ChatGPT is currently dominating all corners of the tech world and beyond, and it’s obvious why. Whether you’re interested in AI tools or not, you’ve undoubtedly seen the articles and posts that illustrate ChatGPT’s capabilities and usefulness. If you’re interested in trying it out for yourself, but aren’t sure where to start, here are 10 simple things to try right now.
Getting Started
Before trying the suggestions below, you must create an account to use ChatGPT. the free package is enough to get you started, but if you want to dive into the world of the GPT API, you can upgrade to the cheaper pay-as-you-go plan for faster and better results.
The tricky part is learning how to phrase your query correctly. Search terms that apply to Google may not work properly with ChatGPT. Remember a good rule: be as specific as possible with your questions and don’t assume the AI will fill in the blanks.
Quickly convert time zones with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a fast and ad-free way to quickly convert time zones. You can use a query like, “If it’s 8 p.m. in New York, what time is it in India?” and receive a complete answer, e.g:
To answer your question, we need to know which part of India you are referring to, as India has multiple time zones. However, I can provide you with a general idea of the time difference between New York and India.
India is 9.5 to 13.5 hours ahead of New York, depending on where in India you are. For example, if it is 8pm in New York, it would be:
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore 5:30 am to 7:30 am Hyderabad and Ahmedabad 4:30 am to 6:30 am Pune and Jaipur
Keep in mind that India also has daylight saving time (DST) in some areas, which can further affect the time difference.
(This is an example of why specificity is important, but I think it’s all good information.)
Ask ChatGPT for book recommendations
While ChatGPT can suggest genre-specific books for you, the real fun is in customizing it to your own preferences. If you use a service like Goodreads to track your reading habits, or if you have a simple spreadsheet to list and rate the books you’ve read, then you can take advantage of ChatGPT’s book recommendations.
As Medium user Sarju Thakkar says, once you’ve provided ChatGPT with your list of books and ratings, you can ask for recommendations. chatGPT will provide suggestions based on the data you provide.
Plan your next vacation with ChatGPT
You can use AI to help you brainstorm destinations for your next vacation. If you tell ChatGPT about your interests and budget, it will return some relevant suggestions.
You could try something like this query: “My budget is $10,000 and I want to spend a vacation in Asia involving adventure sports. I am based in New York. ChatGPT then offers five options and mentions the kinds of adventure sports that are available in all locations. You’ll need to do more of your own research to actually plan a trip, but this will get you started.
Solve programming problems with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is very good at writing and debugging code. If you’re struggling with a specific bug or trying to figure out the best way to get a feature into your application, bring the problem to ChatGPT and it will help you solve it.
Twitter creator Manton Reece has found ChatGPT to be good at providing you with examples of using command line tools like rsync. If you are interested in such use cases, then you should also check out Phind, an artificial intelligence search engine for developers.
Writing (or punching) your resume with ChatGPT
Creating a resume from scratch is tedious, but using ChatGPT is less of a hassle. However, to get a useful response, you will have to put in the work. In your prompt, you should share as much information as possible about your work experience and education. Then, ask the AI model if it needs more information about you before creating your resume.
After some back and forth, your resume should be ready to go. However, using AI for any sensitive work is risky, as these tools are prone to errors and illusions. Therefore, verify every word that ChatGPT generates. You don’t want to lose out on an interview because the AI added inaccurate or false information to your resume.
You can also define the length of your resume or CV in the prompt, and ChatGPT will adhere to that limit. You can even paste your resume into ChatGPT and ask it to improve specific sections.
Use ChatGPT to summarize long YouTube videos
You can use the foundation behind ChatGPT to summarize YouTube videos. There are tools to help you do this, including the Chrome extension Merlin, which removes intros, subscription tips, and ad reads to get straight to the point. (Merlin is best suited for videos that support automatically generated captions or have subtitles.)
Merlin works well, but please be aware of the potential privacy risks of using these types of browser extensions, as they can access all data on all websites you visit. While the extension requires that permission to use all of its features, it can also leave you vulnerable to data breaches if the extension is acquired by unscrupulous individuals or companies in the future.
You can also try tools like Tammy, which does not require you to install a browser extension. However, Tammy’s free package is far less generous than Merlin’s free package.
Quickly create calendar events with ChatGPT
If you have an iPhone, I can use automation and the power of ChatGPT to quickly create calendar events from screenshots. For example, when you get a DM on Instagram, iMessage, or TikTok from someone asking you to meet them for dinner, you can take a screenshot and use ChatGPT to quickly generate a calendar event.
Reddit user /u/codenigma created this shortcut to do this, and you can check out the thread to see how it works.
Solving Math Problems with ChatGPT
When you’re tired of doing your math homework, you can drop your problems into ChatGPT to help you out. This will save you some time in the short term, but may not help you pass the exam.
Discover new music with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is also great at suggesting new music. If you’re ready to explore genres you don’t normally listen to but don’t want to spend money on Spotify, you can use prompts like “Suggest me some avant-rock music”. You’ll receive plenty of albums to dive into, and once you find something you like, you can always go back to the AI language model for more recommendations.
Summarize long-form articles with ChatGPT
When you come across a long article on the Internet, you can use ChatGPT to quickly summarize it. This will help you decide if you want to take the time to read the whole story.
