ChatGPT: the Swiss Army knife — The Assistants
The all-rounder
OpenAI's ChatGPT is the most widely used assistant, and its strength is breadth: strong writing and reasoning, excellent image generation, a polished voice mode, deep research, file and data analysis, and agent features that can take actions on the web.
If you only learn one assistant deeply, it's a great default.
ChatGPT
Here's my bank CSV for last month. Where is my money going? Chart it.
Top categories: Dining $612 (28%), Groceries $431, Subscriptions $187 — 9 active subscriptions, 3 you haven't used since spring. Here's a bar chart, plus a list of the 3 to cancel first.
📝 Read the full lesson notes
The all-rounder
OpenAI's ChatGPT is the most widely used assistant, and its strength is breadth: strong writing and reasoning, excellent image generation, a polished voice mode, deep research, file and data analysis, and agent features that can take actions on the web.
If you only learn one assistant deeply, it's a great default.
Features worth turning on
- Custom instructions & memory — tell it once who you are and how you like answers; it carries that into every chat. You can view and delete what it remembers.
- Projects — a folder with its own files and instructions. Perfect for a job search, a trip, a client.
- GPTs — reusable custom assistants with a fixed prompt and files (e.g. your "Meeting-notes cleaner").
- Deep research — a multi-step, multi-source report with citations. Great for big questions; takes minutes, not seconds.
- Data analysis — upload spreadsheets and CSVs; it writes and runs code to calculate and chart.
- Voice — a natural back-and-forth conversation. Great for practicing interviews or languages.
Try it: set your custom instructions
About me: I'm a [role] in [industry]. I usually use you for [tasks]. How to respond: Be direct. Lead with the answer, then detail. Use tables for comparisons. Ask a clarifying question if my request is ambiguous. Tell me when you're unsure.
Part of 💬 The Assistants in the free AI Bootcamp.