Input Types and Tools

Uploading Documents

Instead of copying and pasting text, upload files directly to give AI full context. Most platforms accept PDFs, Word docs, spreadsheets, text files, and more. This is powerful for analyzing data, summarizing long reports, or asking specific questions about complex documents.

Upload a CSV and ask questions about patterns. Share a research paper for analysis. Drop in meeting notes for action items. The AI can reference the entire document while responding.

Analyze this quarterly report and identify the top 3 risks we should address immediately

Uploading Images

Upload photos, screenshots, diagrams, or artwork for AI to analyze, describe, or critique. This works for identifying objects, reading text from images, analyzing data visualizations, or getting design feedback. AI can count items, extract information, or help you understand visual content.

Upload ingredients and ask for recipes. Share a spreadsheet screenshot for formula help. Get design critiques on websites or marketing materials.

Look at this screenshot of my Excel sheet. What formula should I put in cell D5 to calculate the monthly growth rate?

Advanced Voice Mode

Advanced Voice Mode (currently only available in ChatGPT) transforms AI into a natural conversation partner. Unlike basic voice features, this allows real-time interruptions, emotional tone recognition, and truly conversational flow that feels like talking to a person.

Drop a document or article into chat before getting in the car, then discuss that content during your commute. Use it for brainstorming while walking, learning complex topics through dialogue, or working through ideas conversationally. When you're done, ask for a detailed summary of your entire conversation to reference later.

"I uploaded a research paper about climate change. Walk me through the key findings and ask me questions to test my understanding while I drive to work."

Video Mode

Video mode lets AI see through your camera in real-time, providing live guidance and feedback. Perfect for cooking, DIY projects, troubleshooting, or learning hands-on skills where you need step-by-step visual assistance.

Point your camera at ingredients and get cooking guidance, show a broken appliance for troubleshooting help, or get real-time feedback on your workout form. AI can see what you're doing and adjust its advice accordingly.

I once used it to make white fish ceviche—pointing my camera at the ingredients, getting timing guidance for the lime juice, and having AI watch as the fish "cooked" in the acid.

Custom Instructions

Custom instructions automatically get added to every new conversation, eliminating the need to repeat the same context each time you chat. Set them once and they'll apply to all future conversations without you having to remember or retype your preferences. Available in ChatGPT (Settings > Personalization) and Claude (Profile settings).

What to include:

Your role/profession and expertise level
Preferred communication style and tone
Output format preferences (bullet points, length, etc.)
What topics you frequently discuss

Best practices:

Keep it concise but specific
Update as your needs change
Test with different conversations to refine
Don't overload with too many requirements

Example:

"I'm a marketing manager at a B2B software company. I prefer direct, actionable advice in bullet points. Keep responses conversational but professional, under 200 words when possible. I often ask about campaigns, content strategy, and team management."

Projects

Projects (available in Claude Pro) work like organized folders for specific tasks or ongoing work. Create a project, give it a name and goal, then store relevant files, past conversations, and project-specific custom instructions all in one place.

Perfect for complex work that spans multiple conversations—like writing a book, managing a campaign, or planning an event. Everything stays organized and accessible, with context that builds over time rather than starting fresh each chat.

Project: "Q1 Marketing Campaign"
Goal: "Plan and execute our spring product launch"
Files: competitor research, brand guidelines, budget spreadsheet

Deep Research

Deep Research (available in ChatGPT and some other platforms) conducts comprehensive research across multiple sources, then synthesizes findings into detailed reports. Instead of spending hours searching yourself, AI does the heavy lifting of finding, reading, and analyzing sources, then presents organized conclusions with proper citations.

For best results, define three things:

Your exact research goal (what are you actually trying to accomplish?)
What the final report should look like (length, format, audience)
Where to focus the search (specific sources, timeframes, perspectives)

Start by telling it you want expert-level analysis with multiple high-quality sources, define your exact research question, ask for synthesis across sources, and always demand proper citations.

Research the impact of remote work on team productivity. Create a 5-page executive summary with data from the last 3 years, focusing on studies from major consulting firms. Include proper citations and conflicting viewpoints.

Canvas

Canvas (available in ChatGPT) opens a collaborative editing workspace beside the chat, perfect for iterative work on documents, code, or content that you'll refine multiple times. Instead of copying and pasting between versions, you can make direct edits, suggest changes, and track revisions in real-time.

Key features:

Inline editing and AI suggestions
Version history to see previous drafts
Manual editing combined with AI recommendations
Built-in shortcuts for common formatting tasks
Export to multiple formats (PDF, Word, Markdown)

Toggle Canvas on when you know you'll be building and refining content through multiple rounds of feedback. Ask for inline edits or suggestions, make manual changes yourself, or use the "suggest edits" feature for targeted improvements.

Ideal for writing projects, code development, business documents, or any collaborative work where you want to see the evolution of your content rather than starting fresh each time.

Which AI to use Prompting Tips