How to learn ChatGPT in under an hour using my favorite guides and videos - for free

44 minutes ago 1
How to larn  ChatGPT fast
Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

  • Learn ChatGPT accelerated with a curated one-hour video roadmap
  • Key features similar memory, projects, and Canvas boost productivity
  • ZDNET guides assistance you take models, punctual better, and dive deeper

So, ChatGPT. It's a beauteous large deal. But what if you're conscionable coming up to velocity now? This nonfiction is for you. The extremity of this nonfiction is to springiness you a small, choky acceptable of resources truthful that you tin go capable to usage ChatGPT efficaciously successful astir an hour.

These resources whitethorn besides beryllium adjuvant for those of you already utilizing ChatGPT. Because I constitute astir it, I usage ChatGPT astir each day, astir each day. Even so, I picked up a fewer tidbits of helpfulness portion watching and speechmaking these resources.

Also: I fto ChatGPT Atlas bash my Walmart buying for maine - here's however the AI browser cause did

To beryllium fair, determination are a ton of much in-depth courses. I've spotlighted a clump of them successful another article. They supply large information, training, insights, and adjacent certifications. But that acceptable of courses takes considerably much than an hour. In this article, we're talking an hr oregon less, successful and out, and acceptable to usage 1 of the astir transformative tools we've ever seen.

Ready? To the videos..

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET's genitor company, filed an April 2025 suit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights successful grooming and operating its AI systems.)

Some adjuvant videos

Before I start, here's a motion of the times. In my quest to find 5 instant-start adjuvant videos for you, I watched a lot of intro to ChatGPT videos. I noticed thing benignant of weird, a spot of uncanny vale to immoderate of them.

After digging around, I figured retired that astir fractional of the intro to ChatGPT contented connected YouTube is each AI-generated, including the hosts. Here's one example, wherever the feline speaking is an "AI clone." Some of the AI-generated videos aren't bad, but I'm doing quality solidarity here, and volition lone amusement videos that I'm beauteous definite are done by existent soma and humor quality people.

I mean, what is this satellite coming to? Let's effort this again..

16 minutes: Sign up and get started

This guy, successful 16 minutes, volition get you signed up and utilizing ChatGPT. What I similar astir this video is that helium doesn't absorption excessively overmuch connected features. Instead, helium shows you however to get started utilizing the tool, without worrying excessively overmuch astir technique.

I bash disagree with 1 proposal helium makes. He says that utilizing AI-generated substance is not cheating. Be precise cautious with that. Many schools and publications bash not judge AI-generated text, and bash consider it plagiarism. But, arsenic agelong arsenic you don't correspond an AI-generated enactment arsenic your own, you should beryllium good.

All that, and we're lone 16 minutes into our 1 hr velocity tally coming up to velocity connected ChatGPT.

8 minutes: Learn immoderate prompting basics

What I similar astir this feline is that helium gives you a model to deliberation astir however to interact with ChatGPT. While the erstwhile video encouraged conscionable utilizing it (and that's a valid approach), this dude provides a fewer guidelines for making your interactions much effective.

He uses an older mentation of ChatGPT successful his video, but astir of what helium describes is rather valid with today's much precocious versions. So don't sweat it if immoderate of the videos accidental ChatGPT 3.5 oregon 4 alternatively of GPT-5 oregon GPT-5.1.

OK, we're 24 minutes in. Let's support going..

8 minutes: Mobile, memory, privacy, images

There's a batch of utile accusation successful the archetypal 8 minutes of this video. The presenter shows a fig of mobile features good worthy knowing, positive techniques for managing ChatGPT's memory. He starts to spell down different features that are amended covered elsewhere, truthful halt close astatine astir the 8 infinitesimal mark. Once helium starts talking astir Sora (the video generator), that's your cue to halt and determination to the adjacent video assets connected this list.

Unfortunately, that 8 minutes besides includes an upsell for a grooming program, but the parts that aren't the upsell are a large and speedy intro to immoderate utile features.

We're astatine 32 minutes of our 1 hr velocity run, truthful let's determination on..

6 minutes: ChatGPT projects

You cognize this feline is human, due to the fact that nary AI would marque a quality simulacrum this annoying. That's OK, due to the fact that we're lone with him for a small nether six minutes. Despite his ah, unsocial presumption approach, the cognition helium transfers is valuable. The Projects diagnostic is simply a large mode to support ChatGPT connected way and lone discussing the taxable of 1 controlled taxable country astatine a time.

One speedy clarification. Our bro buddy discusses thing called project-specific customized instructions. As of astir a week ago, customized instructions are nary longer disposable successful projects. AIs alteration features constantly. It's thing we each person to get utilized to.

We're astatine 38 minutes. We present cognize however to signifier our chats and dive deeper into circumstantial subjects. Let's circular it retired with ChatGPT's almighty collaborative editing tool.

11 minutes: How to usage Canvas, ChatGPT's collaborative editing diagnostic

The presenter does a truly fantabulous occupation of explaining the worth and powerfulness of ChatGPT's collaborative editing feature, called Canvas. He besides has a creatively bizarre filming acceptable with a excavation table, a table chair, and a vibrantly multicolored ceramic wall.

We're astatine 48 minutes. By present you should person a beardown knowing of however to usage galore of ChatGPT's capabilities. Let's instrumentality the remaining 12 minutes to excavation into immoderate super-helpful ZDNET articles that volition reenforce and powerfulness you up adjacent farther.

ZDNET's adjuvant proposal

Let's commencement with 1 of our astir fashionable and adjuvant articles. This volition assistance you determine if you request to wage $20 per period for ChatGPT Plus oregon if you tin get distant with ChatGPT's escaped tier.

When I reviewed the champion escaped AI chatbots, ChatGPT's escaped tier proved to beryllium amazingly capable. Start with the escaped tier and upgrade erstwhile you cognize you request it.

Throughout the videos, you've heard notation of models and modes. In this adjuvant explainer, we supply you with immoderate quick, easy, and precise up-to-date guidelines connected what each those GPT things mean, and however to take the close AI exemplary and mode.

Next up is simply a adjuvant FAQ for ChatGPT, answering galore of the questions you astir apt thought of portion watching the videos above.

Now that you're getting comfy with ChatGPT, here's my usher to prompting tricks and techniques. Learn these 10 adjuvant techniques that volition rise your ChatGPT productivity to the adjacent level, on with 15 speedy tips that volition springiness everything you bash a boost.

Finally, there's a plagiarism escaped Study Mode built close into ChatGPT that volition assistance you acceptable up signifier quizzes and survey guides. If you're learning anything, whether oregon not you're a full-time student, this tin assistance you summation knowing and retention.

Of course, there's a batch much connected ZDNET. We're putting retired large caller articles each day. So marque definite you Add america arsenic a preferred source on Google.

Where to spell from present

So determination you go. In astir an hour, these videos and articles tin instrumentality you from "What's this ChatGPT thing?" to comfy and proficient with this amazingly almighty AI tool.

Here are 3 bonus recommendations conscionable successful lawsuit you privation to instrumentality your learning process to the adjacent level.

Bonus proposal 1: First, for a precise balanced instauration to each the issues and challenges of generative AI, I urge this course. It's from Google, but they're amazingly just handed successful their statement of the assorted chatbots. It's worthy doing if you person immoderate other time.

Bonus proposal 2: Don't hesitate to inquire ChatGPT for assistance oregon recommendations. Try a punctual similar this, oregon marque up your ain queries based connected your interests and needs. This is the punctual my woman utilized erstwhile she archetypal started digging into ChatGPT:

I would emotion to larn however to usage ChatGPT for basal idiosyncratic use. I privation to larn what kinds of worldly it tin do. I similar videos. Is determination a escaped people you tin recommend?

ChatGPT gave her an in-depth acquisition program with galore options. One of her favourite videos that ChatGPT recommended was Charlie Chang's ChatGPT Tutorial: How to Use Chat GPT For Beginners. It's astir 30 minutes and it's a spot retired of date, but it gave a full clump of genuinely adjuvant exercises to effort out. With 4.3 cardinal views, it's decidedly a fashionable choice. She truly enjoyed his teaching style, truthful she's readying connected watching his different AI-related videos.

Bonus proposal 3: Finally, if you truly privation to excavation successful and larn AI and ChatGPT, we person a cautiously curated database of the champion escaped (and astir free) afloat courses and certificates you tin instrumentality to larn a batch much astir generative AI. I've tried each of them, and they're each bully successful their ain way.

What astir you?

Have you utilized immoderate of these quick-start videos oregon resources arsenic you've begun exploring ChatGPT? Did they assistance you get comfortable, oregon are determination inactive areas you're unsure about? Have you recovered peculiar prompting techniques oregon features that made a large quality successful your workflow? If you've taken immoderate escaped AI courses, which ones would you urge to others conscionable getting started? Let america cognize successful the comments below.


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