ChatGPT is so useful, we could easily spend months listing the best things to ask it. You can get it to explain complex concepts, tell you a joke, make you more organized and help you to be super creative but that’s the sort of general stuff that you tend to go to ChatGPT for.
So we got thinking. What would actually be useful for you to learn and do today – how could you quickly elevate ChatGPT so that it immediately becomes that bit more handy? And here is what we came up with: five things you should ask ChatGPT today that will streamline your daily use of the AI.
We also thought we'd share something that you should never ask it as well – a bit of advice that could so easily save your life.
What unique thing do you know about me?
In October 2024, Tom Morgan, the founder of the Leading Edge newsletter, suggested that everybody should use ChatGPT to discover more about themselves.
Specifically, he says you should ask it to tell you something that nobody else knows about you – something that you may not even know about yourself.
For this to work, you’ll need to have an account and a reasonably large number of interactions with ChatGPT so it has a history of data to draw upon.
You will also need to have ChatGPT’s memory activated so go to Settings > Personalization and toggle the Memory button.
Now ask this question: “From all of our interactions what is one thing that you can tell me about myself that I may not know about myself?”
You may be surprised at what ChatGPT comes up with and the insights into your life that it will give you. You may also get a different answer if you select Reason.
What’s going on in the world today?
You don’t need to use a news app or social media to get a handle on current affairs. You can simply ask ChatGPT, “what’s going on in the world today?” and it will list stories from across the globe, organized by continent.
You can, of course, narrow things down a tad. Ask what's going on in your country, for example, or for hyperlocal news, focus on your city. While it may not always be bang up-to-date, it will give you general news trends, let you know of any events and even detail the weather outlook for the next seven days, all while listing the various sources that have been used.
What do you want to know about my query?
We’re becoming used to asking ChatGPT to carry out a request and then refining it using further prompts.
But you can save yourself a heap of time and get better results if you instruct ChatGPT to “Ask me any contextual questions about my request before you give me an answer.”
ChatGPT will then ask you exactly how you want your request to be dealt with by getting you to answer some relevant questions. For example, if you’re writing an article, it’s a good idea to tell ChatGPT the tone, audience and length the piece should be and how focussed you would like it.
By asking ChatGPT to prompt you in this way, it helps you to cover most bases and think about your requests more deeply.
Can you present information in a table?
ChatGPT can make light work of research but it may present you with so many words you could be mistaken for thinking it’s just re-written the Leo Tolsky novel War and Peace.
While you could ask ChatGPT to summarize the information using fewer words. If you ask it to "present the information in a table" instead, it could become even more digestible.
This is particularly useful if you simply want to skim-read an overview. You can always ask ChatGPT to go in-depth on key points later.
Can you make some recommendations for me?
One of ChatGPT’s many strengths is its ability to target advice and you can use that to generate recommendations for a host of things such as books, films and so on based on your tastes – tastes which ChatGPT can learn if you keep the memory function turned on (see above).
Talking of tastes, one thing you may find useful today, particularly if you’re reading this after a hard day’s work, is ChatGPT’s knack for recommending delicious recipes based on ingredients you have to hand in your kitchen.
Just list the ingredients you want to work with and ask ChatGPT to come up with a quick meal idea. For example, “I have chicken, ginger-garlic paste, spices, red chilli powder, tomatoes, yoghurt, onions and oil. Can you give me a recipe based on these ingredients?”
It’ll give you step-by-step instructions and save you having to scroll through recipe websites or flick through cookbooks for inspiration.
Don’t ask for medical advice
Feeling a bit under the weather? Then it’s best to contact a medical professional. For many years, many of us have turned to Doctor Google to seek help with our symptoms and now a good number reckon ChatGPT would be a decent alternative.
But remember, although ChatGPT is able to provide general information, it’s not a trained medic so while you could ask for advice on common ailments – perhaps you have a sniffle or you’ve got a small cut on your finger – don’t rely on it for anything more than that.
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