Canvas is the newest feature of ChatGPT: these are the disadvantages

Where AI used to function mainly as a tool that performed tasks based on prompts, Canvas shows that AI is now going one step further: from tool to full-fledged collaboration partner. This means that AI no longer just responds to questions, but really gets involved in creative and technical processes. And thus creates added value at the core of our work.

How does Canvas work?

Canvas is a visual, interactive workspace directly linked to ChatGPT. If you ask ChatGPT to create a piece of text, code or a document, you can send it directly to Canvas with a prompt. You can then further modify, rewrite, or expand your work in Canvas. You can also improve specific parts of your text or code with ChatGPT in a very targeted manner.

What’s the biggest difference from what the interface was like before? It now feels much more like a collaboration: on the left you have the chat where you communicate with ChatGPT, and on the right the canvas where you work on your document. This allows you to easily switch between communication and creation, without getting stuck endlessly scrolling through previous messages.

Benefits of Canvas

In my opinion, the most important advantage of Canvas is clarity. Previously, you sometimes had to scroll endlessly through chat conversations to access adjustments, but with Canvas everything is in one coherent document. This makes it easier to stay focused and improve your work in iterations.

In addition, ChatGPT with Canvas can better understand the broader context of a project. You can mark non-specific sections for ChatGPT to focus on, leading to more precise feedback and suggestions. And finally, there are useful shortcuts that allow you to work even more efficiently.

Important shortcuts

There are a number of useful shortcuts that you will find at the bottom right.

Writing shortcuts

• Suggest edits: improve your text with inline suggestions from ChatGPT.
• Adjust length: Shorten or extend the length of your document depending on what you need.
• Change reading level: adjust the reading level so that the text is understandable for your target group.
• Add final polish: check the text for grammar, clarity and consistency to ensure your document is error-free and professional.
• Add emojis: add emojis to make your text stand out or emphasize parts.

Coding shortcuts

• Review code: let ChatGPT walk through your code to find possible errors and make suggestions for improvement.
• Add logs: add statements to help with debugging and understanding how your code works.
• Add comments: add clarifying comments to your code to help others (or you later) understand what each part does.
• Fix bugs: ChatGPT detects and rewrites pieces of code to fix errors.
• Port to a language: translate your code to another programming language, for example from Python to JavaScript.

Practical tips for using Canvas

Track versions

In Canvas you can easily save different versions of a document. This is useful for major changes: create a new version when you make an important change. This way you always have access to previous iterations, which is especially useful for long-term or larger projects where you work with a lot of text or code.

Create templates

If you work with Canvas more often, it is useful to create templates. How do you do that?

1. Start with a basic structure: open a new canvas document and create a default structure. For example, for a marketing campaign, you can create sections for objectives, audience analysis, content ideas, and evaluation.
2. Fill in with guidelines: indicate what is expected in each section. For example, in the ‘Objectives’ section you can add a guideline such as: “Describe the main objectives of the campaign here, such as increasing brand awareness or lead generation.”
3. Save as template: save your document with a clear name such as ‘Template Marketing Campaign’. This is certainly a tip in ChatGPT, use clear names for your chats and history, so you can easily find what you are working on later. This ensures that you can reuse this template by duplicating it.
4. Use your template: open the template for new projects and adjust the specific details. This saves you a lot of time and ensures that your work remains consistent, especially when you work with your colleagues in ChatGPT.

Canvas as a to-do list

Canvas can also be used as a to-do list, which I find useful. Create a canvas specifically for tasks and to-dos and use check-off lists to track your progress.

Use cases for Canvas

As you probably realize by now, Canvas is especially useful for us as marketing and communications professionals for larger, text-heavy projects. Below are a number of examples of use cases that you can use Canvas for.

1. Campaign planning

• You can use Canvas to plan complex campaigns that span multiple channels, such as social media, email and advertisements. By recording everything in one place, you get good insight into deadlines, responsibilities and progress.
• Example: Suppose you have a product launch where you use different channels: social media, emails, advertisements, and collaborations with influencers. In Canvas you can record all planned activities per channel, set deadlines, assign responsibilities and track progress. This makes adjustments simple and clear.

2. Brand voice-gids

• Using a consistent brand voice is very important, but where was that information again? In Canvas you can create a brand voice guide that you can easily share.
• Example: create a document in Canvas in which you describe your brand’s core values, the do’s and don’ts for communication and example sentences that work well. Does a colleague have a question? Then you share the link via ChatGPT and your colleague has access to the latest version.

3. Creative brainstorming sessions

• Ideas that arise during brainstorming sessions can be captured and structured in Canvas. This helps ensure that no ideas are lost and provides a central place to revisit previous drafts.
• Example: use tags like ‘video idea’, ‘social media post’, ‘blog article’ to categorize your ideas. This allows you to quickly find which ideas can be further developed.

Canvas security risks

Sound fantastic? I have to make a few comments, because when using Canvas it is important to be aware of a number of risks:

• Data storage on OpenAI servers: All data you enter in Canvas is stored on OpenAI’s servers. This may entail privacy and data protection risks.
• Lack of control over data: Once information is entered, you have little control over how that data is used or stored.
• Data leaks: If there is a problem with OpenAI’s servers, sensitive data could be leaked.

Other disadvantages

First, there is limited customizability. The platform does not offer an option to use your own keyboard shortcuts or personalized settings. In addition, Canvas is only available online, which requires a constant internet connection – something that can be difficult in certain situations. Finally, the availability of Canvas is (still) limited, as it is only accessible to ChatGPT Plus and Team users.

This is how you use Canvas safely

To limit risks when using Canvas, it is wise to use dummy text when working with sensitive information. This way you ensure that no business-sensitive or personal data is shared. Set clear guidelines for the use of AI tools such as Canvas within your organization, so that everyone knows how to work safely and responsibly.

In addition, it is necessary to regularly check for updates and new security features of OpenAI, so that you can adjust your policy accordingly. Tip: you can of course also share that update in AI and then ask questions.

For the Claude lovers

After reading this article, Claude fans will probably think: this already exists in Claude under the name ‘artifacts’. That’s right. ChatGPT’s Canvas is still in its infancy and focuses mainly on text and code projects. Which of the two is better depends entirely on how you want to use AI and what your personal preferences are. It’s like the eternal debate between McDonald’s and KFC – you know you win as long as your hunger is satisfied.

In short, Canvas makes ChatGPT more than just a question-and-answer tool. It is a partner for projects, texts and ideas, with which you can simplify complex processes and have more control over the outcomes of your collaboration with AI. But even though the temptation may now be even greater to share everything you have with AI, your common sense remains very important.