10 incredible things ChatGPT can do in 2026 that most users don't know

Published 2 July 2026 · tech

Image: AI Generated 10 things ChatGPT can do that most users still haven't discovered 1. It can research topics instead of simply answering questions Try

Image: AI Generated 10 things ChatGPT can do that most users still haven't discovered 1. It can research topics instead of simply answering questions Try this prompt 2. It understands images, documents and voice together Try this prompt 3. It can generate and edit high-quality images from simple prompts Try this prompt Or for editing 4. It remembers your preferences to provide more personalised help Try this prompt 5. It can write, debug and explain computer code more efficiently Try this prompt 6. It can automate routine digital tasks Try this prompt 7. It helps people learn by adapting explanations to different skill levels Try this prompt 8. It can analyse lengthy documents in minutes Try this prompt 9. It supports creative work far beyond writing Try this prompt 10. It is gradually evolving into a personal AI assistant Try this prompt Just a few years ago, ChatGPT was best known for answering questions and helping people write emails, essays or bits of computer code. In 2026, it has evolved into something much broader. According to OpenAI, it can research information, reason through complex problems, generate images, analyse documents, assist with software development, automate routine tasks and even remember user preferences across conversations when enabled. Rather than functioning as a single-purpose chatbot, it increasingly acts as an AI assistant that supports work, education, creativity and everyday decision-making. Its expanding capabilities reflect rapid advances in multimodal artificial intelligence, longer reasoning processes and improved personalisation. Here are ten of the most useful things ChatGPT can do, and why they matter for millions of people using AI every day.Modern versions of ChatGPT can perform multi-step research by searching trusted online sources, comparing information, identifying conflicting claims and producing structured summaries with citations.Unlike earlier AI models that relied solely on pre-trained knowledge, ChatGPT can now access current information (when web access is enabled), making it useful for researching scientific studies, market trends, policy changes and technical documentation.OpenAI describes this capability as helping users tackle "complex, multi-step research tasks" while producing sourced outputs."Research this topic thoroughly using reliable and up-to-date sources.

Compare different viewpoints, explain the key findings in simple language, cite your sources, and summarise the most important takeaways."ChatGPT has become genuinely multimodal.Users can upload PDFs, spreadsheets, handwritten notes, charts, photographs or screenshots, ask spoken questions and receive responses that combine text, visual understanding and reasoning.Instead of treating text, images and audio separately, the model analyses them together to understand context more naturally.According to OpenAI, GPT-5 and recent multimodal models are designed to reason across multiple forms of input."Analyse the files I've uploaded, explain what they show, identify any important patterns or details, answer my questions about them, and summarise everything in plain English."Image generation is no longer a separate experience.Users can ask ChatGPT to create illustrations, realistic photographs, diagrams, marketing graphics, social media visuals, logos and concept art or edit existing images using natural language instructions.Instead of learning specialist design software, many users can simply describe the changes they want.OpenAI notes that native image generation allows the model to produce and edit images while understanding the full conversational context."Create a high-quality image based on this description, making it realistic, visually appealing and suitable for sharing online.""Edit this image according to my instructions while keeping it natural and high quality.”With memory enabled, ChatGPT can remember useful information between conversations, such as preferred writing style, favourite programming languages, recurring projects or communication preferences.This reduces repetitive instructions and helps create more personalised interactions over time.Users remain in control and can review, edit or delete stored memories whenever they choose.As OpenAI explains:"You’re in control of ChatGPT’s memory.""Remember my writing and communication preferences so you can use them in future conversations. Tell me what you've saved and remind me that I can edit or delete these memories at any time."Software developers increasingly use ChatGPT throughout the development process rather than only for generating snippets of code.It can explain unfamiliar programming concepts, review code, identify bugs, suggest improvements, generate documentation and assist with testing.OpenAI has also introduced Code powered coding agents that can independently complete many software engineering tasks under user supervision."Review this code, explain what it does, identify any errors or inefficiencies, suggest improvements, and rewrite it using best practices."Beyond answering questions, ChatGPT is gradually becoming capable of completing actions on behalf of users.Depending on available integrations and permissions, it can help organise information, draft documents, manage repetitive workflows and interact with connected services.OpenAI's Operator research preview demonstrates AI systems that can use websites similarly to human users by interacting with graphical interfaces."Help me automate this repetitive task by creating a simple workflow, breaking it into steps, and suggesting ways AI could save me time."Rather than giving identical responses to everyone, ChatGPT can tailor explanations based on age, expertise and learning goals.Whether someone wants a beginner-friendly overview of quantum physics or an advanced explanation of statistical modelling, the same conversation can progressively increase in complexity.OpenAI highlights education as one of the major practical applications of conversational AI, enabling more personalised learning experiences."Teach me this topic from beginner to advanced level.