalization.

Instacart's "Ask Instacart" feature, powered by ChatGPT, marks a significant advancement in the realm of online grocery shopping. This AI-driven tool, harnessing natural language processing (NLP), responds to culinary queries, saving time and enhancing the personal experience of shoppers. It utilizes OpenAI’s language understanding capabilities, in tandem with Instacart’s own AI systems, to cover a catalog of over a billion items across numerous retail locations.

This AI-enabled feature, integrated into Instacart's app, leverages AI to provide product recommendations and food preparation tips. The AI assists in personalizing the search experience with smart prompts based on shopping history, facilitating efficient product discovery.

Shopify

Enhancing E-commerce with ChatGPT: Shopify's Leap in AI-Powered Product Recommendations

ChatGPT was introduced in Shopify in March 2023, primarily for mobile product recommendations. Its main role is to analyze customer preferences and provide tailored product recommendations, enhancing the shopping experience.

ChatGPT in Shopify works by analyzing vast amounts of text-based data, including social media posts and online discussions. This enables it to understand and respond to customer queries in natural language, making it effective for various language tasks and customer service interactions.

Here are some quotes from Shopify users about their experiences with the ChatGPT integration:

  1. "Elevating my Shopify store's service to the next level... the bot was operational, fielding customer inquiries and recommending relevant products tailored to their tastes." - User impressed by the bot's intuitive interface and productivity boost.
  2. "Significant decrease in the number of abandoned carts... personalized product recommendations...contributed over $300 in sales revenue." - User highlighting the impact on sales and customer interaction.
  3. "Absolutely impressed... It feels like having a 24/7 customer support representative without the overheads." - User satisfied with the bot's responsiveness and accuracy.
  4. "Able to train the bot to answer how I like... look forward to more advanced recommendations." - User appreciating the bot's customizability.
  5. "Able to access my store policies and inventory, allowing customers to chat with it and receive recommendations for products." - User noting the bot's convenience and positive impact on customer experience.

AI-powered shopping assistant suggests that users can receive more relevant product recommendations, thus potentially increasing sales conversion rates.

Teach chatGPT to talk like a good friend to every customer, more details in our article: How ChatGPT Understands Your Users Better Than You Do.

Speak

Speak App's Revolution in Language Learning with ChatGPT Integration

"Speak" is an app that has collaborated with OpenAI to utilize ChatGPT as a real-time language learning assistant. The integration of ChatGPT in "Speak" aims to provide a dynamic, personalized learning environment. It helps users practice language skills through conversation, offers grammar and vocabulary guidance, and provides instant feedback, all crucial for effective language learning.

The use of ChatGPT in "Speak" significantly benefits users from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds:

  • Customized Learning Paths: Adapts to individual learning styles and language levels, making it suitable for a wide range of users.
  • Cultural Contextualization: Offers insights into cultural aspects of language, aiding users in understanding not just the 'how' but also the 'why' of language use in different cultural contexts.
  • Language Diversity: Supports learning in multiple languages, catering to a global user base and encouraging cross-cultural communication.

Users using AI language assistants, including those aimed at ChatGPT for business communication, have seen over 30% improvement in understanding and speaking a new language after regular practice.

Challenge: Elevating ChatGPT's Performance in Local Languages

AI tool ChatGPT is like a clever language partner who knows much about common languages and global cultures. However, it's not perfect in every situation:

  • Good with Popular Languages. In languages like English or Spanish, ChatGPT is good. It can chat about everyday things and understand well-known cultural references.
  • Struggles with Less Common Languages. For languages that aren't as widely spoken, ChatGPT might not be as strong. Its answers in these languages can be less detailed or not always right.
  • Cultural Details Can Be Tricky. AI technologies knows about big, worldwide events like Christmas, but it might not know much about local traditions or smaller cultural celebrations in specific countries. While AI algorithms can celebrate the global spirit of Christmas with aplomb, it might only skim the surface of more localized festivities like Midsummer in Sweden or Diwali in India.

ChatGPT is great at understanding and talking in well-known languages and about global cultures. But when it comes to more unique languages and specific local customs, it's still learning.

Optimizing ChatGPT for Local Cultures and Corporate Communication

To make ChatGPT better at understanding small nations' cultures and a company's specific communication style, it's important to do a few things.

  1. Incorporate Local Data: Add diverse, region-specific information, including languages and cultural nuances.
  2. Collaborate with Experts: Work with local experts and linguists for authentic insights.
  3. Use Company-Specific Examples: Teach ChatGPT the company’s unique communication style and policies through real-life examples.
  4. Regular Updates: Continuously update ChatGPT with new information and feedback.

This structured approach helps tailor ChatGPT not just for global use but also for specific local and corporate environments.

ChatGPT training from Ptolemay: A Case Study in Japan

As a company that has integrated and further trained AI solutions models over 30 times, we've developed a robust methodology for enhancing its capabilities. Our process involves several key steps and has led to measurable improvements in model performance:

  1. Performance Analysis: We start by evaluating the existing model's capabilities, and pinpointing areas for improvement.
  2. Data Curation: We compile a diverse dataset, tailored to address identified gaps. This includes:
  • Multilingual text
  • Cultural references
  • Industry-specific terminology
  1. Model Training: Using advanced machine learning techniques, we fine-tune the model with our curated dataset.
  2. Continuous Testing and Iteration: We regularly test and refine the model for accuracy and appropriateness.

Discover a short guide to the stages of learning chatGPT in our expert article: How to Train Your ChatGPT Model.

One standout project involved adapting ChatGPT for a multinational corporation with a strong presence in Japan. Our challenge was to ensure the model not only understood Japanese but also aligned with the subtle nuances of Japanese business etiquette. We fed the model extensive samples of formal Japanese business communication, including email exchanges and meeting dialogues. Additionally, we integrated examples of non-verbal communication cues, crucial in Japanese culture.

To optimize learning, we employed advanced machine learning techniques, such as fine-tuning with supervised learning, to ensure the model accurately learned from the new data. Continuous testing and iteration helped refine the model’s responses, ensuring they were culturally appropriate and aligned with the company's communication style.

Post-integration, the model demonstrated an 80% improvement in understanding and responding to Japanese cultural nuances. We observed a 75% enhancement in the model's proficiency in formal Japanese communication.

AI-powered apps are revolutionizing how global brands interact with customers. By implementing AI in customer service, companies enhance user experiences. ChatGPT plays a crucial role in this transformation, particularly in language learning and business communication.

These tools facilitate global brands localizing with AI, ensuring cultural adaptation and personalization. This approach is not just about technology; it's about creating meaningful, culturally attuned interactions that resonate globally.

Conclusion: Embracing Cultural Adaptation in AI Apps

In concluding our exploration of Custom ChatGPT's impact in global apps, a critical question remains: How many companies have adopted ChatGPT?

The precise figures are constantly changing, but the broad incorporation across various sectors—from large-scale retailers such as Shopify to inventive learning platforms like Quizlet—indicates a significant and increasing acceptance. This trend underscores ChatGPT's versatility and its transformative role in bridging cultural gaps and enhancing user experiences worldwide.

In a world with more app use, it's important to connect with different cultures to be successful.

Through examples like Shopify and Speak, we've seen how ChatGPT can enhance user experience by offering culturally relevant and linguistically diverse interactions. Our experience in tailoring ChatGPT for a multinational corporation in Japan further underscores its potential to bridge cultural gaps.

Enhancing the user experience with AI is crucial for making apps more inclusive and globally accessible. Now is the ideal time to act and embrace these advancements. The Ptolemay development team stands ready to assist in integrating ChatGPT into your applications, ensuring a seamless and culturally connected user experience. Contact us to explore how ChatGPT can transform your app into a globally fluent platform.