A ZDNET writer details five practical ways to use ChatGPT Work to save time and money in a small business, while emphasizing the need for human oversight.
Key facts
- •The author uses a Gmail connector to allow the AI to search through email history, disabling the connection after each task for security.
- •ChatGPT Work successfully aggregated data from a San Francisco fire incident dataset to create a chart for a presentation.
- •The AI analyzed source code to help the author create feature summaries and pricing strategies for Apple apps.
- •The author used the AI to determine the necessary power backup capacity for a fabrication lab containing multiple 3D printers.
- •A financial analysis task performed by the AI identified unfavorable conditions in a debt consolidation offer that appeared legitimate at first glance.
- •The author reported that the AI once incorrectly swapped the names of two city officials in a research report, highlighting the need for human review.
A ZDNET contributor has been testing ChatGPT Work to automate various small business tasks, including email management, data analysis, and financial review. While the AI provides significant productivity benefits, the author notes that results often require human verification to correct errors and formatting issues. The tool is used by connecting it to specific data sources, such as Gmail or local files, to perform multi-step agentic workflows.
By the numbers
Email and Data Management
The author uses ChatGPT Work to search through email history to find relevant information from PR contacts. To maintain security, the author only enables the Gmail connection during specific assignments and disables it immediately afterward. Additionally, the tool is used to convert raw data into PowerPoint slides, though the author noted the AI sometimes struggles with aesthetic formatting, such as color choices and margin scaling.
App Development and Infrastructure
For software projects, the AI reads source code to generate marketing feature lists and helps develop pricing strategies by analyzing comparable apps in the App Store and Google Play Store. In another instance, the author used the tool to analyze electrical infrastructure requirements for 3D printers, allowing the AI to scan printer specifications and recommend appropriate power backup devices from Jackery.
Financial Analysis and Accuracy
The tool is used to scrutinize financial documents, such as debt consolidation offers, to identify unfavorable terms that might be missed during a quick review. It also aggregates spending patterns from emails to provide category-by-category reports on vendor expenses. The author warns that the AI can make errors, such as misidentifying names in research reports, and stresses that it should be treated as a tool requiring constant human supervision.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by ZDNET AI.
