Everyday AI

Turn a long PDF or report into a one-page brief

Intermediate Best once you’ve tried a few beginner recipes.

In short: Get a one-page summary of a long document with key points, numbers, risks and questions, then check it against the original.

Level
Intermediate
Time
About 20 min
Privacy
Uses personal info
Last updated

Step by step

  1. 1. Remove anything confidential your workplace doesn't allow you to share.
  2. 2. Attach or paste the document with the prompt.
  3. 3. Ask follow-up questions about any point.
  4. 4. Open the original at each page reference and check the facts.
  5. 5. Edit the brief in your own words.

Copy-paste prompt

Act as an analyst writing for a busy manager. Summarise the document I've attached (or pasted below) into a one-page brief with these headings: Purpose (1 sentence), Key points (5 bullets), Important numbers and dates, Risks or concerns, Decisions needed, Questions to ask. For each key point, give the page or section it came from. If something isn't in the document, say so instead of guessing.

[paste text or attach file]
Open in ChatGPT

Opens in a new tab. You may need to sign in, and the prompt might not fill in if the tool changes. Fill in the [square-bracket] bits before you send.

Replace the [square-bracket] bits with your details.

Guide only. AI can get things wrong, so check the answer and use your own judgement. Disclaimer

Works with these free tools

Check the answer

Use the page references to check every number and date against the original. AI summaries can drop important exceptions or mix up figures.

Example result

Example result (illustrative — your answer will differ)

Purpose: Proposes moving the team to a 4-day roster from March.

Key points
- Trial runs 12 weeks (section 2)
- Expected 8% fewer overtime hours (p. 6)
...
Risks: Customer phone cover on Fridays isn't addressed.
Questions to ask: Who covers Friday calls?

Related recipes

Work & career

Turn meeting notes into actions

Turn messy notes into a summary with a list of who does what.

Work & career

Tailor your resume to a job ad

Match your resume to the key words in a job ad, without making anything up.

Work & career

Practise a job interview

Get mock interview questions, then feedback on your answers.