Technologies

The 5 Best Uses (So Far) for ChatGPT’s AI Chatbot

How a complex AI chatbot can make your life easier, one task at a time.

The new AI tool ChatGPT has inspired excitement and worry with its ability to instantly answer complex questions. In the days after its debut, people have discovered many ways it can make their lives easier — including five we’ve found that rise above the rest.

ChatGPT is a chat-based tool built by research lab OpenAI that answers questions with somewhat conversational dialogue. Its natural language abilities will delight anyone who’s had to rephrase questions to get answers out of Siri or Alexa. The AI, trained on the vast tracts of text available on the internet, knows about information only through 2021. But it’s got an abundance of information on nitty-gritty details and big concepts. That’s got some educators agitated, but as long as you use it carefully, it can be something of a bonus brain.

To be clear, ChatGPT isn’t a perfect substitute for doing your own research — it doesn’t separate fact from fiction, as CNET science editor Jackson Ryan noted while detailing its present weaknesses in critical thinking. ChatGPT can answer questions and explain complex concepts, but its potential for inaccuracy has led StackOverflow to temporarily ban ChatGPT generated software.

That said, there are several ways ChatGPT can make your life easier, cooked up by people looking for AI benefits. If you just want to save time on some tasks — and aren’t cheating on your English Lit paper — here are some cool ways to use ChatGPT.

Get a chatbot to save you money

In a matter of weeks, a GPT-powered bot could lower the prices of your bills. Joshua Browder, CEO of DoNotPay — the «world’s first robot lawyer» that helps people fight traffic tickets and other bills — tweeted that the company is building a Chrome extension based on ChatGPT’s tech foundation to negotiate lower bills from internet providers, hospitals and more.

The extension will enter closed beta testing in mid-December, before an open beta in the first week of January. Though DoNotPay has been lowering bills for years, its rules-based model could only pick fights wherever users could submit online complaint forms. After integrating the conversational tech behind ChatGPT, DoNotPay can negotiate back-and-forth with any service that has chat for customer service, opening up the range of bills that can be challenged to include medical bills, credit reports and landlord-tenant disputes.

«You can say to the bot, ‘Go get me a refund for poor in-flight Wi-Fi’; it’ll have your personal details saved and send [the complaint],» Browder told CNET. He believes the more natural language of the requests will be less suspicious than the rigid form letters DoNotPay had been sending before, allowing it to challenge more discerning — and expensive — institutions, like hospitals.

The GPT-powered extension will be free for part of its beta testing phase then eventually be added into DoNotPay’s current bill-challenging subscription service, which costs $36 every three months.

Like Google’s Duplex AI making voice calls for you, the future could be bots doing all the tedious legwork to get you better deals and cheaper bills.

Make a diet and workout plan

Changing your diet and planning an exercise routine takes work. To make it easier, Alex Cohen, a senior director of product at Carbon Health, used ChatGPT to make a health-improving plan with a daily calorie target, exercise suggestions, a weeklong list of meals and even a shopping list for all the necessary ingredients. He tweeted out his method in an illuminating thread:

Cohen broke down his plan in a series of steps, calculating his personal health metrics, asking for meals that would fit his daily caloric and nutritional needs, asking for a shopping list, and then an exercise plan to meet his needs.

ChatGPT is no substitute for a physician and dietitian who can cater a plan to your specific needs and physiology — a caution the tool will tell you if you repeat Cohen’s search terms. But it’s an easy way to sketch out a health plan blueprint that you can check over yourself or bring to a health care professional.

Generate the next week’s meals with a grocery list

A variation from the last point is worth spotlighting for anyone planning a week’s worth of meals for multiple people.

First, ask ChatGPT for a list of meals, explain how many people you’re cooking for and whether you’re interested in dinners, breakfasts or lunches. Include any preferences and dietary restrictions. Detail how many days you want dining ideas, and poof, you have a list of meals.

Next, ask for a shopping list for those meals. You’ll get a pretty basic list of ingredients, so if you want exact amounts, you’ll need to fine-tune your request. For example, you might want to ask for the total amount of ingredients for all the meals listed. GPT produces a shopping list with the number of cans, ounces, pounds and cups of each ingredient you’ll need for a week’s worth of meals.

Create a bedtime story for kids

ChatGPT-generated prose hasn’t topped the bestseller lists yet, especially since it hasn’t gotten the knack for creative style. But the tool can make a passable bedtime tale for children, concocting simple plots and language from basic prompts. For instance, I chose a cat who wanted to go to space, and ChatGPT gave me the tale of Max, who clawed his way past many obstacles to achieve his dreams among the stars.

Stanford grad student in machine learning Eric Zelikman tweeted the idea of using ChatGPT to generate a bedtime story and then feeding that text into OpenAI’s DALL-E image-generating tool for illustrations.

It isn’t going to replace traditionally published children’s books. But if you’re pressed for time or away from your kid’s trove of bedtime tales, generating one through OpenAI’s tools can be helpful.

Prep for an interview

If you need to prepare to interview an exciting source, you can ask ChatGPT to generate some thought-provoking questions, as entrepreneur Seth Bannon tweeted.

That could be handy if you’re a journalist, or if you’re grilling somebody on stage at an industry conference, prepping for a job interview or preparing for a dinner with someone you want to impress.

You can even use it as a chat partner to set up mock conversations to practice what you’re going to say. You can instruct it to respond in other languages or translate specific phrases, too. You could also use it to help refine your cover letters and emails for a bit of professional polish. ChatGPT isn’t perfect, but when there’s a lot of example copy on the internet it can crib from, it can be an adept communicator.

Technologies

We Played Nintendo Switch 2: Mario, Donkey Kong, Mouse, Camera and a Lot More

Technologies

Nintendo Switch 2: Every Reveal About the Console, New Games, Price, Release Date

The $450 console launches June 5, with Mario Kart World the highlight of its launch day game lineup.

The Nintendo Switch 2 console’s biggest reveal yet arrived Wednesday as part of the company’s latest Nintendo Direct event. This teed up a day of Switch 2 reveals that include its June 5 release date, a $450 price, its specs and its initial game lineup that extends from launch into 2026.

The console will be further buoyed by having Mario Kart World as a launch title, which will go on sale in either a $500 bundle with the Switch 2 or on its own for $80 — making the open-world racing game one of Nintendo’s most expensive yet. Other games announced, such as Donkey Kong Bananza, are being priced around $70, which matches the cost of 2023’s The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That Zelda game and Breath of the Wild are among the original Switch titles that will get enhanced Nintendo Switch 2 Edition upgrades, a premium upgrade allowing players to get new features, modes and graphical enhancements that take advantage of the newer system’s capabilities.

Here are the top highlights from Nintendo’s console event, all of the games we’ve heard about so far (including new titles, Nintendo Switch 2 Editions and GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online) and all of our coverage so far. You can also check out our Nintendo Switch 2 live blog for even more updates about the Switch 2 as we learn them.

Nintendo Switch 2 console

The Nintendo Switch 2’s specs saw a noticeable technical bump over the Switch. The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch, 1080p resolution LCD that supports a 120Hz refresh rate — matching what we now see on most Android phones. When the Switch 2 is docked, compatible games can run in 4K resolution. The new dock also includes a cooling fan.

The Switch 2 comes with 256GB of internal storage, and the new Switch 2 Game Cards will load games faster. For digital libraries, however, the Switch 2 will only work with microSD Express cards, which are different from the microSD cards that are compatible with the prior Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will have a Software Transfer feature available to help move games and data from the original Switch to the Switch 2.

The new Joy-Con for the controllers will support mouse controls, and a new C button will be part of a new GameChat communication feature that allows both voice and video chat. There’s also a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing players to see each other.

The Switch 2 also adds a second USB-C port to the top of the system, which Nintendo says can help connect its new camera accessory or charge the console when playing in tabletop mode. Nintendo also revealed a new Switch 2 Pro Controller with the C button and customizable GL and GR buttons on the back.

Following the presentation, Nintendo unveiled the system’s price of $450 in the US. It will also sell the Switch 2 bundled with a digital version of Mario Kart World for $500.

Mario Kart World

Mario Kart World removes its traditional boundaries and lets drivers roam freely across an entire world of race courses. The game will get its own Nintendo Direct later this month, where we’ll see additional details, but we already know it’ll include traditional races and a Free Roam mode, much like in the Forza Horizon series.

Getting the game bundled for an extra $50 on the cost of the Switch 2 might be the move if you are interested in the game, because Nintendo announced on its website that standalone copies of Mario Kart World will cost $80.

Joy-Con 2 C button and GameChat

Nintendo’s rolling out its new C button across several new Switch 2 controllers. The button will be used for the new GameChat communication features without a headset. The button will be used alongside a microphone on the console itself, which Nintendo says can be used whether it’s docked to a TV or in handheld mode.

In its teaser video, Nintendo promises the microphone will be able to cancel out loud background noises. GameChat will also work with a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera, allowing video chat and various camera-based game modes in supported titles. GameChat will be free at launch through March 31, 2026.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition games upgrade titles

The Nintendo Switch 2 will play three types of games: original Switch games, Switch 2 games and Switch 2 Edition games that will receive substantial enhancements. For many of these Switch 2 Edition games, you’ll need to buy an upgrade pack if you own the original for Switch. Many of them will get more than just enhanced graphics in the upgrade; for example, Super Mario Party Jamboree will get new games that support the new Joy-Cons’ mouse controls, audio recognition and video camera gameplay options through the Switch 2 Camera.

Other Nintendo Switch games that are getting Switch 2 Edition options include The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Enhancements vary: The Zelda games will start working with a companion phone app for maps and sending schematics to friends, while Kirby will get a new story that’s exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition. On the third-party side, Civilization 7 will get mouse controls.

Nintendo did not announce what upgrade packs will cost. However, some Switch games will get free updates that will improve performance or enhance features when playing them on the Switch 2. The Switch games getting these updates include:

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is a new game set in the world of Zelda that tells the story that leads into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This appears to be similar to how Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity told the story of a war that led to the events of Breath of the Wild. The teaser shows Zelda discovering that she’s arrived in the past of Hyrule, and the game will expand on how she gets involved in the corresponding Imprisonment War.

Nintendo Switch 2 games

Several other first- and third-party games were spotlighted during the Switch 2 Direct. These include Donkey Bananza, one of the first 3D platforming games featuring DK since 1999’s Donkey Kong 64. Kirby will also return to the racing genre in Kirby Air Riders, which comes more than 20 years after the GameCube racer Kirby’s Air Ride. DragXDrive will use mouse controls to control a futuristic wheelchair basketball game in which players will simulate push and pull motions to control their character.

An onslaught of Switch 2 third-party games were quickly shuffled through during the Direct, which I list below. An unnamed James Bond game is in development at Hitman studio IO Interactive, as is a darker title from Elden Ring creator FromSoftware called The Duskbloods, which will be exclusive to the Switch 2.

The full list of announced Nintendo Switch 2 games includes:

Borderlands 4
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion
Deltarune
Donkey Kong Bananza
Drag x Drive
EA Sports FC
EA Sports Madden NFL
Elden Ring Tarnished Edition
Enter the Gungeon 2
Fast Fusion
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade
Fortnite
Hades 2
Hitman World of Assassination — Signature Edition
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby and the Forgotten Land — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Star-Crossed World
Kunitsu-Gai: Path of the Goddess
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
NBA 2K
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Awakening Complete Edition
Pokemon Legends: Z-A — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Project 007
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Split Fiction
Star Wars Outlaws
Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions
Street Fighter 6
Super Mario Party Jamboree — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Jamboree TV
Survival Kids
The Duskbloods
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4
WWE 2K
Yakuza 0 Definitive Edition

Among these titles, you can see the full list of June 5 Switch 2 launch day games here.

Nintendo GameCube library coming to Switch 2

The Nintendo Switch Online game library will add GameCube games to the Switch 2. On launch day, these games will initially include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, SoulCalibur 2 and F-Zero GX, with each game getting enhanced graphics. Online multiplayer will also be added to certain titles. Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion are among the games set to arrive later. At launch, Nintendo will also sell a GameCube controller, which will be wireless and include a C button for GameChat.