22.00.0092: A brilliant use for ChatGPT

20-29 Community 22 Blog
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…if I do say so myself.

Since ‘how I feel about AI’, I’ve been using ChatGPT a whole bunch. I’m on the paid plan at US$20/month.

A few quick observations. I might say more in a later post.

I’ve (mostly) stopped searching the web

Unless I know exactly what I want and just need a link to it, my default search is now ChatGPT. (Which needs a better name please. The Claude people got that right. I’m gonna call it Chris.)

I’d guess 80% of what was search, is now not. This is where what I’m looking for isn’t a particular page, it’s an answer to a question or having something explained.

What I want in these situations is some prose that explains, like a person would if they were talking to me, the knowledge that I was seeking. This is exactly what you get from Chris.

Note: I know GPTs ‘hallucinate’ and tell you stuff that isn’t true. I find that exceedingly rare and if you’re using it as an excuse not to like these things you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Another benefit – and, as someone with a visually distinct website I realise the hypocrisy here – is that every result looks the same. So not only have I eliminated the gamble that is clicking a link from a search engine, I’ve eliminated the mental overhead of visually parsing the page that opens.

Every page that Chris serves looks the same: black text on a white background. Simple numbered or bullet lists. And no images! God help me if I see another pointless Unsplash image above the fold.

So the moment the words appear, they’re in my brain. This alone is transformational. (I should probably try enabling ‘reader mode’ on every site I visit. I know that’s a thing you can do.)

On to my brilliant idea

I’m writing the first operations manual for Decimal.Business. It’s the process by which you receive, store, and finally reconcile receipts for purchases.

Here’s an extract. The block is part of a larger process diagram.

There's an orange square (copied from a process flow diagram) labelled 'you receive an invoice', then the text: In relation to E1, you might receive an invoice to pay. Assuming you do not later receive confirmation of payment from the supplier, the invoice serves as the receipt for the remainder of this process. This is accepted practice: a tax invoice plus proof of payment, e.g. your bank statement, serves in place of a receipt. Note that for something to be considered a tax invoice it usually needs to contain certain information, such as the registered number and address of the entity that issued it. Check your local regulations. You may also receive remittance advice, or the invoice may be stamped 'paid'.
There's an orange square (copied from a process flow diagram) labelled 'you receive an invoice', then the text: In relation to E1, you might receive an invoice to pay. Assuming you do not later receive confirmation of payment from the supplier, the invoice serves as the receipt for the remainder of this process. This is accepted practice: a tax invoice plus proof of payment, e.g. your bank statement, serves in place of a receipt. Note that for something to be considered a tax invoice it usually needs to contain certain information, such as the registered number and address of the entity that issued it. Check your local regulations. You may also receive remittance advice, or the invoice may be stamped 'paid'.1258×810 66.5 KB

The trick is that link there: check your local regulations. How can I make that nice and easy for you, wherever you are?

Well, why don’t you check your local regulations.

B-)