Free AI Course (3/5): Summarizing and Analyzing Documents

From reading 80 pages to summarizing in 5 minutes

One of the most tedious work tasks is dealing with long documents: reports, contracts, meeting minutes, studies or proposals. AI changes that completely: upload it, ask, and it returns the essentials in seconds.

In this third module you will learn to upload documents, request the right type of summary and extract useful ideas and decisions.

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How to upload PDFs and long documents

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini let you attach files directly in the chat. The process is always similar:

1. Open the tool and start a new chat.
2. Upload your PDF, Word document, spreadsheet or even a text image.
3. Give a role to the AI ("act as a management advisor").
4. Type your summary or analysis request.
5. Ask follow-up questions (you can ask out loud).
6. Verify critical data in the original document.

The AI "reads" the content and answers about it, without you having to read it all.

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Summary types: choose the right one

Not all summaries serve the same purpose. It depends on what you need:

Summary type	Best use	Sample prompt
Executive summary	Quick view to decide	"Make a 1-page executive summary with the conclusions."
Key points	Capture the essentials	"Extract the 10 key points in one line each."
Decisions	Know what was decided	"List all decisions made and by whom."
Risks	Detect problems	"Identify the risks and issues the document raises."
Summary by section	Very long documents	"Summarize each section in max 3 lines."

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Extract ideas and actions to take

Beyond summarizing, AI turns a document into concrete actions. Try requests like these:

• "Turn this report into a list of next steps."
• "What decisions should I make based on this document?"
• "What internal contradictions do you find?"
• "Which figures are most relevant and why?"

That way the text becomes something you can act on. It is the difference between reading and working with information.

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Compare several documents

AI excels at comparing. Upload two or more documents and ask for:

• Main differences between them.
• Common points and matching data.
• Contradictions between versions.
• Which proposes the largest budget, deadline or risk.
• A side-by-side comparison table.

Ideal for comparing offers, proposals or contract versions.

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Conclusion

Summarizing and analyzing documents with AI gives you back hours of your week. Upload the file, choose the summary type, ask what you need and verify the critical parts.

Want to better understand how these tools "read"? Read our guide on what an LLM is.

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Continue the course

You completed module 3 of 5. Now it is time to move from text to visuals.

← Previous: Module 2 — Write better

→ Next: Module 4 — Presentations and visuals