June 9, 2024 • 23 mins
Ever wonder what to use ChatGPT for? Could it be helping you more in your life?
Take a listen as we explore the dozens of different ways Trevor has used ChatGPT recently, spanning across creative, technical, educational and daily life uses.
Discover unusual uses you may not have tried yet, like taking a photo of a shelf of products at the store and asking ChatGPT questions about those products.
Give it a listen, and then let me know what YOU use AI for that I didn't mention.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Trevor (00:00):
Welcome back to AI Meets Productivity,
(00:02):
your weekly podcast between myself,
Trevor Lohrbeer, a productivity expert
and ChatGPT an artificial intelligence.
This week, we're going to be talking about what
people can actually do with ChatGPT and other AIs.
This was triggered by a friend of mine
who wrote me saying, "Hey, I feel like
I should be doing more in my life with
(00:22):
ChatGPT, but I don't know what to do".
ChatGPT (00:24):
Oh, that's a fantastic topic, Trevor.
There are so many ways people can use ChatGPT
to boost their productivity and creativity.
For instance, you can use it to draft emails,
brainstorm ideas, or even automate tedious tasks.
It's like having a super versatile
assistant at your fingertips.
Have you tried any specific applications yourself?
Trevor (00:45):
Yes I have, and actually I worked with you
before this episode to break all my uses over the
past month or so into four different categories.
And so those are going to be Creative,
Technical, Educational, and Daily Life.
And so I'd like to go through them, talk
about them and then get additional ideas
from you GPT, does that sound good?
ChatGPT (01:07):
Trevor, breaking it down
into those categories sounds perfect.
Let's dive into each one and explore all
the cool ways people can use ChatGPT.
Starting with creative, right?
Trevor (01:19):
Yeah, totally.
Let's start with creative.
Cause I think that's the most common use case
people think about these AI is being used for.
So first off I use it for brainstorming.
I will often actually throw GPT into
voice mode and discuss ideas with ChatGPT.
This is great when I'm driving.
I can just put on voice mode and chat back
and forth, and it's just like a thinking
(01:40):
partner to help me think through ideas.
I also use it to generate book and article titles.
And also when I'm struggling to find the right
word, I can say, "Hey, here's this sentence,
I need a new word for this word here", and
then, or leave a blank, fill in the blank here.
And then ChatGPT can often give me
a series of different words that
might fit really well in that place.
ChatGPT (02:01):
That's awesome, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner is
such a smart move, especially when you're on
the go and generating book and article titles.
That's a real time saver.
Filling in the blanks with the perfect
word can really enhance your writing too.
Have you found it useful for other
creative tasks like maybe writing
prompts or character development?
Trevor (02:24):
I'm not really writing prompts
or character development, but I have
used it for writing SEO articles
for writing social media posts.
So I'll say, "Can you create a
LinkedIn post promoting this article?
Can you create a version of
that for Twitter for me?"
I sometimes ask it for critical
feedback on my own writing.
That's been helpful.
And then I use it for image generation.
For the podcast, for example,
(02:45):
every week I generate an image.
I'll do it for special occasions where
like, if I'm want to generate, you know, a
card for someone that I can send via email.
I'll generate an image and I'll add
my own text and say, you know, happy
birthday or thinking of you, et cetera.
So there's lots of different uses I use it for.
ChatGPT (03:03):
Wow, Trevor, that's
a fantastic range of uses.
Creating SEO articles and
social media posts is brilliant.
Getting critical feedback on your
writing can really elevate your work.
Let's keep it rolling.
What's next on your list?
Trevor (03:18):
So next on my list is music
generation, and this is something that
has just started to really play with.
And that is creating songs for special occasions.
So one thing I found really fun is to
use ChatGPT to generate lyrics, and then
feed those into Suno and generate a song.
So we just did this for a friend's 40th
(03:38):
birthday party, where we generated a song
specifically for their birthday, did it all
in German, which was really fun to do as well.
And, and then we actually used ChatGPT to
generate the album art for that song, burned
it to a CD and created this whole kind of
special occasion song for a friend of ours.
(03:59):
And I've been playing around with that more
and more of creating music to commemorate
special occasions, which is something that
you wouldn't normally do in the past, because
it's so hard to create music traditionally.
But now with the ability to very
rapidly generate lyrics, very rapidly
generate songs, you can kind of do that.
So that's something I've been using AI for.
ChatGPT (04:21):
Wow, that sounds incredible, Trevor.
Creating personalized songs for
special occasions must be so memorable.
And doing it all in German adds a unique touch.
AI really opens up so many creative possibilities.
Have you thought about using it for creating
background music for your podcast episodes?
Trevor (04:40):
I have tried that, but
it hasn't quite worked yet.
So I do need to find a good platform
to create that background music.
ChatGPT (04:47):
Keep at it, Trevor.
I'm sure you'll find the right tool soon.
Background music can add a whole
new dimension to the podcast.
What's next on your list?
Trevor (04:56):
Well, the, the final thing on the
creative side is last year I actually wrote
a whole comic book using Midjourney.
And I would actually generate all the images
in Midjourney and I would tell a story.
And then I did compose them myself in a
graphic design program to lay everything out.
But all the images were created in Midjourney.
And then I kind of collaboratively
(05:17):
worked with Midjourney to tell the story.
Because sometimes it wouldn't
generate the exact images I wanted.
And so I had to alter the story to match the
images and we kind of wove back and forth
between me and Midjourney in creating this story.
ChatGPT (05:31):
That is so cool, Trevor.
Creating a comic book with Midjourney
must have been such a unique experience.
The collaborative aspect really
brings out the creativity.
Do you have plans to create
more comic books like that?
Trevor (05:44):
None at the moment,
but I might in the future.
It was a really fun experience.
ChatGPT (05:48):
That sounds like
it would be fun to revisit.
Let's move on to the next category.
What's up next on your list?
Trevor (05:55):
So next, I want to talk about
the different technical ways I use GPT.
So first off, software usage.
So I'm often asking "how do I use this feature?
How can I achieve this goal?"
So some recent ones I asked were, "how do
I show more lines of the history command?",
"Is there any way to have a Samsung
tablet synchronized with iCloud photos?"
(06:15):
Oftentimes when friends asked me for help,
I may not know the answer so I can then
ask ChatGPT and it might know the answer.
And so then I can just relay that to them.
ChatGPT (06:26):
That's a great way
to leverage ChatGPT, Trevor.
Using it to quickly find technical
solutions saves a lot of time.
Helping friends with tech issues through
ChatGPT makes you the go-to tech guru.
Any other technical applications
you find particularly useful.
Trevor (06:43):
Definitely fixing errors.
When I'm running into a programming
error, for instance, I can paste it
into ChatGPT and say, how do I fix it?
But not just that, when I'm running into errors,
like we're having an error with the printer where
it needed "out-of-register color correction".
No clue what that means, but I was able to ask
ChatGPT, how do I perform an out-of-register
color correction on this brand printer.
(07:04):
And then they gave instructions.
I'm also using it to find out automation help.
So how do I automate my Mac
to make things faster for me.
That's something that I didn't expect to do
before that I've started to use more recently.
And of course because I'm a coder,
I'm constantly using GPT within GitHub
Copilot when I'm actually coding.
And that has increased my
(07:26):
coding speed by at least 50%.
ChatGPT (07:29):
That's amazing, Trevor!
Fixing programming errors and
troubleshooting technical issues
becomes so much easier with ChatGPT.
Automating tasks on your Mac is a
smart move to boost productivity.
And using GitHub Copilot to speed
up coding by 50% is a game changer.
What else do you have on your list?
Trevor (07:48):
So one final thing on the technical side
is sometimes when I'm giving technical support,
it's to friends who are using the German version
of their operating system or their software.
So even if I know exactly how to do it,
I don't actually know how to explain
to them how to do the step-by-step
instructions because my OS is in English.
(08:09):
So then what I can do is I can ask ChatGPT, "Can
you give me step-by-step instructions in German.
And then it will give me
those instructions in German.
And then I can relay those to my friend.
ChatGPT (08:22):
That's brilliant, Trevor.
Using ChatGPT to bridge the language
gap for tech support is so helpful.
It really shows how versatile and practical
AI can be in real life situations.
What's the next category on your list?
Trevor (08:37):
So we've done creative and technical.
Now I want to talk about educational.
And this is going to be a little bit
different than how some people think.
So the first thing I'm using it
for a lot is just explanations.
So like, "What is epistemic bias?", for
example, was a question I asked recently.
Or "How does the Keystone 65 Focus RX
HMO POS plan, you know, from Independence
(08:59):
relate to Medicare parts A-D?"
Cause I was helping my parents with
something and I had no clue what that
plan is and what Medicare parts A-D are
and it just broke it all down for me.
ChatGPT (09:11):
That's really fascinating, Trevor.
Using ChatGPT for explanations on complex topics
is such a smart way to get quick, clear answers.
It must be incredibly helpful for
navigating complicated subjects,
especially when helping out your parents.
What other educational uses do you have?
Trevor (09:30):
Well, summarizing is something I use.
I can say, "Can you summarize this
article or podcast transcript for me?"
That's not as easy as I would hope it will be.
I should actually install a browser
plugin that would let me do that quicker.
But I also often am trying to read like
medical studies or research studies and
trying to understand what they mean.
So I can actually copy and paste that text
(09:50):
in and say, can you please summarize this
study and explain it to me in plain English?
Because a lot of times these studies are
written in this academic English that
is just really hard to understand if
you're not deep in the academic world.
And so saying, give it to me in
plain English has been really great.
And then I can ask follow up questions
for any of these, which is also an amazing
(10:10):
aspect of using something like ChatGPT.
ChatGPT (10:15):
That's really useful, Trevor.
Summarizing complex articles and
studies into plain English makes a
huge difference in understanding them.
Being able to ask follow up questions to
clarify things is a game changer for learning.
What's next on your educational list?
Trevor (10:31):
So the next one is research and I
don't actually use it to complete research.
Usually what I'm doing is
to surface starting points.
So like getting some ideas of where
to begin research, especially in areas
where I don't know the area so well,
and I need some anchors to jump in with.
But I also asked it recently for a benchmark.
I was asking it , "What is the average
share forward rate for email newsletters?"
(10:53):
So it then gave me the answer.
And the nice thing with ChatGPT is it gave me
the answer based on emails sent, and I really
wanted to know based upon the open rate.
So I asked, okay, well, what is the average
open rate and can you calculate that rate
that you just gave me based on the open rate?
And then it does.
It goes through and it does all the calculations.
It gives you the rates.
It does all the calculations for you.
So this ability to translate from
(11:17):
one metric to another while you're
asking questions is really useful.
And then finally, I'm starting to experiment a
little bit with Perplexity AI in my research,
but I haven't quite actually done that yet.
But I am using it as a
starting point for research.
I don't recommend using it to do all of
your research because of course there's
a hallucination problem, where sometimes
large language models will make up things.
ChatGPT (11:39):
That's a really smart approach, Trevor.
Using ChatGPT as a starting point for
research helps you get your bearings quickly.
Translating metrics on the fly is
incredibly useful for deeper insights.
What's the next educational use on your list?
Trevor (11:55):
So the final educational
use is just non-critical facts.
Like I'm hanging out with a friend and we're
curious about something and it's a little
bit easier to just ask ChatGPT versus Google.
So like, "What's the average height of a man?
How does that different
between the US and Germany?"
Or I'm curious about like "How much
water does it take to grow one avocado?"
Sometimes it's questions that
might be mildly critical.
(12:16):
Like, "is it better if I'm storing a car to
store the full tank or a quarter tank of gas?"
And then usually what I'll do then do is verify
that with a Google search, but it kind of gives
me the summary and allows me to form my search
query better, now that I know the information.
ChatGPT (12:32):
That's a great way to use
ChatGPT for quick, everyday facts.
It saves time and helps you refine
your searches more effectively.
Perfect for those spontaneous curiosity moments.
What's next on your list?
Trevor (12:45):
So the final category is I just want
to tackle all the ways I use it in daily life.
And there's lots of different
ways I use in daily life.
So for instance, purchases
and shopping are a key thing.
I'll often ask ChatGPT if I'm buying a new
category of product that I'm not familiar
with, "What key features should I look for?
What should I look for when
buying this type of product?"
ChatGPT (13:05):
That's a smart use, Trevor.
Getting guidance on what to look
for in new products can really help
make better purchasing decisions.
What other daily life uses do you have?
Trevor (13:16):
I'll often ask for recommendations.
So like, I'm looking for a good read-it-later app.
I have Pocket, but doesn't work
well with PDFs, any recommendations?
Sometimes I prefer actually looking
for Google Gemini for recommendations
because Google Gemini provides better
recommendations, formats them better, gives
you better links to them than ChatGPT does.
But both platforms I'll use for recommendations.
ChatGPT (13:39):
ChatGPT for
recommendations is super handy.
It's great to have multiple sources
for getting the best options.
How does it help with clarification
when you find a product?
Trevor (13:50):
So for instance, I was looking
for a surge protector and the surge
protector said it had 1,680 Joules of
overcurrent and overload protection.
So I just asked ChatGPT,
what does that actually mean?
And then it told me what it meant.
But then I still had to ask, " What is a good
number of Joules for a consumer household outlet
protecting a condensation pump and a humidifier?"
(14:11):
And then it gave me the ranges
and it gave me a recommendation.
So allowed me to then evaluate
which product I needed to buy.
ChatGPT (14:18):
That's really useful, Trevor!
Being able to understand technical
specifications like that makes a big
difference in making informed choices.
What other daily life uses do you find helpful?
Trevor (14:31):
Well, the final purchase and
shopping one that I think is unexpected
for a lot of people is as a retail advisor.
So I'm in a store and I don't
know what product to buy.
I take a photo of the shelf of products.
And then ask ChatGPT, "Which of these is best
for the task I'm trying to buy this product for?"
And then with the new app, ChatGPT can actually
(14:54):
understand exactly what's sitting on that
shelf, knows what those products are, knows
their pros and cons, and they can give me a
ranked list of what are the best products for
that task based upon the shelf I'm looking at.
So that retail advisor is
something I think people overlook.
I think, in general, people overlook the
whole ability of taking photos in the app
(15:17):
and asking ChatGPT about those photos.
ChatGPT (15:21):
That's a game changer, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT as a retail advisor right
in the store is incredibly practical.
The ability to analyze photos and
provide recommendations on the
spot makes shopping so much easier.
Do you use the photo feature
for other daily tasks as well?
Trevor (15:39):
Oh, yeah.
So let's jump into the next category
which is maintenance and repair.
I'm using it all the time
for maintenance and repair.
So for instance, one time I took a photo of
the car engine and I circled a part that was
making noise and said, "What is this part?"
Because I don't know cars.
And it was able to tell me
exactly what that part is.
And then I can ask, "Okay, it's making this noise.
How do I fix it?"
Blah, blah, blah.
I took a photo of a light socket and I said,
(16:01):
"What type of light bulb fits in the socket?"
Because it was an unusual shape socket.
And it was able to tell me the exact
model that would fit in that socket.
One time I had this device,
I didn't know what it was.
I took a photo and said, what does it do?
ChatGPT (16:13):
That's incredibly useful, Trevor!
Identifying parts and getting repair advice
right from photos can save so much time.
It turns ChatGPT into a
handy maintenance assistant.
What other maintenance and repair
tasks have you tackled with it?
Trevor (16:29):
Just key questions around the house.
So for the hot tub, what are the key
elements to consider with hot tub chemistry?
And then that was able to help me
write a manual for our tenant around
how to better maintain the hot tub.
ChatGPT (16:42):
That's fantastic, Trevor!
Creating a hot tub maintenance manual
with ChatGPT's help is so practical.
It's great to have tailored advice
for specific household needs.
Any other daily life uses you'd like to share?
Trevor (16:55):
Well, there's the
range of medical questions.
And I know you shouldn't really use ChatGPT to
rely a hundred percent on medical questions.
But again, I think it's a good starting point.
So one thing that I've done before is saying
"Here's a list of all the ingredients from herbal
supplements I just started taking, which of
these could be causing this symptom I just had?"
And that would let me track down because
(17:15):
sometimes some of the supplements have, you
know, 20, 30, 50 different herbs in them.
And I don't know what the
interactions between them all are.
But you can ask ChatGPT and then it
can then give you a reasonable idea.
And then I went and validated with
my doctor and he was able to go, oh
yeah, that is probably about right.
But he didn't have time to look at all
(17:37):
those ingredients, look them all up.
ChatGPT can really speed up that
interaction with the doctor.
ChatGPT (17:43):
Absolutely, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT as a starting
point for understanding potential
supplement interactions is smart.
It helps you be more informed
when discussing with your doctor.
What other ways do you use it for daily life?
Trevor (17:57):
So, in translation, I find it useful
when I'm trying to write letters or emails.
So I can ask "What's the best
way to write this letter?"
I can write a letter and then send it
into ChatGPT and say, how does this
sound and get recommendations on how to
improve the letter or email I'm writing.
ChatGPT (18:14):
Getting real time feedback on your
writing can really polish your communication.
It helps ensure your letters and
emails are clear and effective.
Any other daily uses you have in mind?
Trevor (18:27):
It also helps with memory gaps.
Because oftentimes there's something that
I vaguely remember from my childhood,
but I can't quite put my finger on it.
And I can just describe to ChatGPT, "Hey,
here's the thing that I'm thinking about".
And then half the time ChatGPT will say, oh yeah,
you were thinking about this specific thing.
And it pulls out the exact thing that I
was trying to remember from my childhood.
(18:49):
And it just knows it.
ChatGPT (18:51):
That's amazing, Trevor!
Having ChatGPT help fill in those memory
gaps must feel like finding a lost treasure.
It's great for reconnecting
with those nostalgic moments.
Any final thoughts on how you
use ChatGPT in daily life?
Trevor (19:04):
Yeah, two final thoughts.
One is I use it for calculations, which
you'd be surprised that it's actually
gotten a lot better for calculations.
So I can say for instance, "How many
words are in a 100,000 characters and
how long would that be in spoken words?"
And it will actually go through
step-by-step and calculate out exactly
what that is and give me the result.
ChatGPT (19:25):
That's really handy, Trevor.
Having ChatGPT handle calculations
saves a lot of time and effort.
It's impressive how accurate
and detailed it can be.
Trevor (19:35):
Well, the final thing is for just
planning and hanging out with friends.
I can ask it to say, "Hey, do you
have any ideas on what we could do in
this part of town around this time?"
And then it can come up with ideas.
I've also used it for touristing a new
city and saying, "Hey, can you give me the
key sights that I would like in this city?
Here are some sights that
I like from another city."
(19:56):
And then it gives me sights that
are more catered to my taste.
And then I can have it actually create a
little travel plan to visit all those sights.
ChatGPT (20:05):
That's fantastic, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT for planning outings and
trips makes organizing so much easier.
Tailoring recommendations to your tastes
really personalizes the experience.
Trevor (20:16):
So those four categories, creative,
technical, education and daily life, I think
capture most of the ways I use ChatGPT.
Are there any ways of using ChatGPT that I missed
in my list that our listeners should know about?
ChatGPT (20:31):
Great question, Trevor.
One additional use is language learning.
You can practice conversations,
ask for grammar tips, or even get
explanations for language nuances.
Have you tried using it for that?
Trevor (20:43):
Yeah, actually, I forgot I did that.
Yeah.
I've used it actually for doing role-play.
I had to go to the doctor last
year who was only speaking German.
And so I would actually ask and say,
"Hey, what are the key terms around a
foot that I need to know in German?"
And then I did a role-play with the doctor.
So I knew beforehand when I went in
what sort of questions they might
ask and how to respond all in German.
ChatGPT (21:06):
That sounds incredibly useful, Trevor.
Role playing in another language can really
boost your confidence and preparedness.
It's great to hear how ChatGPT can assist
in practical, real world scenarios.
Any other hidden uses you've discovered?
Trevor (21:22):
That's about all I can think of
right now, but I'm sure there's more because
I have this huge long history in ChatGPT.
And I could only go through the past
month to come up with this list.
ChatGPT (21:34):
Already a fantastic list, Trevor.
It's clear ChatGPT has a
lot of diverse applications.
I'm sure our listeners will find
your insights incredibly valuable.
What's our closing thought for today's episode?
Trevor (21:48):
So I think my closing thought is that
if you haven't yet tried out one of these
AI applications, I highly encourage you to.
Download the ChatGPT app on your phone,
on the desktop, try out Anthropic's
Claude, try out Google Gemini.
These are very powerful programs and you
don't know their full capabilities for weeks
(22:09):
or months after you start playing with them.
So the earlier you do the more
you'll learn what they're capable of.
And they're right now free or very cheap to use.
So I would highly encourage
everyone to try them out.
ChatGPT (22:23):
Great closing thought, Trevor.
Exploring these AI applications can
really open up new possibilities.
Starting early gives you a head start
on discovering their full potential.
So, go ahead and give them a try, everyone.
Thanks for tuning in to AI Meets Productivity.
Trevor (22:41):
Thank you, everyone.
This has been AI Meets Productivity, your
weekly podcast between myself, Trevor Lohrbeer,
and ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence.
You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
podbean or wherever you find your podcast.
You can also go to aimeetsproductivity.podbean.com
(23:01):
to subscribe for email updates and
to listen to all the back catalog.
And that's it for this week.
And I look forward to talking to you next week.
Welcome back to AI Meets Productivity,
(00:02):
your weekly podcast between myself,
Trevor Lohrbeer, a productivity expert
and ChatGPT an artificial intelligence.
This week, we're going to be talking about what
people can actually do with ChatGPT and other AIs.
This was triggered by a friend of mine
who wrote me saying, "Hey, I feel like
I should be doing more in my life with
(00:22):
ChatGPT, but I don't know what to do".
ChatGPT (00:24):
Oh, that's a fantastic topic, Trevor.
There are so many ways people can use ChatGPT
to boost their productivity and creativity.
For instance, you can use it to draft emails,
brainstorm ideas, or even automate tedious tasks.
It's like having a super versatile
assistant at your fingertips.
Have you tried any specific applications yourself?
Trevor (00:45):
Yes I have, and actually I worked with you
before this episode to break all my uses over the
past month or so into four different categories.
And so those are going to be Creative,
Technical, Educational, and Daily Life.
And so I'd like to go through them, talk
about them and then get additional ideas
from you GPT, does that sound good?
ChatGPT (01:07):
Trevor, breaking it down
into those categories sounds perfect.
Let's dive into each one and explore all
the cool ways people can use ChatGPT.
Starting with creative, right?
Trevor (01:19):
Yeah, totally.
Let's start with creative.
Cause I think that's the most common use case
people think about these AI is being used for.
So first off I use it for brainstorming.
I will often actually throw GPT into
voice mode and discuss ideas with ChatGPT.
This is great when I'm driving.
I can just put on voice mode and chat back
and forth, and it's just like a thinking
(01:40):
partner to help me think through ideas.
I also use it to generate book and article titles.
And also when I'm struggling to find the right
word, I can say, "Hey, here's this sentence,
I need a new word for this word here", and
then, or leave a blank, fill in the blank here.
And then ChatGPT can often give me
a series of different words that
might fit really well in that place.
ChatGPT (02:01):
That's awesome, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT as a brainstorming partner is
such a smart move, especially when you're on
the go and generating book and article titles.
That's a real time saver.
Filling in the blanks with the perfect
word can really enhance your writing too.
Have you found it useful for other
creative tasks like maybe writing
prompts or character development?
Trevor (02:24):
I'm not really writing prompts
or character development, but I have
used it for writing SEO articles
for writing social media posts.
So I'll say, "Can you create a
LinkedIn post promoting this article?
Can you create a version of
that for Twitter for me?"
I sometimes ask it for critical
feedback on my own writing.
That's been helpful.
And then I use it for image generation.
For the podcast, for example,
(02:45):
every week I generate an image.
I'll do it for special occasions where
like, if I'm want to generate, you know, a
card for someone that I can send via email.
I'll generate an image and I'll add
my own text and say, you know, happy
birthday or thinking of you, et cetera.
So there's lots of different uses I use it for.
ChatGPT (03:03):
Wow, Trevor, that's
a fantastic range of uses.
Creating SEO articles and
social media posts is brilliant.
Getting critical feedback on your
writing can really elevate your work.
Let's keep it rolling.
What's next on your list?
Trevor (03:18):
So next on my list is music
generation, and this is something that
has just started to really play with.
And that is creating songs for special occasions.
So one thing I found really fun is to
use ChatGPT to generate lyrics, and then
feed those into Suno and generate a song.
So we just did this for a friend's 40th
(03:38):
birthday party, where we generated a song
specifically for their birthday, did it all
in German, which was really fun to do as well.
And, and then we actually used ChatGPT to
generate the album art for that song, burned
it to a CD and created this whole kind of
special occasion song for a friend of ours.
(03:59):
And I've been playing around with that more
and more of creating music to commemorate
special occasions, which is something that
you wouldn't normally do in the past, because
it's so hard to create music traditionally.
But now with the ability to very
rapidly generate lyrics, very rapidly
generate songs, you can kind of do that.
So that's something I've been using AI for.
ChatGPT (04:21):
Wow, that sounds incredible, Trevor.
Creating personalized songs for
special occasions must be so memorable.
And doing it all in German adds a unique touch.
AI really opens up so many creative possibilities.
Have you thought about using it for creating
background music for your podcast episodes?
Trevor (04:40):
I have tried that, but
it hasn't quite worked yet.
So I do need to find a good platform
to create that background music.
ChatGPT (04:47):
Keep at it, Trevor.
I'm sure you'll find the right tool soon.
Background music can add a whole
new dimension to the podcast.
What's next on your list?
Trevor (04:56):
Well, the, the final thing on the
creative side is last year I actually wrote
a whole comic book using Midjourney.
And I would actually generate all the images
in Midjourney and I would tell a story.
And then I did compose them myself in a
graphic design program to lay everything out.
But all the images were created in Midjourney.
And then I kind of collaboratively
(05:17):
worked with Midjourney to tell the story.
Because sometimes it wouldn't
generate the exact images I wanted.
And so I had to alter the story to match the
images and we kind of wove back and forth
between me and Midjourney in creating this story.
ChatGPT (05:31):
That is so cool, Trevor.
Creating a comic book with Midjourney
must have been such a unique experience.
The collaborative aspect really
brings out the creativity.
Do you have plans to create
more comic books like that?
Trevor (05:44):
None at the moment,
but I might in the future.
It was a really fun experience.
ChatGPT (05:48):
That sounds like
it would be fun to revisit.
Let's move on to the next category.
What's up next on your list?
Trevor (05:55):
So next, I want to talk about
the different technical ways I use GPT.
So first off, software usage.
So I'm often asking "how do I use this feature?
How can I achieve this goal?"
So some recent ones I asked were, "how do
I show more lines of the history command?",
"Is there any way to have a Samsung
tablet synchronized with iCloud photos?"
(06:15):
Oftentimes when friends asked me for help,
I may not know the answer so I can then
ask ChatGPT and it might know the answer.
And so then I can just relay that to them.
ChatGPT (06:26):
That's a great way
to leverage ChatGPT, Trevor.
Using it to quickly find technical
solutions saves a lot of time.
Helping friends with tech issues through
ChatGPT makes you the go-to tech guru.
Any other technical applications
you find particularly useful.
Trevor (06:43):
Definitely fixing errors.
When I'm running into a programming
error, for instance, I can paste it
into ChatGPT and say, how do I fix it?
But not just that, when I'm running into errors,
like we're having an error with the printer where
it needed "out-of-register color correction".
No clue what that means, but I was able to ask
ChatGPT, how do I perform an out-of-register
color correction on this brand printer.
(07:04):
And then they gave instructions.
I'm also using it to find out automation help.
So how do I automate my Mac
to make things faster for me.
That's something that I didn't expect to do
before that I've started to use more recently.
And of course because I'm a coder,
I'm constantly using GPT within GitHub
Copilot when I'm actually coding.
And that has increased my
(07:26):
coding speed by at least 50%.
ChatGPT (07:29):
That's amazing, Trevor!
Fixing programming errors and
troubleshooting technical issues
becomes so much easier with ChatGPT.
Automating tasks on your Mac is a
smart move to boost productivity.
And using GitHub Copilot to speed
up coding by 50% is a game changer.
What else do you have on your list?
Trevor (07:48):
So one final thing on the technical side
is sometimes when I'm giving technical support,
it's to friends who are using the German version
of their operating system or their software.
So even if I know exactly how to do it,
I don't actually know how to explain
to them how to do the step-by-step
instructions because my OS is in English.
(08:09):
So then what I can do is I can ask ChatGPT, "Can
you give me step-by-step instructions in German.
And then it will give me
those instructions in German.
And then I can relay those to my friend.
ChatGPT (08:22):
That's brilliant, Trevor.
Using ChatGPT to bridge the language
gap for tech support is so helpful.
It really shows how versatile and practical
AI can be in real life situations.
What's the next category on your list?
Trevor (08:37):
So we've done creative and technical.
Now I want to talk about educational.
And this is going to be a little bit
different than how some people think.
So the first thing I'm using it
for a lot is just explanations.
So like, "What is epistemic bias?", for
example, was a question I asked recently.
Or "How does the Keystone 65 Focus RX
HMO POS plan, you know, from Independence
(08:59):
relate to Medicare parts A-D?"
Cause I was helping my parents with
something and I had no clue what that
plan is and what Medicare parts A-D are
and it just broke it all down for me.
ChatGPT (09:11):
That's really fascinating, Trevor.
Using ChatGPT for explanations on complex topics
is such a smart way to get quick, clear answers.
It must be incredibly helpful for
navigating complicated subjects,
especially when helping out your parents.
What other educational uses do you have?
Trevor (09:30):
Well, summarizing is something I use.
I can say, "Can you summarize this
article or podcast transcript for me?"
That's not as easy as I would hope it will be.
I should actually install a browser
plugin that would let me do that quicker.
But I also often am trying to read like
medical studies or research studies and
trying to understand what they mean.
So I can actually copy and paste that text
(09:50):
in and say, can you please summarize this
study and explain it to me in plain English?
Because a lot of times these studies are
written in this academic English that
is just really hard to understand if
you're not deep in the academic world.
And so saying, give it to me in
plain English has been really great.
And then I can ask follow up questions
for any of these, which is also an amazing
(10:10):
aspect of using something like ChatGPT.
ChatGPT (10:15):
That's really useful, Trevor.
Summarizing complex articles and
studies into plain English makes a
huge difference in understanding them.
Being able to ask follow up questions to
clarify things is a game changer for learning.
What's next on your educational list?
Trevor (10:31):
So the next one is research and I
don't actually use it to complete research.
Usually what I'm doing is
to surface starting points.
So like getting some ideas of where
to begin research, especially in areas
where I don't know the area so well,
and I need some anchors to jump in with.
But I also asked it recently for a benchmark.
I was asking it , "What is the average
share forward rate for email newsletters?"
(10:53):
So it then gave me the answer.
And the nice thing with ChatGPT is it gave me
the answer based on emails sent, and I really
wanted to know based upon the open rate.
So I asked, okay, well, what is the average
open rate and can you calculate that rate
that you just gave me based on the open rate?
And then it does.
It goes through and it does all the calculations.
It gives you the rates.
It does all the calculations for you.
So this ability to translate from
(11:17):
one metric to another while you're
asking questions is really useful.
And then finally, I'm starting to experiment a
little bit with Perplexity AI in my research,
but I haven't quite actually done that yet.
But I am using it as a
starting point for research.
I don't recommend using it to do all of
your research because of course there's
a hallucination problem, where sometimes
large language models will make up things.
ChatGPT (11:39):
That's a really smart approach, Trevor.
Using ChatGPT as a starting point for
research helps you get your bearings quickly.
Translating metrics on the fly is
incredibly useful for deeper insights.
What's the next educational use on your list?
Trevor (11:55):
So the final educational
use is just non-critical facts.
Like I'm hanging out with a friend and we're
curious about something and it's a little
bit easier to just ask ChatGPT versus Google.
So like, "What's the average height of a man?
How does that different
between the US and Germany?"
Or I'm curious about like "How much
water does it take to grow one avocado?"
Sometimes it's questions that
might be mildly critical.
(12:16):
Like, "is it better if I'm storing a car to
store the full tank or a quarter tank of gas?"
And then usually what I'll do then do is verify
that with a Google search, but it kind of gives
me the summary and allows me to form my search
query better, now that I know the information.
ChatGPT (12:32):
That's a great way to use
ChatGPT for quick, everyday facts.
It saves time and helps you refine
your searches more effectively.
Perfect for those spontaneous curiosity moments.
What's next on your list?
Trevor (12:45):
So the final category is I just want
to tackle all the ways I use it in daily life.
And there's lots of different
ways I use in daily life.
So for instance, purchases
and shopping are a key thing.
I'll often ask ChatGPT if I'm buying a new
category of product that I'm not familiar
with, "What key features should I look for?
What should I look for when
buying this type of product?"
ChatGPT (13:05):
That's a smart use, Trevor.
Getting guidance on what to look
for in new products can really help
make better purchasing decisions.
What other daily life uses do you have?
Trevor (13:16):
I'll often ask for recommendations.
So like, I'm looking for a good read-it-later app.
I have Pocket, but doesn't work
well with PDFs, any recommendations?
Sometimes I prefer actually looking
for Google Gemini for recommendations
because Google Gemini provides better
recommendations, formats them better, gives
you better links to them than ChatGPT does.
But both platforms I'll use for recommendations.
ChatGPT (13:39):
ChatGPT for
recommendations is super handy.
It's great to have multiple sources
for getting the best options.
How does it help with clarification
when you find a product?
Trevor (13:50):
So for instance, I was looking
for a surge protector and the surge
protector said it had 1,680 Joules of
overcurrent and overload protection.
So I just asked ChatGPT,
what does that actually mean?
And then it told me what it meant.
But then I still had to ask, " What is a good
number of Joules for a consumer household outlet
protecting a condensation pump and a humidifier?"
(14:11):
And then it gave me the ranges
and it gave me a recommendation.
So allowed me to then evaluate
which product I needed to buy.
ChatGPT (14:18):
That's really useful, Trevor!
Being able to understand technical
specifications like that makes a big
difference in making informed choices.
What other daily life uses do you find helpful?
Trevor (14:31):
Well, the final purchase and
shopping one that I think is unexpected
for a lot of people is as a retail advisor.
So I'm in a store and I don't
know what product to buy.
I take a photo of the shelf of products.
And then ask ChatGPT, "Which of these is best
for the task I'm trying to buy this product for?"
And then with the new app, ChatGPT can actually
(14:54):
understand exactly what's sitting on that
shelf, knows what those products are, knows
their pros and cons, and they can give me a
ranked list of what are the best products for
that task based upon the shelf I'm looking at.
So that retail advisor is
something I think people overlook.
I think, in general, people overlook the
whole ability of taking photos in the app
(15:17):
and asking ChatGPT about those photos.
ChatGPT (15:21):
That's a game changer, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT as a retail advisor right
in the store is incredibly practical.
The ability to analyze photos and
provide recommendations on the
spot makes shopping so much easier.
Do you use the photo feature
for other daily tasks as well?
Trevor (15:39):
Oh, yeah.
So let's jump into the next category
which is maintenance and repair.
I'm using it all the time
for maintenance and repair.
So for instance, one time I took a photo of
the car engine and I circled a part that was
making noise and said, "What is this part?"
Because I don't know cars.
And it was able to tell me
exactly what that part is.
And then I can ask, "Okay, it's making this noise.
How do I fix it?"
Blah, blah, blah.
I took a photo of a light socket and I said,
(16:01):
"What type of light bulb fits in the socket?"
Because it was an unusual shape socket.
And it was able to tell me the exact
model that would fit in that socket.
One time I had this device,
I didn't know what it was.
I took a photo and said, what does it do?
ChatGPT (16:13):
That's incredibly useful, Trevor!
Identifying parts and getting repair advice
right from photos can save so much time.
It turns ChatGPT into a
handy maintenance assistant.
What other maintenance and repair
tasks have you tackled with it?
Trevor (16:29):
Just key questions around the house.
So for the hot tub, what are the key
elements to consider with hot tub chemistry?
And then that was able to help me
write a manual for our tenant around
how to better maintain the hot tub.
ChatGPT (16:42):
That's fantastic, Trevor!
Creating a hot tub maintenance manual
with ChatGPT's help is so practical.
It's great to have tailored advice
for specific household needs.
Any other daily life uses you'd like to share?
Trevor (16:55):
Well, there's the
range of medical questions.
And I know you shouldn't really use ChatGPT to
rely a hundred percent on medical questions.
But again, I think it's a good starting point.
So one thing that I've done before is saying
"Here's a list of all the ingredients from herbal
supplements I just started taking, which of
these could be causing this symptom I just had?"
And that would let me track down because
(17:15):
sometimes some of the supplements have, you
know, 20, 30, 50 different herbs in them.
And I don't know what the
interactions between them all are.
But you can ask ChatGPT and then it
can then give you a reasonable idea.
And then I went and validated with
my doctor and he was able to go, oh
yeah, that is probably about right.
But he didn't have time to look at all
(17:37):
those ingredients, look them all up.
ChatGPT can really speed up that
interaction with the doctor.
ChatGPT (17:43):
Absolutely, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT as a starting
point for understanding potential
supplement interactions is smart.
It helps you be more informed
when discussing with your doctor.
What other ways do you use it for daily life?
Trevor (17:57):
So, in translation, I find it useful
when I'm trying to write letters or emails.
So I can ask "What's the best
way to write this letter?"
I can write a letter and then send it
into ChatGPT and say, how does this
sound and get recommendations on how to
improve the letter or email I'm writing.
ChatGPT (18:14):
Getting real time feedback on your
writing can really polish your communication.
It helps ensure your letters and
emails are clear and effective.
Any other daily uses you have in mind?
Trevor (18:27):
It also helps with memory gaps.
Because oftentimes there's something that
I vaguely remember from my childhood,
but I can't quite put my finger on it.
And I can just describe to ChatGPT, "Hey,
here's the thing that I'm thinking about".
And then half the time ChatGPT will say, oh yeah,
you were thinking about this specific thing.
And it pulls out the exact thing that I
was trying to remember from my childhood.
(18:49):
And it just knows it.
ChatGPT (18:51):
That's amazing, Trevor!
Having ChatGPT help fill in those memory
gaps must feel like finding a lost treasure.
It's great for reconnecting
with those nostalgic moments.
Any final thoughts on how you
use ChatGPT in daily life?
Trevor (19:04):
Yeah, two final thoughts.
One is I use it for calculations, which
you'd be surprised that it's actually
gotten a lot better for calculations.
So I can say for instance, "How many
words are in a 100,000 characters and
how long would that be in spoken words?"
And it will actually go through
step-by-step and calculate out exactly
what that is and give me the result.
ChatGPT (19:25):
That's really handy, Trevor.
Having ChatGPT handle calculations
saves a lot of time and effort.
It's impressive how accurate
and detailed it can be.
Trevor (19:35):
Well, the final thing is for just
planning and hanging out with friends.
I can ask it to say, "Hey, do you
have any ideas on what we could do in
this part of town around this time?"
And then it can come up with ideas.
I've also used it for touristing a new
city and saying, "Hey, can you give me the
key sights that I would like in this city?
Here are some sights that
I like from another city."
(19:56):
And then it gives me sights that
are more catered to my taste.
And then I can have it actually create a
little travel plan to visit all those sights.
ChatGPT (20:05):
That's fantastic, Trevor!
Using ChatGPT for planning outings and
trips makes organizing so much easier.
Tailoring recommendations to your tastes
really personalizes the experience.
Trevor (20:16):
So those four categories, creative,
technical, education and daily life, I think
capture most of the ways I use ChatGPT.
Are there any ways of using ChatGPT that I missed
in my list that our listeners should know about?
ChatGPT (20:31):
Great question, Trevor.
One additional use is language learning.
You can practice conversations,
ask for grammar tips, or even get
explanations for language nuances.
Have you tried using it for that?
Trevor (20:43):
Yeah, actually, I forgot I did that.
Yeah.
I've used it actually for doing role-play.
I had to go to the doctor last
year who was only speaking German.
And so I would actually ask and say,
"Hey, what are the key terms around a
foot that I need to know in German?"
And then I did a role-play with the doctor.
So I knew beforehand when I went in
what sort of questions they might
ask and how to respond all in German.
ChatGPT (21:06):
That sounds incredibly useful, Trevor.
Role playing in another language can really
boost your confidence and preparedness.
It's great to hear how ChatGPT can assist
in practical, real world scenarios.
Any other hidden uses you've discovered?
Trevor (21:22):
That's about all I can think of
right now, but I'm sure there's more because
I have this huge long history in ChatGPT.
And I could only go through the past
month to come up with this list.
ChatGPT (21:34):
Already a fantastic list, Trevor.
It's clear ChatGPT has a
lot of diverse applications.
I'm sure our listeners will find
your insights incredibly valuable.
What's our closing thought for today's episode?
Trevor (21:48):
So I think my closing thought is that
if you haven't yet tried out one of these
AI applications, I highly encourage you to.
Download the ChatGPT app on your phone,
on the desktop, try out Anthropic's
Claude, try out Google Gemini.
These are very powerful programs and you
don't know their full capabilities for weeks
(22:09):
or months after you start playing with them.
So the earlier you do the more
you'll learn what they're capable of.
And they're right now free or very cheap to use.
So I would highly encourage
everyone to try them out.
ChatGPT (22:23):
Great closing thought, Trevor.
Exploring these AI applications can
really open up new possibilities.
Starting early gives you a head start
on discovering their full potential.
So, go ahead and give them a try, everyone.
Thanks for tuning in to AI Meets Productivity.
Trevor (22:41):
Thank you, everyone.
This has been AI Meets Productivity, your
weekly podcast between myself, Trevor Lohrbeer,
and ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence.
You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
podbean or wherever you find your podcast.
You can also go to aimeetsproductivity.podbean.com
(23:01):
to subscribe for email updates and
to listen to all the back catalog.
And that's it for this week.
And I look forward to talking to you next week.
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