# 9 AI Hacks Worth Knowing in 2026: Every Prompt

Replace anything in [square brackets] with your own details.

## Hack 1 · Find out what people see when they look you up

Tool: ChatGPT Deep Research

**Step 1: research yourself like an outsider**

```
Research [my company / my name] the way a potential [client / recruiter / investor] would before deciding whether to [hire us / work with me]. Only use what is publicly available online. Cite every source. Tell me what you found, what you couldn't find, and anything that looks outdated or inconsistent.
```

**Step 2: flip it around**

```
Now act as a skeptical [client] who just read all of this. Give me the top three reasons you would not reach out to us, and what would change your mind.
```

**Pro move: compare with a competitor**

```
Run the exact same research on [competitor]. Where do they look more trustworthy than us, and what's the actual evidence?
```

## Hack 2 · Stop collecting information. Give it a job.

Tools: Obsidian (or any folder of notes) + Claude

```
Use these notes to build my [sponsorship proposal]. Link every important claim back to the source, tell me what isn't supported yet, and tell me what information is missing.

Don't modify the original notes. Put anything you create into a separate Outputs folder.
```

## Hack 3 · Learn only what you need to finish the job

Tools: NotebookLM + ChatGPT

**Step 1 (NotebookLM): build the learning path**

```
I need to build [a sales report by product and month]. Based only on these tutorials, what do I need to learn to build it? Show me where each thing is explained.
```

**Step 2 (ChatGPT, with your actual file): practice with a tutor**

```
I'm building [a sales report by product and month] from the file I've attached. Teach me one step at a time. Wait for me to do it. Check my work. Then continue.
```

**Step 3 (NotebookLM): test yourself**

```
Quiz me on what I learned to build this. I struggled with [the steps you found hard], so focus the questions there.
```

## Hack 4 · Ask for a dashboard, not a report

Tool: an AI chat that can build small apps

```
Build me a spending dashboard from these statements. Group every transaction into categories, show me how each category changes month to month, list my biggest merchants, and flag anything that looks like a duplicate charge or a subscription I'm paying for twice. Let me upload a new statement every month to update it.

For every flag, show me the actual transactions behind it, with their dates.
```

## Hack 5 · The second time you explain a task, make it a Skill

Tool: Claude Skills

**Step 1: create the skill**

```
Create a skill for meeting follow-ups. It should take my meeting notes, write a short summary, list the decisions made, and list every action item with an owner and a deadline. Keep the email short and in my tone. If an action item has no owner or deadline, ask me instead of guessing.
```

**Step 2: use it**

```
Write my meeting follow-up.

[paste your meeting notes]
```

**Step 3: test it on the hard cases**

- Missing information: a task with no owner or date.
- Vague information: "someone needs to share the updated pricing".
- Conflicting information: two different deadlines for the same task.

## Hack 6 · Make AI react to you in real time

Tool: ChatGPT Voice mode

**Step 1: set up the practice**

```
I have an interview tomorrow for a [role] role at [company]. Interview me. One question at a time. If I'm vague, push back. Be as difficult as a senior hiring manager who has seen a hundred candidates today.
```

**Step 2: after each answer**

```
Which exact part of my answer wasn't clear? Give me one thing to fix, then ask me the same question again.
```

The same setup works before a sales call (a skeptical customer) or a raise (your manager). Studying? Teach it the topic out loud and let it find the gaps.

## Hack 7 · Don't describe what's wrong. Point AI at it.

Tool: comments inside the document

Highlight the exact part that isn't working and leave a comment on it:

```
This part is too short. Nobody will understand what I mean here. Explain it properly, but keep it simple. Only change this section, and tell me if anything else in the document needs updating to stay consistent.
```

## Hack 8 · Turn scattered health data into better questions

Tool: ChatGPT (ChatGPT Health where available, or an export from your health app)

```
Look at the last month of sleep and activity. Show me the actual dates supporting anything you notice. Tell me what's missing. Then help me turn this into questions for my next appointment.
```

AI is not your doctor. Use this to have a better conversation with the person who is.

## Hack 9 · Make AI start the work without you

Tools: Calendar, Gmail and Drive connectors + a scheduled task

```
Prepare my workday brief. Find today's meetings, the relevant project material, things waiting for my decision and emails that need a response. Draft anything useful, but don't send or change anything without me.
```

Run it manually first. If you like the result, schedule it for every weekday morning.

## The pattern behind all nine

1. **Access**: connect it to the right information.
2. **Job**: give it a clear process, not one prompt.
3. **Trigger**: let the process start without you.
4. **Boundary**: decide what it can't do without asking.

Feed it the right context. Build one useful process. And if that process happens again, stop rebuilding it from scratch.

by Zeel Jain, Founder, KnowAI · https://knowai.club/