Using AI to Summarize and Simplify Anything

Break down complex topics, extract key insights, and make information more accessible.

There has been a flurry of announcements over the last week about new AI research assistants - namely Open AI’s Deep Research and (the less impressive but similarly named!) Google Deep Research. These tools continue to redefine how we interact and utilize powerful AI models. With the right prompt, they will produce graduate level research and output in minutes – work that might have taken humans hours or even days to replicate.

We aren’t going to dive into those tools or their implications today, but they are a showcase for what might be LLMs fundamental strength: summarizing and simplifying information from vast arrays of text. Let’s explore some simple ways to utilize your AI assistant to take advantage of these core LLM capabilities.

Summarizing information

AI makes summarizing websites, articles, and documents a breeze. You can turn a 1000-page report into a one-minute read if you prompt it correctly.

Simple Summary Prompting

📝 Example Prompt: Summarize the following website/document in [format]: [URL or text]

Formats to Consider:

• Bullet point summary – Quick and scannable

• 100-word summary – Concise but informative

• Executive summary – Business-oriented

• Explain it to a 10-year-old – A test of true clarity

For work, I try to keep up with Microsoft’s public filings and annual reports, which have a wealth of company strategy and information in them but are dense and take a lot of time to read through. So, I decided to feed GPT Microsoft 2024 Annual Report and asked for an abstract with key takeaways.

GPT distilled the report into a short summary with three key takeaways. From here, I will ask it to present and summarize information in different ways and expand on concepts that I’m interested in exploring further.

Of course, this only scratches the surface of the report and won’t substitute actually reading or skimming through it, but depending on the need, this kind of high-level overview and subsequent prompting can save hours of time.

AI as Your Personal Q&A Bot

One of the best ways to interact with large documents or websites is to ask GPT to function as your own personal Q&A assistant. Point it to (or upload - more below) a source and then prompt it with something like the below to give it a try.

📝 Example Prompt: I will provide a document or URL. Your task is to act as an expert in the subject matter covered by that source. Only use the source material—no outside knowledge. If something is unclear, say so instead of guessing.

This method allows you to interact conversationally with a document, extracting insights quickly. Here I asked GPT to stay strictly within the source material, but you can also modify the prompt to ask AI to bring in external expertise if you want additional context.

Most LLMs also have an option to upload documents directly to the chat to interact with it. This is a great option if you’re working with a local document or just have something lengthy that you’d rather not cut and paste into a chat window.

Simplifying information

Beyond summarizing, AI is fantastic at breaking down complex topics into simpler, more digestible explanations. Some methods to explore below.

1. Simple Explanation

AI can help you explore complex concepts in simple terms.

📝 Example Prompt: Explain quantum mechanics like I’m five years old.

🤖 AI Response: Imagine the world is made of tiny invisible LEGO pieces. But instead of staying in one place, these LEGO pieces can be in two places at once until you look at them! That’s how tiny particles behave in quantum mechanics.

2. Analogies and Metaphors

Using analogies and metaphors compares something complex to something more familiar, making it easier to relate to and understand.

📝 Example Prompt: Explain blockchain using an analogy a 10-year-old would understand.

🤖 AI Response: Imagine you and your friends are passing a secret note around. Instead of one person keeping the note, everyone writes down the same message in their own notebooks. That way, no one can change the message without everyone knowing. That’s how blockchain works—it’s like a shared notebook that no one can secretly edit.

3.Step-by-Step Breakdown

You can ask AI to break down something complex in a simple step-by-step manner.

📝 Example Prompt: Break down how airplanes fly in 5 simple steps.

🤖 AI Response:

1. Engines push the plane forward.

2. Wings shape the air, creating lift.

3. Lift makes the plane go up.

4. Pilots control the air movement with flaps and rudders.

5. Gravity and air drag balance it all, keeping the plane stable.

4. Simplifying as a Persona

Want to make explanations more fun? Ask AI to take on different characters. Ask it to frame its answers as a pirate, a cowboy, a famous person, or just about anything that comes to mind.

📝 Example Prompt: Explain how the internet works as if you were a pirate.

🤖 AI Response: Arrr, matey! The internet be a grand sea of messages, where ships (computers) be sendin’ treasure (data) across vast waters (networks). Each ship has a secret map (IP address) to find its way, and messages be sent in bottles (packets) through the mighty waves of cyberspace!

5. Dialogue-Based Learning

Sometimes, an engaging conversation works better than a straight answer.

📝 Example Prompt: Create a conversation where a scientist explains black holes to a curious child.

🤖 AI Response:

Child: "What’s a black hole?"
Scientist: "Imagine a vacuum cleaner in space, but way, way stronger! It pulls in everything nearby, even light!"
Child: "So if I throw a flashlight into it, the light disappears?"
Scientist: "Exactly! That’s why it looks black—no light can escape!"

6. Rewriting technical jargon

One of AI’s most useful abilities is translating complex, jargon-heavy language into plain, everyday English. This is especially helpful for legal documents, scientific research, financial reports, or any technical writing that feels dense and overwhelming.

📝 Example Prompt: Rewrite the following explanation in simple, everyday language that a non-expert can understand: [Insert website/document]. Keep the key details but remove unnecessary jargon.

📝Or, if you want a specific tone: Explain [topic] as if you were talking to a high school student who has no background in this field.

For example:

📄 Original text-heavy text: Blockchain technology enables decentralized transaction verification by utilizing cryptographic hashing and consensus mechanisms across a distributed ledger.

🤖 AI Response: Blockchain is like a giant shared notebook that no single person controls. Every time someone adds a new page (transaction), everyone else gets a copy. This keeps things secure because no one can secretly change past pages without everyone noticing.

By prompting AI this way, you can quickly cut through complex language and make information accessible to a wider audience.

Where to Apply All This?

Think about all the dense, time-consuming documents you encounter in daily life. AI-powered summarization and Q&A tools can help you cut through the noise.

• Long Work or Academic Documents – Instead of skimming a 50-page report or a thesis paper, get an instant executive summary and ask follow-up questions for deeper understanding.

• Terms & Conditions (Or Anything You’re Asked to Sign) – Who actually reads those? AI can highlight important clauses, risks, and obligations so you know what you’re agreeing to.

• Government & Workplace Policies – Whether it’s new tax laws, HR policies, or compliance regulations, AI can break it down into plain language.

• Dense News or Research Articles – AI can summarize key takeaways and answer your follow-up questions to help you dive deeper.

• Medical or Financial Documents – Confused by lab results, medical studies, or investment reports? AI can translate technical jargon into clear, actionable insights. (Just don’t rely on it completely…)

• Learning a New Skill – Studying a coding tutorial, legal precedent, or scientific breakthrough? Use AI to extract core concepts, analogies, and step-by-step explanations to make learning it easier.

And on, and on. If it’s long, complex, or full of technical language, AI can help summarize, simplify, and clarify—saving you time and frustration.

Always Remember: Verify AI Output

A reminder that AI is powerful but it’s not infallible. Always:

✔️ Cross-check critical insights and use AI iteratively by asking what key points are missing, or what are limitations of the summary.
✔️ Look out for hallucinations especially around numbers and data
✔️ Specify what’s most important to you in your prompt

The age-old mantra applies here: Trust but verify. Actually, maybe skip the trust part altogether. As we covered before, AI can make stuff up. We don’t want to end up like this guy.

Your Turn: Experiment & See What Works for You

✅ Find a news article or a work document you need to digest.
✅ Ask AI to summarize it in three different formats (bullet points, 100 words, 10-year-old version).
✅ Compare the outputs and tweak your prompts. Continue to explore the source material.

AI isn’t just about condensing text—it’s about making information work for you. Ask it to extract key arguments, compare viewpoints, or highlight contradictions. Start with broad overviews and then refine with deeper detail requests. Try teaching yourself new concepts via interactive Q&A.

These are just a few ideas to get started. Try experimenting with different prompts and see how your AI assistant can help you summarize and simplify the world.