ChatGPT Canvas - from chat to editing

This time, OpenAI was not the first. Claude and its Artifacts showed how to improve the functionality of a chatbot by making specialized tools for text and code review directly accessible. Now OpenAI is catching up with Canvas - or even overtaking Claude. The new ChatGPT Canvas interface is convenient and intuitive to use.

Activate Canvas and get started

Canvas is still in beta, which explains the somewhat cumbersome activation process. Select Canvas from the list of language models: "ChatGPT 4o with Canvas". This already reveals a limitation, as Canvas cannot be combined with the o1-Preview language model.

At first everything looks the same. However, as soon as a prompt is entered, the left column changes to the interaction area. An icon appears in the bottom right corner that allows you to make adjustments, such as adding emoticons or adjusting the length of the text. Prompts are written as usual and can also apply to selected text passages. Note: Always enter instructions in the left column, otherwise the answer will be overwritten. The output texts can now be edited directly - convenient, but also unusual, as they were previously protected. Fortunately, there is also an Undo function.

While the direct editing of text is a plus, Canvas still shows typical beta issues. For example, when subheadings were requested, existing text sections were simply bolded. The final edit feature sometimes results in content changes. OpenAI still needs to improve here to get closer to the ideal state of easy editing with just a few clicks.

Expected improvements

A new user interface for ChatGPT was long overdue. Considering the amount of time many users spend with the tool, the editing capabilities of the old interface are far too limited. Canvas changes that, and once the current issues are fixed, we'll wonder how we got by with just one input field for so long.

The annoyance of having to switch between three different language models depending on the task at hand will hopefully soon be solved by OpenAI. At best, we don't have to think about the right language model at all.

Canvas is currently available to users of the Pro and Team licenses. Enterprise and Education will follow soon. Users of the free version of ChatGPT will have to wait.