Why it matters: AI search is rewriting the rules of executive and brand visibility, raising the stakes for how leaders show up online.
Zoom in: Since November, LinkedIn’s citation frequency has doubled and it is now the No. 1 domain cited in professional search queries.
LinkedIn posts, long-form articles and newsletters account for 35% of all LinkedIn citations within ChatGPT, while profiles are cited 14.5% of the time, according to Profound.
Zoom out: Community and creator-driven platforms like Reddit, Wikipedia and YouTube have all emerged as some of the most cited sources in AI responses precisely because they host real, conversational human insights that models latch onto when answering nuanced queries.
Because what’s said in Reddit threads increasingly shows up in chatbot responses, brands that were once wary of the platform have ramped up their presence to manage reputation, correct misinformation and shape the narrative.
What they’re saying: “Professional visibility is changing. It is no longer only about how people present themselves to other people. It is increasingly about how machines interpret them first,” says Erin Lanuti, co-founder of LinkedIn intelligence platform Lilypath.
“If AI systems are using LinkedIn as a core source for professional authority, profile clarity becomes foundational to whether someone is surfaced, trusted or overlooked,” she added.
Yes, but: Generative AI search tools can only surface publicly available LinkedIn content, according to the company.
“We continue to protect member data from unauthorized scraping and only content [users] have chosen to make public on LinkedIn can appear in these results,” a spokesperson told Axios.
The bottom line: In the age of AI and generative engine optimization (GEO), every executive, brand and company can grow their reach and credibility by engaging thoughtfully on LinkedIn.
Getting better answers from ChatGPT starts with this simple rule
ChatGPT is not a search engine, but most people treat it like one. They type a question, skim the answer and seem satisfied. But most of the chatbot’s potential is not being explored. And that answer you’re looking for could be so much better if you prompted the chatbot in a different, more resourceful way.
As a power user, I’ve been testing ChatGPT for years. Every day I try to break it and push it to its limit. That’s why I know that its first response is just a starting point.
The real value comes from what happens beyond the prompt: refining the prompt, adding context and pushing the model one step further. That’s the idea behind the “3-prompt rule,” a simple method that turns one-off AI answers into something much more useful.
Instead of asking once and accepting whatever comes back, you guide ChatGPT through three quick stages: the first draft, a refinement and a final improvement.
The payoff is simple: better answers, less cleanup and results that feel much closer to what you were actually trying to get. You can use it with just about any chatbot, but I’ve found that the results of ChatGPT are often so simplified, that this particular “rule” works best with OpenAI’s models.
How the 3-prompt rule works
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Despite having three prompts, this rule is not complicated or difficult to remember. The idea is simple: don’t stop after your first prompt.
Instead, guide ChatGPT through three quick stages that steadily improve the result. The “3-rule” prompt works like this:
Prompt 1: Ask the basic question. Start with the simplest version of what you want.
Prompt 2: Refine the answer. Ask the AI to improve the response by making it clearer, more specific or more useful.
Prompt 3: Optimize the final result. Adjust the format, tone, depth or structure so the answer matches what you actually need.
Each step adds a little more direction, which helps the AI get closer to the ideal response.
Try it on difficult subjects
(Image credit: Future)
To see how well this method works, I tried the 3-prompt rule on a complicated subject: neural networks, the technology behind many modern AI systems.
Prompt 1: “Explain how neural networks work.”
The first answer was technically accurate, but it relied heavily on terms like “layers,” “weights” and “training data.” Someone without a technical background would probably still find it confusing.
Prompt 2: “Explain neural networks using a simple analogy.”
This response improved significantly. ChatGPT compared neural networks to a system that learns patterns — similar to how a human might recognize faces or handwriting after seeing many examples.
The idea was easier to grasp, but the explanation still included some technical language.
Prompt 3: “Explain neural networks like I’m a high school student.”
The final version was much clearer. Instead of technical terminology, the explanation focused on the core concept: computers learning patterns from examples and improving over time.
At that point, the response felt concise, approachable and easy to understand. Each follow-up prompt pushed the explanation closer to the ideal result.
Why not just start with the third prompt?
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
You might wonder: why not just jump straight to the final prompt and ask for the perfect explanation right away?
In practice, most people don’t know exactly what they want at the start. The first prompt acts like a rough draft. It gives the AI a starting point and helps you see what direction the answer takes. From there, the second prompt lets you adjust the approach — maybe simplifying the explanation, adding examples or changing the focus.
By the time you reach the third prompt, you have a much clearer idea of what the ideal response should look like.
In other words, the process isn’t just improving the AI’s answer — it’s helping you refine the question.
That’s why the 3-prompt rule works so well. Instead of trying to craft the perfect prompt upfront, you let the conversation evolve step by step until the result matches what you actually need. To highlight this, let’s try it with something you might be working on professionally.
Test 2: Turning a rough idea into a useful plan
(Image credit: Future)
For this test, perhaps you are brainstorming a rough idea to ultimately get to a useful work plan. You can use the 3-prompt rule on common workplace task to organize messy projects.
Prompt 1: “Help me plan a project to improve team productivity.”
The initial response included general suggestions, but it felt fairly broad and high-level.
Prompt 2: “Create a step-by-step productivity plan for a small team, including weekly check-ins and clear goals.”
The response immediately became more structured and actionable.
Prompt 3: “Turn this plan into a simple one-month productivity roadmap with specific tasks for each week.”
The final result felt much more practical — closer to something you could actually use with a team instead of a loose set of ideas.
Each prompt pushed the response closer to a real-world, usable plan. That final version felt less like a rough draft and more like a polished travel plan I could actually use.
Why the 3-prompt rule works
(Image credit: Future)
AI assistants respond best when they get clear direction, feedback and context. This is true no matter how much smarter and faster models become. As humans communicating with AI, we still have to detail what we really want. Honestly, we still have to do that human to human, who am I kidding?
The 3-prompt rule starts by pointing ChatGPT in the right direction, but the follow-up prompts help shape the result by clarifying what you really want, what needs improving and how the answer should be structured to best fit your needs.
That’s the shift most people miss. Instead of treating ChatGPT like a search engine, you’re treating it more like a collaborator. The process becomes iterative, and the output usually gets better with each step.
Bottom line
ChatGPT doesn’t always give you the best answer on the first try. But when you treat the interaction as an iterative process rather than a one-and-done prompt, the results can improve dramatically.
The 3-prompt rule is a simple habit, but it can turn ChatGPT from a quick-answer tool into a far more useful thinking partner. So before you settle for the first response, try refining your request a couple of times. You may be surprised by how much better the final answer becomes. Give it a try and let me know in the comments what you think.
Amanda Caswell is one of today’s leading voices in AI and technology. A celebrated contributor to various news outlets, her sharp insights and relatable storytelling have earned her a loyal readership. Amanda’s work has been recognized with prestigious honors, including outstanding contribution to media.
Known for her ability to bring clarity to even the most complex topics, Amanda seamlessly blends innovation and creativity, inspiring readers to embrace the power of AI and emerging technologies. As a certified prompt engineer, she continues to push the boundaries of how humans and AI can work together.
Beyond her journalism career, Amanda is a long-distance runner and mom of three. She lives in New Jersey.
A researcher has resigned from OpenAI, warning that ChatGPT ads could manipulate users in subtle ways. The concerns highlight a growing debate about how much influence AI systems should have over the people who rely on them.
Is OpenAI evil? It sounds like a definitive “maybe,” after reading this piece from former researcher Zoë Hitzig.
OpenAI and other AI-adjacent companies have seen a spree of high-profile resignations recently, with ascending levels of alarm over the impacts its products are, or potentially will have on society.
In nature, superior iterations of species tend to eradicate lesser versions of themselves. We’ve seen research from Anthropic, showing its AI literally choose to murder humans in virtual scenarios rather than allow itself to be shut down. We’ve seen other LLMs actively opt into deception and other dark patterns to achieve their results, raising the spectre of misalignment scenarios — akin to what happens in The Matrix. “The best way to save humanity is to destroy it,” and the like.
Fears about OpenAI and other large language model tech companies run the gamut from Terminator-style sci-fi doomsday scenarios to potentially more grounded fears over economic upheaval. Our entire economy is based on human-led work. What does a post-human economy look like? What does a post-human society look like?
ChatGPT ads will manipulate users in ways we don’t have the tools to understand.
Companies like OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft aren’t really waiting around to figure those questions out. Instead, they’re planning to let them play out in real time and pick up the pieces later, whether we like it or not.
One thing that could put the brakes on the self-imposed destruction of society is pure economics. Today, OpenAI costs billions of dollars per year to run and brings in a paltry amount of revenue. Investors have become increasingly spooked by the costs associated with AI, and have handed Amazon and Microsoft multi-billion-dollarwrite-downs on their market capitalization as a result.
Companies like Microsoft and OpenAI are desperately trying to figure out how to actually monetize this AI stuff. Microsoft is focusing on improving efficiency with custom chips, OpenAI, however, is looking to ads … (Image credit: Microsoft)
Companies like Google and Microsoft are prioritizing enterprise applications and data centre efficiency improvements to help offset their AI costs, but OpenAI isn’t really in a position to achieve some of this. They don’t have the software stack and enterprise relationships that Microsoft does, nor do they have the first-party cloud infrastructure that Microsoft, Google, or Amazon do.
So, the firm is turning to ads.
Surprise, surprise, right? Nothing is free. Facebook, YouTube, Bing, Google … — if it’s free, it’s usually powered by ads. But the application of those ads gets increasingly nefarious the deeper you get into it. Based on your interests on Facebook, YouTube, and so on, Meta and Google can serve you granular, laser-targeted ads that can exploit your characteristics. I’m in my late 30s, and I’ve started getting a lot of ads about hair replacement treatments lately on Instagram, for example.
I’d say today’s ad platforms are fairly innocuous, and perhaps irritating at best. Some are worse than others, of course. Exploiting users’ fears and desires is commonplace if you use TikTok and Instagram for ads, but a recent article in the New York Times caught my eye about how much darker and dystopian ChatGPT‘s own ad platform might end up being.
OpenAI has seen a flurry of resignations over the past couple of years, as researchers fear the “not-for-profit” firm has fully lost its way. For one former researcher, Zoë Hitzig, ChatGPT’s ad platform was the final straw. In her op-ed, she sounds the alarm over the scale of potential harm OpenAI’s ad platform might do to its users, and potentially, society at large.
ChatGPT is getting ads, and they may end up more dystopian than even Meta’s. (Image credit: Sam Altman photo (Getty Images | Bloomberg), edit Windows Central)
“I once believed I could help the people building A.I. get ahead of the problems it would create,” Hitzig explains. “This week confirmed my slow realization that OpenAI seems to have stopped asking the questions I’d joined to help answer.”
Hitzig specifically calls out OpenAI’s insertion of ads into the free tiers of its ChatGPT products. She believes that OpenAI is sprinting towards monetization without consideration for the potential harm this could do — and it revolves entirely around just how honest users are with the uncanny chatbot.
“I don’t believe ads are immoral or unethical. A.I. is expensive to run, and ads can be a critical source of revenue. But I have deep reservations about OpenAI’s strategy,” Hitzig continues.
“For several years, ChatGPT users have generated an archive of human candor that has no precedent, in part because people believed they were talking to something that had no ulterior agenda. Users are interacting with an adaptive, conversational voice to which they have revealed their most private thoughts. People tell chatbots about their medical fears, their relationship problems, their beliefs about God and the afterlife. Advertising built on that archive creates a potential for manipulating users in ways we don’t have the tools to understand, let alone prevent.”
Imagine a salesman armed with the entire summation of humanity’s research on market psychology, with the turbo-charged greed of a multi-national corp, and the cold dispassionate amorality of a sociopath.
Hitzig is essentially suggesting that because of how people use ChatGPT, OpenAI will eventually afford itself the world’s most manipulative ad-delivery mechanism in history. Right now, ads on Instagram are pretty spooky already for their ability to target your interests, but imagine an ad engine that can actively talk you into buying shit you don’t need by exploiting your specific psychology. Imagine how youngsters or vulnerable people could be exploited by a high-powered artificial intelligence. Imagine a salesman armed with the entire summation of humanity’s research on market psychology, with the turbo-charged greed of a multi-national corporation, and the cold dispassionate amorality of a sociopath.
“OpenAI says it will adhere to principles for running ads on ChatGPT: The ads will be clearly labelled, appear at the bottom of answers, and will not influence responses. I believe the first iteration of ads will probably follow those principles. But I’m worried subsequent iterations won’t, because the company is building an economic engine that creates strong incentives to override its own rules.”
I remember the first iterations of ads on Facebook and Google, easy to ignore, appearing in the sidebar, and easily blocked by uBlock or something similar. Compare those to today’s high-tech, eerie Instagram or TikTok ads that themselves have become memes for seeming to know about things you want before you even know yourself.
Indeed, this isn’t even vaguely far-fetched or even slightly controversial or conspiratorial — Instagram and Facebook are half way there already.
Imagine that turbocharged even further, with an industrial-scale alien intellect distilling your entire psychological profile with the express goal of selling you stuff. Forget the fairy tale claims of “boosted productivity,” curing deadly diseases, or becoming an interplanetary species. Envision a generation, our generation, mired in an epidemic of weapons-grade loneliness, with tailor-made AI companions who not only love you, but know exactly what you must buy.
ChatGPT has hundreds of millions of monthly active users, the vast majority of whom are sharing incredibly intimate details about themselves, the likes of which Facebook can only dream of, unless, of course, it ends up admitting its messaging services don’t actually have end-to-end encryption. But I digress.
When OpenAI changed ChatGPT’s “personality” with its GPT-5 update, people were actively furious because many had come to see the chatbot as a true friend. A confidant … an external, anthropomorphized entity garnering real trust. The greatest product recommendations come from word of mouth. You know, friends and family. What if the ad itself were your friend?
I can only imagine the cartoonishly evil conversations that have taken place in OpenAI’s investor meetings over some of these fundamental marketing concepts. Facebook and YouTube are currently facing a lawsuit in the United Kingdom, accused of actively engineering addictive behaviour in youngsters. I think scrolling memes pales in comparison to the harm ChatGPT and other similar products potentially represent on this scale.
Hitzig optimistically hopes OpenAI still has principles, but I think she’s sadly naïve. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shown himself to be fairly devoid of any sense of social responsibility thus far. It’s perhaps mildly alarming at best that many former researchers, like Hitzig, are abandoning ship at an abnormal cadence — while loudly citing “principles” as the primary reason.
Make no mistake. If this dystopic vision of cyborg-driven ad-hypnosis wasn’t the plan already, it definitely will be very soon.
Feature image credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto / Edit: Windows Central
What if the perfect AI assistant for your needs is already out there, but you’re not sure which one it is? With so many options, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, and Perplexity, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the choices. Paul J Lipsky walks through how each of these AI chatbots excels in specific areas, from managing massive datasets to tracking live social media trends. The video doesn’t just skim the surface; it dives into how these platforms are tailored for developers, researchers, content creators, and more. Whether you’re looking for an all-in-one powerhouse or a niche specialist, this breakdown will help you make sense of the crowded AI landscape.
In this guide, you’ll discover the unique strengths and quirks of each platform, like how ChatGPT’s multimodal capabilities make it a creative juggernaut, or why Perplexity’s citation-backed answers are a researcher’s dream. You’ll also explore the surprising ways Grok and Gemini cater to social media and multimedia professionals, respectively. By the end, you’ll not only understand what sets these AI chatbots apart but also how to match their features to your specific goals. The question isn’t just which AI is the best, it’s which one is the best for you.
AI Chatbot 2026 Comparison Guide
TL;DR Key Takeaways :
ChatGPT is a versatile, all-in-one AI tool ideal for creativity, research, and coding, featuring multimodal capabilities, voice chat, and productivity integrations.
Claude excels in managing large datasets and collaborative projects but lacks image generation and has strict usage caps.
Gemini specializes in multimedia tasks, seamlessly integrating with Google tools, making it perfect for visual content creators and project managers.
Perplexity is a research-focused AI offering citation-backed answers and real-time internet search capabilities, ideal for detailed analysis and accuracy.
Grok is tailored for social media managers and content creators, providing live data from X (formerly Twitter) to track trends and craft timely content.
ChatGPT: The All-Purpose Problem Solver
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a highly versatile AI designed to tackle a wide range of tasks. Its multimodal capabilities enable it to generate and analyse both text and images, making it an excellent choice for creative projects such as brainstorming, content creation, and multimedia editing. Additionally, its voice chat feature allows for natural, conversational interactions, while integrations with tools like Gmail and Chrome enhance productivity by streamlining workflows.
For developers, ChatGPT provides robust coding support, including debugging tools and code generation, making it a valuable resource for software development. Researchers benefit from its ability to deliver detailed, structured responses, often organizing data into tables for clarity and ease of analysis. If you’re looking for a comprehensive, all-in-one solution that combines creativity, technical expertise, and research capabilities, ChatGPT stands out as a strong contender.
Claude: The Data Management Expert
Anthropic’s Claude excels in managing large files, such as PDFs and CSVs, making it a preferred choice for researchers and developers working with extensive datasets. Its “Projects” feature helps users organize conversations effectively, while the “Co-work” tool simplifies file management on Mac systems. Claude is also proficient in coding and generating long-form content, making it a reliable resource for technical and academic tasks.
However, Claude has its limitations. It lacks image generation capabilities and imposes strict daily and weekly usage caps, which may pose challenges for users with high-volume needs. Despite these constraints, Claude is an excellent option for those focused on analysing complex data or collaborating on detailed projects, offering tools tailored to these specific requirements.
Google’s Gemini is designed for users deeply integrated into the Google ecosystem, offering seamless connectivity with tools like Gmail, Docs, and Chrome. It is particularly well-suited for multimedia tasks, excelling in generating and editing images and videos. This makes Gemini a top choice for professionals in visual content creation. Advanced tools like Notebook LM and Flow, available through subscription plans, further enhance its capabilities, providing users with powerful options for managing and executing creative projects.
If your work revolves around multimedia production or you’re already using Google’s suite of applications, Gemini is an ideal fit. Whether you’re editing videos, creating visual assets, or managing projects across platforms, Gemini’s focus on multimedia functionality sets it apart from other AI tools.
Perplexity: The Research Powerhouse
Perplexity is tailored for users who prioritize research and real-time internet searches. It delivers citation-backed answers and organizes information into tables for easy analysis, making sure both accuracy and reliability. The “Comet Browser” feature enhances web exploration, allowing users to delve deeper into topics with AI-powered assistance.
While Perplexity is exceptional for research tasks, its scope is narrower compared to other AI tools. It is not the best choice for creative or multimedia projects. However, if your primary focus is on conducting detailed research or obtaining quick, reliable answers, Perplexity is a dependable and efficient option.
Grok: The Social Media Trend Tracker
Grok, developed by XAI, specializes in accessing live data from X (formerly Twitter), making it an invaluable tool for tracking trending topics and staying updated on current events. Its conversational style and engaging personality create a dynamic user experience, appealing to those who prefer personalized interactions.
Grok is particularly useful for content creators and social media managers who need to monitor trends and craft timely, relevant content. While it lacks the versatility of other AI tools, its niche focus on live data and social media makes it a standout choice for users in the digital marketing and social media space.
Choosing the Right AI Chatbot for Your Needs
Each AI chatbot offers unique features and excels in specific areas, making the right choice dependent on your priorities and use cases. Here’s a breakdown to guide your decision:
ChatGPT: Best for users seeking an all-in-one solution for creativity, research, and coding support.
Claude: Ideal for researchers and developers managing large datasets or collaborating on complex projects.
Gemini: Perfect for multimedia professionals and those embedded in Google’s ecosystem.
Perplexity: Tailored for researchers needing accurate, citation-backed answers and real-time internet search capabilities.
Grok: A must-have for social media managers and content creators tracking live trends and current events.
By understanding the strengths and limitations of each tool, you can select the AI chatbot that aligns with your goals and enhances your workflow. Whether you need a versatile assistant, a research specialist, or a multimedia powerhouse, there’s an AI solution designed to meet your specific needs.
Zoe Hitzig says chatbot holds “archive of human candour” that must not be commercialised
OpenAI has moved in the direction that Sam Altman had always denied. ChatGPT now started testing ads on its platform. While industry folks have raised privacy concerns, OpenAI maintains the stance that advertisers do not have access to your chats, chat history, memories, or personal details.
Now the AI giant is facing scrutiny after one of its researchers, Zoe Hitzig, resigned with a strong warning about the company’s future direction. Hitzig, who worked on ChatGPT’s development and governance, cautioned that introducing advertising into the chatbot could compromise user trust and create risks similar to those seen in social media platforms.
Her concern is not about simple banner ads or sponsored replies. Instead, she highlighted the sensitive nature of the information users share with ChatGPT. Conversations with AI often tend to be private and unfiltered. People use chatbots to discuss health worries, relationship struggles, faith, and deeply personal dilemmas.
Hitzig described chatbots as an “archive of human candour” that has no precedent. She warned that embedding ads into such a system could open the door to manipulation. “Advertising built on that archive creates a potential for influencing users in ways we don’t have the tools to understand,” she wrote in a guest essay for The New York Times.
Hitzig believes that once ads become part of the revenue model, financial incentives could gradually reshape priorities. She compared this to Facebook’s early promises of privacy and user control, which were later abandoned as advertising became central to its business.
Her resignation comes just as OpenAI begins testing ads inside ChatGPT. Critics worry that even if ads are initially labelled and kept separate from responses, commercial pressure could eventually push the system to prioritise engagement over restraint.
Hitzig called for stronger safeguards, including independent oversight and legal mechanisms to protect user data. She stressed that the issue is not ads themselves, but the incentives they create.
AI is coming for unprepared businesses. The tools that seemed futuristic last year are now mainstream. Your customers can access the same information, generate the same content, build the same websites. What if your business became obsolete because you didn’t see what was right in front of you?
The businesses that thrive in 2026 will be the ones that take action today. They’llbuild trust through human connection and prove their value beyond what any tool can replicate. ChatGPT can help you do the same. Copy, paste and edit the square brackets in ChatGPT, and keep the same chat window open so the context carries through.
Protect your business from AI: ChatGPT prompts to future-proof your company
Build a personal brand that AI cannot replicate
Faceless companies are dying. People want to know who runs the show. They want to buy into a belief system, not just a product. Someone in your company needs to show up online. They need to share strong opinions. They need to tell the story behind your brand. Astrong personal brand reduces your marketing cost to zero because people already trust you before they buy.
“Based on what you know about me, help me build a personal brand strategy for my business. Identify my strongest beliefs and values that could resonate with my target audience of [describe your ideal customer]. Create a 30-day content plan that shares these beliefs boldly across LinkedIn, including the specific topics I should cover and the stance I should take on each. Ask for more detail if required.”
Equip your team to outperform any AI tool
Stop hiring people who produce work worse than ChatGPT. Marketing assistants, copywriters, and social media managers who cannot outperform AI will drain your budget. You will spend money on resources you do not need. This does not mean replacing humans with robots. It means equipping your team to use AI as a multiplier. The result is faster output, better iterations, and content that improves every single week. Content is becoming a commodity. Slop will not cut it. Your team needs to create work that actually stands out.
“Based on what you know about my business, create an AI training framework for my team of [number] people in [their roles]. Include the specific AI tools they should master, the tasks they should automate, and the skills they should develop to stay irreplaceable. Design a 4-week implementation plan with measurable outcomes for each team member. Ask for more detail if required.”
Define your value beyond what AI can deliver
Here is the uncomfortable question every service provider needs to answer: Are you better than ChatGPT? If you sell coaching, consultancy, or any service, your value has to exceed what someone gets from a free tool. Most people are probably not paying you for what you think they are paying you for. Figure out what makes you human and go all in on that. Your lived experience. Your intuition. Your ability to hold someone accountable in real time.Quadruple down on the things no machine can touch.
“Based on what you know about me and my business, identify 5 unique value propositions that differentiate my service from what ChatGPT or any AI tool could provide. For each one, explain why a human client would pay premium rates for this specific value. Then create messaging I can use on my website and sales calls to communicate these differentiators powerfully.”
Collect social proof that AI cannot fake
Anyone can code a proof of concept in a few hours now. That is not the differentiator. The differentiator is brand and social proof. You need testimonials from happy customers. The more personal the better. Videos, quotes, screenshots of WhatsApp messages they send you. Solutions will flood the market. Anyone in their garage can create a business and start getting customers. The only way people know which to trust is through reviews. This is your competitive advantage.
“Based on what you know about me, create a systematic approach for collecting powerful testimonials from my customers. Include the specific questions I should ask to elicit compelling responses, the best format for each testimonial type, and where to display them for maximum impact. Design 5 follow-up message templates I can send after delivering results.”
Test and pivot faster than ever before
Because AI makes it so easy to add new services, redesign websites, and build new features, speed wins. You must rapidly test new features, new market approaches, and interrogate your customers to understand exactly why they buy and what else they want. The sooner you can pivot into the next profitable niche, the quicker you avoid being overtaken by AI.Stop playing small. Run experiments weekly. Let the data guide you. The businesses that move fastest will dominate 2026.
“Based on what you know about my business, create a rapid testing framework I can implement this month. Include 5 experiments I should run to validate new opportunities, the metrics I should track for each, and decision criteria for when to double down or pivot. Design a weekly review process that keeps me moving at speed.”
Future-proof your business before AI changes everything
The threat is real and the timeline is short. Build a personal brand that connects on a human level. Equip your team to use AI as a superpower. Define your unique value that no tool can replicate. Collect social proof that builds trust instantly. Test and pivot faster than anyone else in your space.
One might well wonder if, at this point, OpenAI is less a company than an ongoing marketing event with UFC type muscle. Brawn and attention-grabbing knock-out power accompany billion-dollar—scratch that, trillion-dollar–valuations,existential safety dilemmas,AI porn debacles, copyrightlawsuits,corporate coups andsudden product launches. And that’s just before lunch. The sheer strength is amazing to behold, and the pace is, if you will, breakneck. The stakes? Enormous. And the unsetting weight throwing feels intentional, structural rather than accidental.
Let’s start with the numbers, because though we have heard them, they sound made up. ChatGPT, just three years old, is one of the fastest-adopted consumer products in history, with800 million monthly active users (as of this writing),$20 billion in annual recurring revenue and an ever-expanding role in how people write, code, search, study, shop and work. It has challenged successfully many of the former digital leading players, bursting into the fight cage of digital advertising and marketing like a strutting young bully able to put up its dukes against the older incumbents in search, and in the search for ad revenue though that has been more whisper than self-proclaimed goal… for the moment.
OpenAI has burned through staggering amounts of cash to train ever-larger models, and raised capital at valuations that would have sounded like satire even a few years ago($830 billion to $1 trillion?! WTF). Each product release lands like a macroeconomic head spinning punch, disrupting any players and any business processes that existed before its arrival. Each model update ripples across media and markets.
On top of it all is the enormous, unprecedented scale in audience shift in loyalty, time and attention from older digital participants to the new world order of ChatGPT (as well as a sprinkling of other AI platforms). Consumers aren’t just ready to be engaged, and occasionally bewildered, by AI-driven interactions, they are deep down the rabbit hole and adopting the possibilities with vigor.
Then there’s the ambition. OpenAI isn’t just a frontier research lab with a chat interface.Hiring Fidji Simo to help build an application ecosystem signaled a clear shift toward platform-competitive thinking with plugins, agents, custom GPTs, enterprise tooling and a growing sense that ChatGPT is a layer that all companies are expected to build on.
The timeline? All the foregoing has happened on a product that wasn’t even launched until November 2022—a reminder of just how compressed the AI timeline really is.
The kicker? The rest of us in digital advertising can’t ignore OpenAI even if we wanted to, as regulators in the US and Europe seem happy to do as they once again stay determinedly focused on where the puck once was. Campaigns, content operations, creative teams and customer experience are now operating in an AI-accelerated landscape. One week, AI promises unprecedented personalization and hyper-scaled content. The next, it surfaces compliance or brand safety challenges no one could have anticipated.
Where Marketers Need to Focus
To be clear, this is not to say we should root for any harm to come to OpenAI. Quite the opposite. An increasing share of the U.S. economy and our collective 401ks now depend on OpenAI’s momentum. But it’s hard to ignore how brutally we’re all being wrenched by its news cycles. One week AI will eliminate half of all jobs (a white collar bloodbath); the next—Oops, just kidding!—it will merelyaugment them.
This is where a WeWork analogy becomes useful (remember that boondoggle?). Not because OpenAI is a vanity real estate play or because its technology is a sham (it plainly isn’t), but because WeWork embodied a particular Silicon Valley hubris confusing scale with inevitability and visionary language with immunity from reality. WeWork CEO Adam Neumann didn’t fail because offices weren’t useful. He failed because his story ran faster than the fundamentals could support.
OpenAI may not be there yet or ever, but it flirts with the same risks. Its governance structure remains unusually complex for a company of its size and scale. The economics of ever-larger models are still unsettled (just to drive home the point, OpenAI hascommitted $1.4 trillion to data infrastructure projects over the next 8 years, more than the current value of the company). All the while, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s tone oscillates between sober warnings about existential risk and breezy assurances thatthis is all fine. Again, hubris doesn’t necessarily mean being wrong. It does imply, as we have seen in Silicon Valley before, blithely assuming you are the Chosen One.
For marketers, that’s a warning. Hype can drive engagement, but it can’t fix governance, trust or execution. Brands that adopt AI without a tight, explicit strategy may look cutting-edge on day one and like amateurs on day 100.
Up and to the Right: Open AI CEO Sam Altman at the Snowflake Summit last June (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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Meaning for the Year Ahead
So, what does all this insanity tell us about the year ahead?
The biggest risk is AI normalization. AI already feels less magical and more like electricity. When everything is “AI-powered,” differentiation shifts from wonder to reliability, cost and trust. The transition is brutal for companies whose valuations are fueled by momentum rather than margins and tends to favor the OG infrastructure players, not the loudest storytellers. That’s why Meta’s Mark Zuckerbergwas willing recently to spend $2 billion on the little-known Chinese AI agent startup Manus. Differentiation will come from execution, integration and reliability, not novelty. Brands that lean on momentum alone will be seen as noisy rather than innovative.
Job disruptions could well be messier than headlines suggest. The stories about mass job elimination have been eye-catching, but reality will be more likely focused on quasi automation and wage pressure. In advertising particularly, AI may speed production, but so far few are those who have mastered leveraging it for restructuring creativity.
The platform era will fragment before it consolidates. Despite OpenAI’s push to become the default layer, everyone is hedging aggressively. Multimodel strategies, open-source fallbacks and regulatory constraints will prevent any single company from cleanly owning the entire stack. Could this year look more like the early cloud wars than iOS lock in?
Safety debates will shift from apocalypse to accountability and solutions. This year we’ll all argue less about whether AI will wipe out humanity and instead worry about the clear and present danger of how AI is quietly reshaping hiring, credit, healthcare and overall business ethics. And we’ll push on the positive potential, too–how AI can automate safety solutions. That’s a much more complex conversation, and one that won’t be addressed by white papers and blog posts alone. Conversations will be in person and in debate as much as in collaborations. Technology might well become the way to fix safety issues at scale. Marketing leaders will need to navigate AI content, personalization and interactions with radical transparency.
Whatever happens, OpenAI will define our reality even if it doesn’t dominate it. History can be unkind to pioneers but tends to be generous to their influence. Even if OpenAI eventually cedes ground to competitors or economics, it has already set basic terms for the AI era.
OpenAI is an iconic company, and it is undeniably changing how the world communicates, creates and buys. And let’s be honest, it’s also completely bonkers. It may well end up proving an old dot-com adage: You can tell who the pioneers are by the arrows sticking out of their backs. But regardless of whether OpenAI becomes an enduring operating system of the AI age or an early cautionary tale, the rest of us will be living with the opportunities, the risks and, yes, the insanity, for a very long time. Welcome to 2026!
We’ve all been there. Your screen’s full of tabs, notifications are going off nonstop, and you’re running around all day. But by the end of it, you’re left wondering what you really got done.
We turn to tech to help keep things under control, right? AI helps us write emails, fix grammar, and summarize long articles. But what if your AI could be more than just an assistant, and actually help you think better?
I use ChatGPT every day, and it’s changed the way I interact with it. It’s become a tool that helps me think more clearly, sparks my creativity, and even improves my relationships.
I’m going to share eight ChatGPT prompts I use all the time now. These have completely changed the way I work and live, and made AI way more helpful than I ever expected.
1. Start Your Day with the Motivation Coach
The Prompt:“Tailor my daily schedule to my current mood, energy, and available time.”
We all know how exhausting it can be to just figure out what to do next. That “what should I do now?” decision-making can wear us out before we even get started. This prompt is like having a personal coach who creates a plan that works with your energy, not against it.
Let’s say it’s Monday morning, you’re feeling overwhelmed, and your energy’s low. You’ve got a three-hour block before your first meeting, and you need to tackle a big report, but you’re stuck.
Instead of staring at a blank page, you give ChatGPT the prompt. It might respond with a structured plan like this:
09:00 – 09:10:Ease In – “Grab a coffee or tea, no screens. Let’s honor your low energy. It’s okay to start slow.”
09:10 – 09:30: One Small Task – “Open the report file. Don’t write yet—just read the brief and organize your folders. Small, low-energy stuff to get you moving.”
09:30 – 10:15: Focused Work – “Set a 45-minute timer. Your only goal is to write the executive summary. Don’t worry about anything else.”
10:15 – 10:30: Recharge – “Step away from your desk. Walk, stretch, or listen to a song. You need this break.”
This plan provides the structure your brain craves when it’s feeling scattered. It takes the pressure of planning off your shoulders, so you can focus your energy on actually doing the work. If you’re feeling burnt out, this prompt is a great way to ease back into things.
2. Get a Reality Check with an AI Critic
Credits: FOCA Stock // StockSnap
The Prompt:“Assess my concepts through the lens of a [tech reviewer, literary critic, master cook].”
Honest feedback can be hard to come by. Friends might hold back to spare your feelings, and colleagues could be biased. But an AI? It’s got no agenda and no emotions: it can give you brutally honest, constructive criticism. That’s why I use this prompt every day to test my ideas. It’s a key part of how I stay productive and improve my work.
Let’s say you’ve got an idea for an app: “PlantPal,” which identifies houseplants from a photo and gives you a watering schedule. You ask ChatGPT to evaluate it like a tough venture capitalist.
Here’s the kind of feedback you might get:
Market Saturation: “The plant identification space is already crowded. What’s your unique angle? A slightly better UI isn’t enough.”
Monetization: “Your ‘diagnose my sick plant’ feature is interesting, but how sustainable is the AI behind it? Can competitors copy it quickly?”
Blind Spots:“You haven’t considered community features, which are crucial for engagement in hobbyist apps. Also, who’s training your AI to diagnose plants?”
This kind of no-holds-barred feedback is priceless. It lets you test your ideas in a safe space, without worrying about offending anyone or facing judgment. You can refine your concept privately before it’s ready for the real world.
3. Manifest Success and Beat Imposter Syndrome
Source: iStock
The Prompt:“Rewrite this [email, project plan] like I’ve already succeeded.”
The words we use can totally shift how we see ourselves. If you’re dealing with imposter syndrome, your writing might come off as unsure, lots of “maybe,” “I think,” or “just.” This prompt helps you reframe things from a place of confidence, making you sound like you’ve already succeeded.
And it’s not just about sounding confident; it can actually help you feel more confident too!
Consider this hesitant email draft:
Before: “Hi team, I was hoping we could maybe look into a new marketing strategy for Q4. I think it might be a good idea to explore TikTok. Let me know if you have any thoughts.”
Now, watch what happens when you apply the prompt:
After:“Team, for Q4, we’re pivoting our marketing strategy to target the TikTok demographic. I’ve outlined the first three campaign ideas and will assign roles by EOD Friday. My projections show a 15% increase in lead generation. Let’s make it happen.”
The second version is direct, confident, and clear. It bridges the gap between your inner doubts and the outer competence you need to lead.
By communicating like you’ve already succeeded, you naturally inspire more trust and buy-in from others. Over time, that feedback will help build real, earned confidence.
4. Turn Big Ideas into Actionable Steps
Source: FreepikThe Prompt:“Transform this ambiguous concept into an actionable, prioritized list based on impact versus effort.”
Big goals can feel super overwhelming. Take something like “I want to start a podcast”. it’s exciting but also totally paralyzing. You’re probably wondering, “Where do I even begin?”
This prompt breaks that big idea down into bite-sized tasks and helps you prioritize them by what will make the most impact with the least effort. It’s my go-to move whenever I’m launching something new.
You tell ChatGPT your vague idea, and it gives you a list of concrete steps: like choosing a niche, buying equipment, learning to edit, reaching out to guests, and so on. Then it organizes those tasks into a simple Impact vs. Effort matrix.
Low Effort
High Effort
High Impact
1. Define your niche and target audience. 2. Record your first 3 episodes (using your phone). 3. Choose a name and create simple cover art.
1. Build a promotion and guest outreach strategy. 2. Consistently publish weekly episodes. 3. Secure sponsorships.
Low Impact
1. Spend weeks designing the perfect logo. 2. Agonize over the brand’s color palette.
1. Build a custom website before having any listeners. 2. Purchase expensive, professional-grade audio equipment.
The matrix makes it so clear where to start. You tackle the “High Impact, Low Effort” tasks first. Those quick wins give you the momentum to push through the harder, more time-consuming stuff. Suddenly, that giant mountain of tasks becomes a series of small, manageable hills.
5. Uncover Hidden Patterns with the Habit Detective
Credits: Thought Catalog // Unsplash
The Prompt:“Analyze my calendar and spending from the last week and identify any patterns in what I’m inadvertently prioritizing.”
We often don’t realize what we’re actually prioritizing in life. We might say one thing—like, “I want to write a book”. But when we look at how we actually spend our time, it tells a completely different story.
By giving ChatGPT objective data about your life, like your calendar or spending habits, it acts as a neutral mirror, showing you exactly what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s one of the most eye-opening prompts I’ve used for boosting self-awareness.
For example, you could tell ChatGPT:
“My goal is to write a book. This week, I worked 9-5, went to the gym, and watched Netflix for 3 hours every night. I had brunch with friends on Saturday and did chores on Sunday.”
And the analysis you get might look something like this:
“Looking at your schedule, it’s clear that you’re unintentionally optimizing for stress recovery and low-effort entertainment. You’ve effectively prioritized physical health and social connection. However, your goal of ‘writing a book’ receives 0% of your dedicated time. Your evenings are optimized for passive consumption—Netflix—rather than active creation.”
This kind of data-driven feedback can be a real wake-up call. It forces you to look at your habits without any of the emotional story you tell yourself.
Once you see the truth in black and white, you can make the necessary adjustments to align your actions with your real goals.
6. Sharpen Your Pitch with a ‘Shark Tank’ Drill
Credits: Slidebean // Unsplash
The Prompt:“Imagine pitching this concept as if you were on Shark Tank.”
Whether you’re pitching a new business or just trying to convince your family to try a new dinner idea, you need to be clear, concise, and persuasive. Using the “Shark Tank” approach forces the AI to craft a pitch that’s all about benefits and impact.
As someone who uses ChatGPT every day, this exercise has really helped me get better at communicating ideas quickly and effectively.
Let’s say you’ve got an idea for a subscription box for artisanal coffee beans. You give the prompt to ChatGPT and this is what you get:
“Sharks, 90% of coffee drinkers have never tasted the top 1% of coffee. Why? Access. We’re ‘Global Grind,’ a curated subscription service delivering exclusive, single-origin beans right to your door. We’re not just selling coffee—we’re offering a world tour for your taste buds. For a $100,000 investment, we’re offering 10% of the company and plan to dominate the $80 billion premium coffee market. So, who’s ready to wake up and smell the profit?”
This exercise forces you to stop talking about the details of your product and start focusing on the benefits. Instead of saying “Here’s what I made,” you learn to say, “Here’s what’s in it for you.” It shifts the perspective from creator to audience, and it’s a game-changer for how you present ideas.
7. Level Up with Advice from Your Future Self
Credits: Lala Azizli // Unsplash
The Prompt:“What minor adjustment could I implement today that my future self would appreciate?”
We’re hardwired for short-term rewards, which makes it tough to stick with habits that pay off later. This prompt cleverly sidesteps that by focusing on small, easy changes that add up over time. It’s a simple but powerful way to boost long-term productivity without feeling overwhelmed.
Instead of suggesting something huge like “run a marathon,” ChatGPT will suggest small, actionable tweaks with big impact:
Physical Health: “Place a glass of water by your bed tonight. Drink it first thing tomorrow before checking your phone. This adds up to an extra 18 gallons of hydration each year.”
Mental Health:“Pick one person to say ‘no’ to this week in order to protect your time and energy. This helps you build the habit of setting healthy boundaries.”
Financial Health: “Find one recurring subscription you don’t use anymore and cancel it. It’s a one-time action that’ll save you money every month.”
This prompt reframes positive changes as gifts to your future self, making the long-term benefits feel more immediate and rewarding. It shifts the focus from instant gratification to the bigger picture, helping you make better choices in the now that your future self will be grateful for.
8. Deepen Relationships with Thoughtful Actions
Credits: Surface // Unsplash
The Prompt:“What’s a simple, thoughtful gesture I could make this week to show a friend I appreciate and see them?”
In our busy lives, good intentions often fall through the cracks. This prompt uses AI not to replace human connection, but to facilitate it. It helps bridge the gap between wanting to be a good friend and actually doing something about it. It’s a surprising reason why I use ChatGPT every day.
You can give it some context: “My friend Mark just started a new, stressful job. He loves history podcasts and is trying to eat healthier.”
ChatGPT will offer you a few personalized suggestions, sorted by effort:
Low Effort:“Send him a link to a specific history podcast episode with a message: ‘Heard this and thought of you. Hope the new job is going well!’”
Medium Effort:“Next time you meal prep, make an extra portion of a healthy lunch. Drop it off with a note: ‘One less thing to worry about this week. You got this.’”
This prompt takes the guesswork out of thoughtful gestures. It helps you turn your general feelings of care into specific, easy-to-implement actions, making it more likely that your good intentions will actually become real moments of connection.
Your New Thinking Partner
These eight advanced ChatGPT prompts go far beyond basic tasks. They show that the true power of AI lies in its ability to augment our own humanity.
From my experience, using ChatGPT every day with this kind of intention turns it into something more than just a tool. It helps me break through mental blocks, show up better for the people I care about, and take more intentional action in my life.
How do you use AI to boost your productivity? I’d love to hear your favourite ChatGPT prompts in the comments below, and let me know which of these you’re excited to try first!
OpenAI’s latest reported change being considered to ChatGPT is drawing a wide-range of strong reactions from users.
The ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence features frequent updates to tools, often including new models and features. However, the latest chatter surrounding the biggest name in AI is a potential change that would almost certainly spark immense user pushback. While OpenAI has rolled out several updates to ChatGPT and most recently launched their new browser ChatGPT Atlas, the latest reported change being considered has all the makings of a financial decision.
Although streaming giants such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video land in a somewhat different area of the technology landscape, they may soon have something in common with ChatGPT—ads.
OpenAI Reportedly Considering Bold Change to ChatGPT by Integrating Ads
Although nothing has been confirmed yet, The Information reportedly stated that OpenAI is considering integrating advertisements into ChatGPT. The report, as Culture Crave revealed, also says that the company is exploring the possibility of basing the ads shown on ChatGPT on user chat memory.
It’d be a major move, and one that would likely lead to pushback from a large share of ChatGPT users. However, it’s unclear whether users who pay for a higher-tier AI tool would be excluded from seeing advertisements. If that were the case, it would avoid at least some of the general pushback against the possible move.
It sounds as though the idea is still in its early stages at OpenAI, but as we’ve seen in the world of artificial intelligence, things can move quickly. Regardless of whether it happens or not, the responses to the report poured in, and it’s fair to say they didn’t include much positivity.
ChatGPT Users & Others React to OpenAI Possibly Integrating Advertisements
Although the negative comments far outweighed the positive regarding the news, there was a fair mixture of comedy as well. In some cases, the comedic reactions prompted real questions about how OpenAI would roll out these ads.
“Imagine if the AI responded like in ads: ‘Great question! But before I answer, let me tell you about today’s sponsor – NordVPN,’” one user wrote.
Among the several noteworthy responses that poured in, a few key takeaways included:
Opinions that this will hurt the brand
Possibilities of a subscription fee to avoid the advertisements
Frustration over the inability to use many types of technology without ads
Pushback stating that if the ads were integrated into paid ChatGPT subscriptions, some would cancel their accounts
While this is comical to consider, it would also be a legitimate worst-case scenario for users. However, it’s hard to envision OpenAI choosing this path for integrating ads into ChatGPT, a tool that prides itself, at least in part, on speed.
Another user responded jokingly, pointing to ChatGPT monetizing their “late-night rants about cat conspiracy theories.”
“Oh, brilliant! Now ChatGPT can monetize my late-night rants about cat conspiracy theories with perfectly timed cat food ads. Truly living the dream in this brave new ad-infested world!”
The possible move from OpenAI also sparked confusion among users about why they’d even consider it over continuing to build something bigger.
“Why don’t they just focus on building superintelligence? It’s way bigger than ads, lmao, and it’s not like they’ll run out of funding anytime soon,” said one user.
“Because as we all know, putting ads on stuff doesn’t immediately tank anything in lieu of an ad-less version,” replied another user. “After putting ads on it they’ll bring out a small subscription fee to remove them. Make everything worse, charge to restore it.”
Others raised concerns about OpenAI using chat history for the ads.
“Using our chat history for advertisements is absurd. This is essentially the quickest way to discourage people from using ChatGPT,” read another reply.
Regardless of what aspect of the possibility that ads could be integrated into ChatGPT they were most concerned with, it appears that the feeling is mostly a widespread consensus.
AI chatbots are not created equal. Chatbot developers at competing companies often place a different emphasis on what gets suggested, the sources that are used, and how they intend the user to act on the information presented. In a new report, SEO consulting firm BrightEdge dove into the differences between Google’s AI Mode and ChatGPT. While both gave similar responses to basic comparison questions, they took different tactics when users asked for actions.
“AI search is no longer one thing—it’s splitting into at least two distinct philosophies,” BrightEdge founder and CEO Jim Yu says in the report.
When asked for advice to accomplish a certain task, BrightEdge found that Google tends to surface more things to read and learn from. ChatGPT, meanwhile, often suggests tools and apps to do the task. For example, with a prompt asking how to find a doctor, Google provided directions to a hospital. ChatGPT suggested users try Zocdoc, an app with medical professional listings and information. When asked how to learn Python, Google directs users to GitHub and Medium blogs, while ChatGPT suggests online course site Udemy. And a query on how to make a budget has Google sending users to NerdWallet research and blog posts, while ChatGPT suggests financial apps including Mint and YNAB.
BrightEdge also looked into the differences between results from Google’s AI Overviews—the curated information that shows up at the top of several search result pages—and Google AI Mode—the new button to the right side of the search bar. AI Overviews are constantly changing, but showcase brands in 43% of queries. They also can include 20 or more inline citations. AI Mode, on the other hand, surfaces brands in 90% of its responses, and it’s 3.8 times more likely to feature a unique brand.
What does all of this mean for marketers? As a practical matter, you should continue to hone your AI strategy. It’s time to go deeper than just having content. How does your content show up in an AI search, and what do you want users to do once they find it? Should you concentrate on broad content that helps others learn, actionable solutions, or both? It’s also important to remember that the number of people searching on a particular platform can shift. Search leader Google is quickly rolling out AI Overviews, but AI Mode may become more of a default option. And ChatGPT could see its search fortunes grow through strong performance or a well-placed agreement with an operating system, browser or device.
Regardless of how people find content online, once it’s out there, it can serve as content for everyone in the world—part of a global content strategy. There are many nuances between a winning global strategy and a successful local one. Nataly Kelly, CMO at market research platform Zappi, recently co-authored a book about it with Katherine Melchior Ray titled Brand Global, Adapt Local: How to Build Brand Value Across Cultures. I talked to Kelly about the two strategies. An excerpt from our conversation is later in this newsletter.
