*Thisarticle is based on a YouTube video by Sophie Hundertmark, an expert in the use of artificial intelligence with a focus on chatbots and strategic AI applications in companies and public institutions. Sophie is a researcher and lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is doing her doctorate in Conversational AI at the University of Fribourg. The blog text was created using a custom GPT model that was trained on Sophie’s video content, language style and expertise. The result is well-founded, up-to-date articles based on Sophie Hundertmark‘s own expertise.
You can find the link to the video at the end of this article.
ChatGPT is increasingly evolving from a traditional AI chatbot into a comprehensive work environment. With ChatGPT Work, you can not only create text and tackle complex problems, but also save your own writing styles, integrate external systems, and create Office documents.
I’ve been using ChatGPT Work extensively over the past few weeks and have also been working on many tasks in parallel with Claude. In this post, I’ll show you which features are particularly interesting, where I see differences between the two AI solutions, and why you should definitely keep data protection in mind when using the plugins.
What is ChatGPT Work?
ChatGPT Work is a work environment within ChatGPT that you can select in the web version. Instead of just starting a regular chat, you can use Work for more complex tasks.
What’s particularly interesting is that different functions can be combined with one another. These include, among other things, custom writing styles and features, plugins or integrations with other systems, and document creation.
As a result, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming a tool that can support entire work processes.
Developing Your Own Writing Style in ChatGPT Work
One feature I particularly like is the ability to develop my own writing style.
When you use ChatGPT Work for the first time, you’ll receive immediate guidance on defining your personal writing style. To do this, ChatGPT guides you through a dialogue and asks, for example, how texts should be phrased and structured.
The writing style you create can then be saved as a skill and reused later.
This is particularly useful if you regularly create similar content. Instead of having to explain in detail every time you start a new chat what tone, word choice, or structure you prefer, you can simply use the writing style you’ve already defined.
This also opens up interesting opportunities for companies. For example, skills for different types of text, target audiences, or communication tasks are possible.
Plugins connect ChatGPT Work to other systems
Another exciting development is plugins and integrations. You can use this to connect ChatGPT Work to various external systems.
These include, for example, Outlook, Gmail, and SharePoint, as well as other applications.
This allows ChatGPT to be integrated much more closely into existing workflows. Depending on the connected system, it is possible, for example, to use information from other applications or to process emails.
This is exactly where I see a major advantage of ChatGPT Work: Information no longer has to be manually transferred between different applications. Instead, the AI can integrate more closely with the systems you’re already using.
Be Mindful of Privacy Issues with Plugins and Integrations
As practical as these integrations are, it is equally important to take a critical look at data protection.
If you grant ChatGPT access to emails, files, SharePoint, or other systems, you should first carefully determine exactly which information may be processed and which may not.
Especially in a business context, you shouldn’t simply connect as many systems as possible just because it’s technically feasible. Check your internal data protection and security policies beforehand and determine what data you are permitted to process using the respective AI solution.
These integrations offer significant practical benefits. At the same time, data protection should always be taken into account when deciding whether or not to establish a connection.
A Direct Comparison of ChatGPT Work and Claude
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been using both ChatGPT Work and Claude to complete many of my tasks. This allowed me to compare the results directly with one another.
My impression: ChatGPT Work now delivers very good results for many tasks and can also handle more complex topics.
Given the way ChatGPT responds, I generally really like the results. In terms of the depth of the answers, however, Claude still had an edge in some of my tests.
That doesn’t mean that one of the systems is inherently better. Rather, the comparison shows that which AI model delivers better results continues to depend heavily on the specific task at hand.
That’s why it can be helpful to test different models in parallel, especially when dealing with important or complex tasks.
Create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly with ChatGPT
One area where ChatGPT has made significant strides is the creation of Office documents.
Word documents, Excel files, and even PowerPoint presentations can be created and formatted attractively right in ChatGPT.
In my view, this is an important step forward. For a long time, generating useful files was an area where other AI solutions, such as Claude, had an advantage.
ChatGPT can now not only generate documents in terms of content, but also format them so that you can easily reuse them later. This is especially important when it comes to presentations: After all, a PowerPoint file should not only contain the right content, but also be designed in such a way that you actually enjoy presenting with it.
Of course, you should continue to review the results and, if necessary, adapt them to your own corporate design or specific requirements. However, the generated documents can already save a lot of work as a starting point.
For which tasks is ChatGPT Work worth using?
Based on my experience so far, I see three main areas where ChatGPT Work is particularly interesting:
- Working on Complex Tasks: You can tackle more complex problems and use different AI models to do so.
- Map out recurring workflows using skills: Having your own writing style or other skills helps ensure you don’t have to redefine your requirements for every task.
- Integrating Workflows and Systems: Plugins allow you to integrate additional applications and utilize information from existing systems.
In addition, you can create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files that are ready to use.
As a result, ChatGPT is increasingly becoming a work environment where users can not only generate individual responses but also produce complete work outputs.
My takeaways after the first few weeks with ChatGPT Work
If you’ve stuck with other AI tools so far mainly because ChatGPT couldn’t create usable Office documents, it’s worth taking another look. There have been some developments in this area.
At the same time, I recommend that you take a closer look at the new plugins and skills. Developing your own writing style, in particular, can be very useful for recurring tasks. Integrating external systems also opens up many new possibilities, but should always be done with due regard for data protection and information security.
My comparison with Claude also shows that both solutions have their strengths. ChatGPT Work really impresses me with its combination of high-quality responses, document generation, skills, and the ability to integrate with other systems. When it comes to the depth of the answers, I still prefer Claude for some tasks.
That’s why I think it’s worth not relying on just a single AI tool, but rather keeping an eye on the development of various solutions and deciding which tool is best suited for each task.
Any further questions?
Do you have any questions? I am happy to support you, act as a sparring partner and answer your questions. I am always happy to receive your messages, preferably by WhatsApp message or e-mail.
