Quora’s subscription-based platform Poe, known for aggregating AI-powered chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, has introduced a groundbreaking feature called Previews. This new tool allows users to create interactive apps directly within chatbot conversations, expanding the platform’s functionality significantly.
What is Previews?
Previews is designed to let Poe users build a variety of interactive applications, including data visualizations, games, and even musical tools like drum machines. By simply typing commands such as “Analyze the information in this report and turn it into a digestible and interactive presentation to help me understand it,” users can leverage multiple chatbots to create these apps. The apps can draw from uploaded files, including videos, and can be shared via a link.
How Previews Works
Previews supports HTML output, along with CSS and JavaScript functionalities, allowing for a wide range of interactive possibilities. Unlike Anthropic’s Artifacts, which is limited to Anthropic’s models, Previews can utilize any chatbot available on Poe. This flexibility makes it a powerful tool for users looking to combine the strengths of different AI models.
Best Chatbots for Previews
Quora recommends using chatbots that excel at programming for the best results with Previews. These include Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4o, and Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro. These chatbots are adept at interpreting complex instructions and generating the necessary code to create interactive applications.
Availability and Access
Access to Previews requires a subscription to Poe’s premium plan, which costs $20 per month. Although this reporter was unable to test the feature firsthand, existing demos created by the Poe team demonstrate the tool’s capabilities. These demos, while simple, highlight the potential for creating sophisticated and interactive applications through conversational AI.
Recent Controversy
The launch of Previews comes at a contentious time for Poe. Last month, an investigation by Wired revealed that Poe allowed users to download paywalled articles from various news publications on demand. Wired reported successfully obtaining articles from The New York Times and The Atlantic using Quora’s in-house Assistant chatbot. Quora disputes these claims, maintaining that it did not engage in any wrongdoing.
Despite the controversy, the introduction of Previews represents a significant advancement for Quora’s Poe platform. By enabling users to create interactive apps within chatbot conversations, Poe is pushing the boundaries of what AI-powered chatbots can achieve. As the feature evolves, it will be interesting to see how users leverage this tool to create innovative applications.
