With multiple AI competing platforms and bots (there’s Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, to name just a few), we’re seeing new updates and improvements appear frequently. One of the most recent additions OpenAI has released to ChatGPT is called Canvas and it’s a bit like AI-powered Google Docs.
Open AI describes it as “a new way of working with ChatGPT for writing and coding,” and means you’re essentially collaborating with AI on a text document or program code. Of course, you can already do this in the main chat interface, but with Canvas it’s a little more like having an AI coworker with you.
Currently, you must be a ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Pro, or ChatGPT Plus user (starting at $20/month) to access the Canvas model. You’ll find it in the drop-down menu at the top of the chat screen, in the top left corner.
Starting with the canvas
With Canvas selected as the AI model, you can begin interacting with ChatGPT as you normally would. Use the prompt box to describe the type of code you need to write or the type of text you need to generate. However, you must say something to indicate that you want a new canvas to be created; something like “create a document” or “start a canvas” somewhere in the message will do.
When the ChatGPT Canvas interface fully launches, you’ll see the familiar chat conversation on the left and whatever you’re working on on the right. You have a few different options here. You can enter a new message to get more text (or code), you can type something manually in the canvas panel, or you can select something that ChatGPT has generated and request revisions.
These different options are what make Canvas a more collaborative mode. Up in the top right corner you’ll find shortcuts to view previous versions of your document or copy the text elsewhere. Meanwhile, in the bottom right corner, you’ll find a pop-up toolbox that gives you a variety of options, depending on whether you’re writing text or programming code with ChatGPT.
If you’re writing, you can find tools to suggest edits, adjust the length of the output ChatGPT has created, change the reading level of the text, polish the written output, or add emoji to the document. For example, click Reading Level and you can use the slider to make the text more or less complex.