how chatgpt can level up your reading experience (yep, indulge me)
two videos, exploring ChatGPT’s voice mode, smarter book summarization, and how these AI tools can improve your reading experience
Let me start by saying, that although I’m a heavy user of ChatGPT, I wasn’t expecting it to become my go-to reading companion. I mean, reading is supposed to be this quiet, solitary activity, right? But after watching these two videos on YouTube—one by Every and the other by Tiago Forte—I realized there’s a whole new way to interact with books that I shyly used before but now it’s completely open for me.
So, let’s dig in a little.
First up is Every video on using ChatGPT’s voice mode while reading. This feature is a game-changer for me. Have you ever been mid-chapter, stumbled across a term or concept, and thought, “What does that even mean?” You know the feeling, right? And the first action that comes to my mind is googling it.
But instead of breaking the flow of your reading to look things up (or worse, skimming past them), ChatGPT can give you an instant explanation. For example, Every talks about using ChatGPT to learn more about the character Critias in Plato’s Protagoras. Imagine how much smoother your reading experience becomes when you can pause, ask questions, and get answers without ever really leaving the text. It’s almost like having a knowledgeable friend by your side, ready to fill in the gaps whenever needed.
The magic of this feature is that it turns passive reading into more of a conversation. You’re not just absorbing information anymore; you’re engaging with it. And that makes a huge difference, especially when tackling difficult books—be it philosophy, history, or science. Suddenly, you’re not just reading the book; you’re learning on a deeper level because you can clarify things instantly, instead of vaguely remembering to Google them later (which, let’s be honest, never happens) or Googling right away and get stuck in the neverending online and smartphone rabbit holes.
Be careful though. I’m not saying you should ask questions about the book itself. That’s laziness, not using technology as a useful tool. Yeah, you’re definitely not supposed to ask questions that the book will answer later. After all, that’s part of the fun of reading—discovering those hidden threads as the author unravels them.
What I mean is more like… Have you ever been reading a book, and the author drops a reference to some obscure historical figure or any context from another work they assume you will know about? This happens a lot in academic writing, philosophy, and classic literature. Some authors love to pull from other thinkers, earlier works, or even historical moments, expecting readers to fill in the gaps. Some authors use other works and situations as metaphors and examples. If you don’t know those references, it’s easy to feel lost or find the book too complex to read.
This is exactly where GPT comes in handy, you know? For those who don’t understand those references. It helps you explore the web of influences behind the author’s words, linking characters, contexts, and even whole philosophical movements.
For example, reading something like Dostoevsky or Machado de Assis can be dense, not just because of the themes, but because they’re often in conversation with past thinkers, historical figures, social tropes, and situations of their time. ChatGPT allows you to pause and dig into these moments without derailing your entire reading flow. It helps fill in those gaps without giving away future plot twists or key arguments the author is building toward. You stay engaged with the book while deepening your understanding of the larger intellectual conversation.
Now, Tiago Forte’s video brings a different but equally useful tool to the table—using ChatGPT to summarize books more efficiently. His method is so simple, yet brilliant. I’m going to start using it for every kind of note or study that I do from now on.
His steps are pretty simple: you highlight key passages while reading, sync those to a note-taking app, organize them into an outline, and then feed that outline into ChatGPT to generate a summary. It’s a great system because it blends your personal engagement with the text with AI’s broader knowledge, producing a summary that is not only detailed but also personalized. These are your thoughts at the center of it; when I say “your personal engagement with the text,” I mean the highlights and notes that resonate with you.
This approach isn’t just about summarizing faster (though it’s definitely faster); it’s about creating a deeper connection to the material and maybe optimizing your time by turning your scattered thoughts and conclusions into something more organized.
Important to say that you’re actively deciding which parts of the book resonate most with you, and then letting ChatGPT weave those points into a coherent summary. Not delegating that task to a machine. This is the mindset you have to keep here. It’s like having an assistant who organizes your thoughts and pulls everything together into a clear, structured narrative, so you’re not left wondering what the book was really about after all those hours of reading.
What’s really cool about both these tools—voice mode for real-time clarifications and AI-powered summarization—is that they shift the way we engage with books. ChatGPT doesn’t just make reading easier; it makes it more immersive. You’re not just flipping pages or scrolling through an ebook anymore. You’re part of the conversation. You’re engaging with the content, clarifying, asking questions, and reflecting in real-time, which makes the whole process feel more alive.
In a way, ChatGPT democratizes learning through reading. You don’t need to be a scholar or have a background in philosophy to dive into heavy texts. You’ve got AI as your guide, helping you bridge the knowledge gaps as you go. And the best part? It encourages curiosity. Suddenly, it’s easier to follow those tangents and satisfy that intellectual itch because the information is right there, instantly accessible.
Both of these videos showed me that we’ve barely scratched the surface of how AI can enhance our reading experiences. Whether you’re someone who reads for pleasure, knowledge, or both, these tools can transform the way you interact with books. It’s not about replacing traditional reading—it’s about making it smarter, more connected, and, ultimately, more enjoyable.
But, of course, there’s a caveat when using ChatGPT. I have to admit that and warn you: hallucinations—the pesky AI habit of confidently delivering inaccurate or completely fabricated information. While it’s a great tool for filling in gaps and contextualizing tricky references, you still need to stay alert and cross-check facts, especially when dealing with complex or specialized subjects. The key is to treat ChatGPT as a helpful guide, not an infallible source. When in doubt, a quick verification with trusted sources can ensure you’re not led astray by AI’s occasional creative misfires. It’s all about balance—using the tool without blindly trusting it.
Alright, in summary, ChatGPT isn’t just a helpful tool—it’s a reading companion that lets you interact with the text, ask questions in real-time, and uncover references and influences that might otherwise fly under the radar. From making complex texts more approachable to turning your personal highlights into coherent summaries, AI is transforming how we read, digest, and engage with books.
But here’s something to think about: with AI becoming a bigger part of our reading process, are we really enhancing the way we learn, or are we losing something in this more interactive, tech-assisted reading experience?
By the way, here are the links to the videos I mentioned: