ChatGPT Canvas UI Update

0:00 Hello, everyone. In today's video, we're going to be discussing ChatGPT's internal document editor called Canvas, but we're also going to talk about some of the subtle changes that OpenAI has made with this.

0:14 So, just for context, this is what Canvas looks like, and I think it's one of the coolest features because it really embodies the human part within the AI systems.

0:25 It allows you to get an AI response, but then you can actually go in here with Edit, and you can ask for specific changes, from the AI, but it also allows you to open it up and treat it as you would a Google Doc.

0:41 You can come in here and add an additional bullet point. And you can just type in here as if you were typing on a Google Doc, you can come in here and make specific edits, so I just want to keep that point precise, let me get rid of that, and you see I'm manipulating this just like I would be a Google

1:00 Doc, but I can also come in here and ask for specific AI-generated assistance as well. So that's Canvas, uhm, and in the past, you would have noticed that Canvas could just be employed through a tool, so you could say at Canvas Canvas, but what you'll notice is now that doesn't allow you to add that

1:24 tool, or there's no option here to add the Canvas tool. You have the web search tool, the deep research tool, you can create an image, but you see there's no longer that Canvas feature.

1:36 And what really threw me off is the other day I was, uh, rebuilding my personalization in ChatGPT and I gave it some information and then it generated the persona and then I asked it to put this in Canvas.

1:53 And you see it pulled up the Canva connector. and that was the first hint to me that maybe Canvas has changed.

2:01 The fact that I don't see that tool option anymore. And the fact that it's not even recognizing this trigger word Canvas and putting it within the document editor.

2:10 And so then I kind of gave it more information. Hey, it's your text editor. And then it did it successfully.

2:17 But after playing more with this tool, I realized that the way that you get something to go into this document editor now in ChatGPT is you highlight what you want to be put in Canvas, and then you'll see there's these two buttons.

2:34 There's the Ask ChatGPT, so if you want to follow up on that specific piece of information. But then, there's this Start Writing button.

2:43 And whenever you press Start Writing, you see the three dots. Okay, it's generating, and you'll see information. That triggers it to go into its internal document editor.

2:52 So it's very subtle, this feature now, but that's the point of this video. Whenever you want to get something to go into Canvas, you have to hover over it, and or highlight it, and then press that start writing button.

3:09 Just as an example, I've just asked ChatGPT to research and explain the details around the Fable 5 model shutdown. Now, say I want to build a blog, or just be able to edit this a little bit more myself, so that I can copy the precise information.

3:24 What I'm going to do is highlight the section that I want in that document editor, and then I'll press my start writing button.

3:35 And then you see, this triggers the Canvas tool. And so now, I can come in here, and I have a lot of control over the editing.

3:47 Even if I want, I can unbold. All of this, or rebold it, I can italicize certain text, I can add different headings or bulleted lists, and I can even ask for specific changes here from ChatGPT.

4:04 I could say, write this as a 500-word blog for a non-technical audience. And you see, the nice thing with Canvas is that we have this modular control over whether or not we're approve the change.

4:34 So I'll read through this, and I can accept that change only, or I can accept the entire edit. So let's see, I go in here, and you see, now it's written more accurately.

4:48 As a blog, blog style, and then from here, I have the option to add it to library, which will save this as an artifact that I can always come back to.

5:03 I'll show you where that is in a minute. I can copy all of that text, or I can download it.

5:09 revisions. The other cool thing is that you can undo those specific changes. So if I want to go back to the previous version, and I can do that easily, and then the library you will find right here on the sidebar.

5:24 So this is where you'll find any images or screenshots that you've uploaded or that you have saved to library. So, that's it.

5:31 That is Canvas. That's the update on the UI and how you actually activate Canvas. but it's very useful for any time you have to do document editing or writing.

5:42 It gives you a lot of control over that human part.