2025-05-01

ai chat tips and use cases

ai tools such as chatgpt expose a natural-language interface to a language model and an extensive knowledge corpus. they can complement or replace web searches by extracting and synthesizing information that would otherwise require manual effort. openai identifies its main audiences as software developers, content creators, businesses and enterprises, and students and educators.

entries marked with (!) seemed unexpectedly useful.

prompts

  • migrate code from the old api to the new api - provide two template examples
  • create an image that represents my character
  • given a doodle, colorize it
  • (!) create a short question whose answer is the preceding response
  • write a mathematical function, then convert it to code
  • rewrite the following text for clarity
  • write in the prevalent writing style of the 1960s
  • (!) what is x always?
  • refine prompts for clarity

use cases

learning and research

  • scientific calculation
  • converse to clarify unfamiliar concepts

language

  • multilingual translation
  • grammar correction
  • rewrite sentences for clarity
  • serve as a conversation partner in a different language
  • translate application localisation files to additional languages
  • explore language nuances

writing

  • drafting and polishing prose
  • critique sentences and detect faux pas
  • identify content worth responding to or discarding
  • create an outline of thematic directions
  • draft, edit, and improve letters
  • prime with context questions, then generate a related story

tips for writing with chatgpt:

  • read responses to extract cues, not to reuse text
  • treat its words as guidance, not authority
  • use it to explore direction, then write the content yourself
  • manage relationships personally from the full emotional context; artificial language is easily detected

coding and technical

  • code transformation
  • translate source code between languages
  • improve variable names and insert comments
  • generate command lines
  • migrate api usage versions
  • convert mathematical equations to code
  • generate a list of commands for renaming multiple files
  • (!) create domain-specific calculators

data and text handling

  • text reformatting and extraction
  • convert text in images to text
  • extract structured information

personal planning

  • fitness plans
  • recipes
  • personal finances
  • scheduling
  • (!) profile a person from a detailed timeline and propose future goals

entertainment

  • comedy and interactive stories
  • role playing
  • interpret song lyrics
  • adopt a specific personas speaking style
  • identify media from partial details
  • estimate food calories
  • recommend music, video channels, fashion, and gifts (note: bias)