Much of writing, if even just an email reply, requires research first. Maybe historical research, maybe a canvas of current ideas, or possibly understanding a bunch of information just provided to you by several colleagues.
How do you learn about things now?
Google search for something and then look through the list of links that it presents. This is great. Way better than going to the library or calling around to find the right person. Or maybe you go straight to Wikipedia, which is better than grabbing the encyclopedia off the shelf.
ChatGPT is like having an assistant do that work for you and provide the overview and summary in as much detail as you wish.
“Give me the 3 most impactful outcomes of the MLK Jrs I have a dream speech”
“What is the basic outline and structure for a thriller novel”
Plus, you can ask your assistant to explain difficult concepts in age-appropriate language and with analogies and comparisons.
“Use an analogy to explain quantum mechanics as if I’m 10 years old”
ChatGPT’s other superpower for summarization is feeding it your own information.
“Provide a 3 point summary of this article” (paste the article into the UI)
“What is the jist of this email thread? Am I being asked to do something?” (paste the long and ridiculous string of emails into the UI)
“Summarize the functionality of this code” (paste the code into the UI)
I use ChatGPT all day to summarize information, for which I must then produce my own content or reply.
