Office

Summarize a long email thread with AI

You get a five-line summary of a long email thread or meeting notes: what was decided, what is still open, and who must do what by when. It takes about 5 minutes with the free version of ChatGPT. You paste the thread, then check names and dates against the original.

Time
5 min
Tool
ChatGPT (free)
Type
Prompt
Difficulty
Easy
Last tested
Not tested yet

Draft: we have not tested this recipe yet. Treat the steps as a starting point.

What you need

  • A free ChatGPT account
  • The email thread or meeting notes, copied as text
  • A line on what you need from it, such as the next step for you

Copy this prompt

Summarize the email thread or meeting notes below in 5 lines or fewer.
Line 1: what was decided. Next lines: what is still open, then the action items as "Name: task, by date".
Use only what is in the text. If a name or date is missing, write "[unclear]" instead of guessing.

Text: [paste the thread or notes here]

Steps

  1. Copy the whole thread, oldest message first, and remove signatures if you can.
  2. Open ChatGPT, paste the prompt above, and paste the thread in place of the brackets.
  3. Read the five lines and compare each action item with the original.
  4. Send the summary to the group if it helps, after you fix anything wrong.

Test it yourself (10 minutes)

  1. Make up a 6-message thread about moving a team meeting, with two people changing their minds.
  2. Run the prompt and check that the final decision, not an earlier one, is in line 1.
  3. Check that every name and date matches.
  4. Note what you changed. It shows where AI loses track of long threads.
Check this yourself
  • Every name and date matches the original.
  • Every "[unclear]" item is filled in or asked about.
  • Nothing important from the middle of the thread was dropped.
  • You are allowed to put this text into an AI tool.

Mistakes and limits

  • AI can miss a quiet but important message in the middle. Skim the original too.
  • It may assign a task to the wrong person. Check every name and date.
  • Do not paste private or confidential emails into an AI tool unless your company allows it.

Variations

  • Add: "Write it as a reply I can send to the group."
  • Add: "List only the action items that involve me."

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