ChatGPT

Here’s the exact prompt I use when the pressure is on: “Stop trying to sound smart or polished. Give me the ugliest, messiest, most half-baked version of this idea possible — like a total brain fart someone blurts out before the real idea arrives.” Surprisingly, the results are shockingly useful. The second you give ChatGPT persmission to stop trying to sound "polished," you'll get something far more real. I've noticed this prompt works especially well with the default model, ChatGPT-5.5 Instant, which feels less like a people-pleaser than earlier models. That update, combined with being far m

Based on our recent experience, it depends. A couple of us at CNET tried out a handful of chatbots to see what information we could pull about ourselves and relatives. While I won't share any screenshots or too many details regarding our queries, because, well, we don't want to dox ourselves, I can tell you this: Grok seemed to be the most "willing" chatbot when it came to getting answers, but some staffers were able to pull some information from ChatGPT, too. For example, after some questioning, my colleague Jon Reed was able to get ChatGPT to provide plenty of possible addresses for people i

In a blog post on OpenAI's website, the company explains that the new feature is currently in preview. It lets you connect ChatGPT to your bank account, giving your AI assistant a peek at your finances. On the website, OpenAI shows two examples of someone asking ChatGPT, "Help me come up with a plan to save a little bit more in the next few months," one where the finances tool is not connected, and one where it is The chat without financial data is good, but because ChatGPT doesn't know the user's financial data, it has to settle for general advice. In comparison, the advice it gives when it h

Beyond utilizing the Plaid platform, OpenAI promises that it built the experience to "respect your privacy." The company was hit with a class action lawsuit over claims that it shared ChatGPT data with Google and Meta. The company is also embroiled in a lawsuit with controversial former board member Elon Musk who called the company a "safety risk." The announcement post says that users are always in control of their information and can disconnect accounts at any time, though it will take 30 days for synced account data to be deleted from OpenAI's systems. You can also delete financial memories