How to create a custom assistant in You.com

Have you ever wanted responses from You.com’s AI assistant to fit your requirements perfectly? Do you want it to perform certain tasks without needing to repeat prompts or explain things every time? You’re in luck! You.com lets you create your own AI assistant that acts exactly how you want it to, and the best part is that it’s completely free. Let’s dive into how you can craft your own custom assistant on You.com.

Getting started

First things first, make sure you have an account on You.com. Signing up is as easy as creating a social media account. Once you have a You.com account, you can easily create and save your assistant and access it later. The best part? You don’t need to pay a cent to start building a custom assistant.

Also: You.com guide for beginners

Why create a You.com custom assistant?

Well, why not? Creating a custom assistant is free for all users, and YouPro subscribers enjoy the added benefit of unlimited queries. Here are some of the many advantages of creating a custom assistant on You.com.

• Personal touch: You can shape the assistant to meet your specific needs, so it gives you relevant answers every time.
• Saves time: Reduce the need to type the same prompts over and over.
• Boost productivity: Your custom assistant can help you find answers faster, making it useful for work and personal use.
• Consistent responses: If you want consistent responses from You.com, custom assistants can help you achieve that.

Steps to create a custom assistant

Creating your assistant on You.com is as easy as pie. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Find the custom assistants section: On the You.com homepage, click “More” at the top of the search bar, then select “Add New” next to “Assistants.”
2. Build your assistant:
   • Choose a Language Model: Pick from models like GPT-4o, Claude 3, Opus, or Llama 3. You’ll see which one fits your needs.
   • Name it: Give your assistant a unique name that reflects its purpose or personality.
   • Set instructions: Write instructions to help your assistant understand how it should behave.
3. Enable Extra Features (optional):
   • Live Web Access: Let the assistant fetch the latest info from the web, which is super handy for research or news updates.
   • Personalization: If you’ve turned on personalization in your You.com account settings, enable the “Include Personalization” option. This lets your assistant make responses suited to you based on the info you entered under “Personalization” in your profile settings.
4. Save the assistant: Click on the “Create” button to save your assistant.

Picking the right model

You.com gives you several language models to choose from, each fine-tuned by You.com. Picking the right model is key to your assistant’s success since each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, so pick the one that suits the purpose of your assistant. Here is some information on the strengths of some available models to help you choose the right one:

GPT-4o

GPT-4o can process multiple formats like text, audio, images, and video. It’s versatile and suitable for a wide range of uses.

Claude 3.5 Sonnet

Claude 3.5 Sonnet is great at understanding nuances, humor, and complex instructions. It can be useful for generating more relatable and engaging content.

Command R

Command R focuses on Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). It integrates external data sources into its responses, making it accurate and relevant for enterprise applications.

Command R+

Command R+ is perfect for enterprise use. It offers excellent scalability and supports multiple languages, ideal for organizations in diverse global markets.

Remember, You.com updates the models list when new models are released. For example, if OpenAI releases a new GPT model, you will probably find it on the list of available models, so be sure to update your assistant to use the latest models to take advantage of the latest improvements.

To change the model used by the custom assistant, click “More” in a new chat, scroll to your custom assistant, hover over your assistant, and click the three dots (…) that appear. Choose “Edit Assistant”, pick the model you want, and hit “Save”, and you will be good to go.

Tips for crafting a great assistant

When creating a custom assistant, there are a few guidelines to follow to ensure it is useful and effective. Follow these rules to make your assistant better than the default assistants offered by You.com.

1. Make it a specialist: Make your assistant focus on one thing and do it well. Give it a clear role or skill set.
2. Be specific with instructions: Write specific instructions so your assistant knows what to do and how to do it. For example, specify the tone and style of responses you prefer.
3. Break down instructions: If you want the assistant to perform complex tasks, break your instructions into smaller steps.
4. Clarify the steps: If you want the assistant to solve a problem by following steps and asking you a series of clarifying questions, specify the steps and the questions it will need to ask to solve the problem.
5. Be realistic: When defining instructions, consider the limitations of AI models and how your assistant will be used in real-life situations. This helps create a more practical and effective assistant.
6. Include special phrases and commands: Instruct your assistant to recognize special phrases or commands. Set it up to do specific tasks based on certain words.
7. Test and Tweak: After setting up, test it out. If something’s off, make changes to the instructions following prompt engineering tips or select a different model until you’re satisfied with the results.

You.com custom assistant examples

Creating a custom assistant can enhance various aspects of daily life. Here are some unique examples to help you understand the potential of custom assistants:

Research simplifier

• Purpose: Makes complex topics easy to understand.
• Instructions: “Answer each question the user asks by explaining the topic in simple English that an 8th grader can understand. Use analogies and examples to make the topic clear and easy to grasp.”
• Web Access: Yes
• Model: GPT4o-mini

Brand content adjuster

• Purpose: Adjusts the tone, style, and voice of the content in uploaded documents to match the brand attributes.
• Instructions: “When the user asks you to modify uploaded content, make it engaging with a descriptive writing style. Ensure the content has a conversational tone and an inspirational voice.”
• Web Access: Yes
• Model: GPT4o

Image prompt improver

• Purpose: Takes a basic image generation prompt and improves it by adding more details based on prompt engineering best practices.
• Instructions: “When the user asks you to enhance a prompt, take their image generation prompt and add more details. Follow best practices for writing image generation prompts.”
• Web Access: Yes
• Model: GPT4o

Content gap finder

• Purpose: Spots holes in your content and help improve your written content.
• Instructions: “When the user asks you to review content, review the content for clarity, coherence, and detail. Check for relevance and consistency. Suggest improvements for engagement and grammar.”
• Model: GPT4o or Llama 3
• Web Access is optional

React component creator

• Purpose: Write code for React components based on user input.
• Instructions: “When the user asks you to create a component, follow these steps: First, ask if they want a functional or class component. If their response is not either functional or class component, refer them to the React documentation on components. If the answer is functional or class component, proceed and create the React component accordingly”.
• Model: Claude 3.5 Sonnet
• Web Access: Yes

Wrapping up

Now you know how to create a custom assistant on You.com that fits your needs perfectly. As simple as it is to create a custom assistant, it can save you loads of time and effort. So go ahead and make your digital sidekick to make life easier when using You.com.