Ghostwriter add-in brings ChatGPT integration to Microsoft Word

If there is any remaining doubt that ChatGPT will be more than just a fad, the speed at which the technology is being implemented into popular apps and services should eliminate it. For instance, earlier this week, software developer Patrick Husting released an add-in for Microsoft Word which integrates ChatGPT directly into the productivity app.

Husting’s add-in is called Ghostwriter, and it allows Microsoft Word users to provide ChatGPT with a prompt from a sidebar in the app. When you write the prompt and click Ask Me, Ghostwriter will immediately generate a response in the open Word document using “advanced natural language processing and machine learning technology.”

You can see the Ghostwriter ChatGPT add-in in action in the YouTube video below:

According to GeekWire, Husting came up with the idea for the Ghostwriter add-in after getting fed up with all the copying, pasting, and switching between windows while using ChatGPT for writing assistance. He was initially skeptical that Microsoft would allow the app on its Office Add-ins store, especially given the fact that Microsoft has its own plans to integrate AI into Office. Nevertheless, the add-in went live without a hitch, and is available to purchase right now.

“They might kill it off in a year or two, when they add something to Office, and I’m cool with that, too,” Husting told GeekWire this week. “What I’m doing is available for everybody to use and take advantage of now, because why wouldn’t you?”

Creative Data Studios (Husting’s one-person operation) offers a basic and pro edition of the Word add-in. The basic edition costs $10 and comes with one model (ChatGPT), bug fixes for one year, and provides responses of about two paragraphs. The $25 pro edition uses all available OpenAI language models, lets you choose the length of the response, and includes bug fixes and free updates for as long as the add-in exists. You’ll also need a free OpenAI key.

Husting is currently working on a full Office bundle which will bring ChatGPT integration to Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook. If you previously purchased the Word version of Ghostwriter, you’ll get a discount code for the Office bundle when it launches.