It looks like custom GPTs on ChatGPT are free to use now for anyone with an account. This is the right time to share Contextify: my most used custom GPT.
Contextify is built to give you context about any text you paste in. There is no need to explicitly ask the GPT to do anything, just copy-paste any text and you should get some helpful context back.
It's best shown with an example. Here is a line from a Janan Ganesh column in FT:
Read the wry but bitter diaries of Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong. The bane of his life were British merchants who thought even tentative democratic reforms would provoke the mainland into squeezing the island.
When pasted into Contextify (transcript):
Chris Patten's diaries provide a fascinating insight into the complex and often frustrating political landscape of Hong Kong during his tenure as the last governor. One of the key themes he touches on is the opposition he faced from British merchants. These merchants were primarily concerned that any move towards democratic reforms would anger mainland China and lead to negative repercussions for their businesses.
Patten's attempts at democratic reforms were seen as too radical by these merchants, who preferred stability and economic prosperity over political change. They feared that pushing for democracy would lead to Beijing tightening its grip on Hong Kong, which could threaten their commercial interests.
This tension highlights the broader issue of balancing economic interests with political ideals. In the case of Hong Kong, the merchants' fear of provoking China reflects the delicate relationship between the territory and the mainland, especially in the lead-up to the 1997 handover. Patten's diaries capture the frustration of trying to navigate these treacherous waters, advocating for democratic principles while facing significant resistance from powerful economic stakeholders.
So, in essence, the diaries don't just document historical events; they also reveal the intricate and often conflicting interests at play during a pivotal moment in Hong Kong's history.
This is fascinating. The ability to 'double-click' (not literally, yet) and get context on any phrase is a literal superpower.
The GPT should work well on any subject. I find it really valuable to decode jargon — especially technical jargon.
Another example: here's a Hacker News comment about programming language features, and the bot response — too long to reproduce here in full.
I could not imagine building a tool like this two years ago, and now I can't imagine living without it. Go check it out!