The Information Overload Problem

We are constantly bombarded with long articles, dense reports, and hour-long videos. AI is the perfect tool to combat this information overload, allowing you to quickly grasp the key points of any piece of content. Here's how to do it effectively.

Summarizing Text: Articles, PDFs, and Reports

This is the most straightforward use case. The key to a good summary is to be specific about what you need.

Step 1: Provide the Text

First, you need to give the AI the content. For shorter articles, you can simply copy and paste the text directly into the prompt.

Important: For very long documents (like a 50-page PDF), you can't paste everything at once due to context window limits. You'll need to summarize it in chunks. Tools like Claude have larger context windows that can handle longer texts.

Step 2: Craft a Specific Prompt

Don't just say "Summarize this." Guide the AI to create the summary you actually need.

Good Prompt Example:

Act as a research assistant. Read the following article and provide a summary in three distinct parts:
      
      1.  **Main Thesis:** A single sentence that captures the core argument of the article.
      2.  **Key Points:** A bulleted list of the 3-5 most important supporting arguments or findings.
      3.  **Conclusion:** A brief paragraph explaining the final conclusion or implications of the work.
      
      [Paste article text here]

Summarizing Videos: YouTube and Lectures

You can't "paste" a video, but you can paste its transcript. This is the secret to summarizing video content.

Step 1: Get the Transcript

For most YouTube videos, you can get the transcript easily:

1. Go to the YouTube video page.
2. Click the "..." (More) button below the video player.
3. Click "Show transcript."
4. A transcript will appear next to the video. Click the three dots at the top of the transcript and toggle off the timestamps.
5. Copy the entire transcript text.

Some browser extensions can also do this for you in one click.

Step 2: Use a Focused Prompt

Video transcripts can be long and messy. Your prompt should guide the AI to find the most important information.

Video Summary Prompt Example:

Act as an expert analyst. The following is a transcript from a lecture about "The Future of Renewable Energy." Please analyze the transcript and provide a structured summary.
      
      Your summary should include:
      - A high-level overview of the lecture's main topic (2-3 sentences).
      - A bulleted list of the key technologies discussed (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal).
      - A summary of the speaker's predictions for the next decade.
      
      [Paste video transcript here]

Conclusion

By combining text extraction with specific, structured prompts, you can turn any AI model into a powerful summarization engine. This not only saves you immense amounts of time but also helps you retain information more effectively by focusing on the core ideas. The next time you're faced with a mountain of content, let your AI assistant do the digging for you.