I spoke with about 75 organizations last week.
Not one had a real plan for AI.
That’s not just anecdotal—it’s backed by Gallup’s annual AI adoption report.
That last stat is the real story.
In my conversations with business leaders, the top reason is clear: it’s hard to know where to start—and even harder to keep up with how fast the technology is changing.
That’s why I built the AI SPRINT framework—and this newsletter.
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Last week, OpenAI rolled out new updates to ChatGPT, enhancing its Canvas and Projects features to make it an even more powerful tool for creators, professionals, and teams. These updates streamline workflows, boost collaboration, and simplify how work is exported and organized—reinforcing ChatGPT as a central hub for both creative and structured tasks.
But beyond the features themselves, this reflects a broader shift redefining how we work.
ChatGPT (and other emerging AI systems like Claude, Grok, and Perplexity) are evolving rapidly from conversational assistants into control centers for your entire workday. No longer just “help me write an email” AIs, they are becoming full-fledged operating systems for knowledge work.
Just two weeks ago, I shared how ChatGPT now connects to key enterprise systems like Microsoft Outlook, SharePoint, and virtually any other application via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This means your AI can now access your data (CRM, ERP, etc.), understand your personal context and preferences (through memory), and act with autonomy (via agents, Operators, deep research, and task scheduling).
With tools like Canvas (for writing), Codex (for coding), and multimodal capabilities like image generation and voice, ChatGPT and other general purpose AIs will become the center of your workday. Even on mobile devices.
We have entered a phase where your primary role shifts from “doing the work” to instructing and supervising AI that does the work for you. These latest updates point clearly in that direction.
Whether you're drafting a report, debugging code, or organizing a complex research project, these new capabilities make ChatGPT a more seamless, integrated, and hands-on assistant—reducing the friction of switching between apps and accelerating how work gets done.
So, make sure you are testing and beginning to use these new capabilities to stay at the forefront of AI adoption! Keep reading for more detail, and a quick look at the environmental impact of ChatGPT.
The Canvas content editor now enables you to download content as PDFs, Word documents, Markdown files, or code files (e.g., .py, .js, .sql). This makes it easier to share your work with others and external tools.
The Projects capability—designed to organize your work and track progress over time with dedicated knowledge and structured folders—now supports deep research, voice mode, enhanced memory for recalling past chats, and mobile file uploads. These upgrades transform Projects into powerful, persistent workspaces ideal for long-term initiatives. For example, I create Projects for each of my technical projects, and for each client, to track everything in one place.
Canvas is now fully available on web and desktop (Windows and macOS), with viewing and interaction on mobile.
These updates make ChatGPT more collaborative, portable, and tailored for complex workflows—whether you're a solo creator or part of a team. More details below, plus the latest on ChatGPT’s environmental impact.
Canvas, ChatGPT’s dedicated workspace for writing and coding, is evolving from a drafting interface into a multiformat publishing and development environment. You can still add basic formatting (bold, italics), collaborate on sections (like asking to “write in a more professional style, as below”), and approve and review suggestions.
Using ChatGPT Canvas Editing Features
New, is that you can now export content as PDFs, Word documents (.docx), Markdown files, or code files like .py, .js, or .sql. This makes it dramatically easier to move from ideation to execution—sharing, storing, or deploying your output across tools and workflows.
In addition, Canvas now renders HTML and React code, and supports full editing of model responses and code blocks—letting you iterate directly within the workspace without copy-pasting into other tools.
.docx for editing, or production-ready code as .py or .js files—right from Canvas.But note: I still find Canvas buggy, particularly for long-form content and conversations. To get the most out of it, use it for tactical content, like editing an email.
Get started by using the Edit in Canvas Pencil icon, or just asking “Open in Canvas”.
Projects are ChatGPT’s solution for organizing work over time, with persistent memory, dedicated instructions, and file organization. Think of them as AI-powered folders with brains. They help keep all your related content organized, and enable you to “chat” with the content directly.
With the latest update, Projects now support:
People always ask me: Is ChatGPT bad for the planet? Now we have a figure to judge it by. In a recent blog post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared that each ChatGPT message consumes approximately 0.34 watt-hours of energy and one-fifteenth of a teaspoon of water.
If we assume a “frequent” user of ChatGPT sends 20 messages a day to ChatGPT, 30 days a month, that’s equivalent to:
Most independent estimates suggest that AI systems consume significantly more energy and water, so these low estimates are encouraging to see!
But there’s a catch. Altman’s estimates don’t include:
While it's a positive step to begin quantifying environmental impact, more transparency and standardized metrics are needed. With AI usage expected to grow dramatically, robust data will be essential to responsibly manage its footprint.
.py, and test how it fits into your real workflow.Which new feature are you using first? Hit reply—I’d love to hear how you’re applying this!
About Trent: Trent Gillespie is an AI Keynote Speaker, CEO of Stellis AI, former Amazon leader, and advisor on building AI-Native, AI-Enabled businesses. Book Trent to speak to your group or book a call to discuss using AI within your business.
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