Simon Willison · usage report · Published 2026-08-31
ChatGPT Work through two examples
On August 30, Simon Willison illustrated ChatGPT Work by extracting headings from a webpage and building a site about pelican imagery in London. His post focuses on cloud Work; those observations should be read separately from current official guidance.
Turn web material into a reviewable result
Willison asked Work to open his blog and extract heading levels with JavaScript. The example produces structured page data rather than only a search summary. Another task researched London locations featuring a pelican in her piety, organized them into JSON and built a website, connecting research, data preparation and presentation.
The author also reports networked code execution, dependency installation and file access across sessions. These describe his cloud environment and available tools at the time. His tentative explanations of model selection and usage allowances are not official rules or promises for every account.

Choose where the task runs
The current official guide distinguishes local and cloud work: local tasks can use files and apps on the computer; where a Cloud option is available, work can continue after the computer closes and be resumed from web or mobile. Available plugins, tools and permissions still constrain the task.
A useful starting request specifies inputs, a deliverable and a way to check it. For example, extract dates from three event notices into a table with source links. This is our suggested task formulation, not measured time savings. The post is a creator self-report, not proof from an independent product evaluation. Its account, model and feature details may change.
Important additions and corrections
Dates below mark changes to our coverage.
- Correction ·
Added the author’s heading-extraction and website examples, separated cloud observations from current local/cloud guidance, and withdrew generalized time-saving and migration claims.
Sources and notes
sources中文
Sources and notes
- Read the originalSimon Willison · usage report
- Official ChatGPT Work guide
Retained summary and context
This is a creator self-report, not proof from an independent product evaluation. Model, allowance and tool observations describe the author’s environment; current local/cloud guidance is checked separately.
Sources and evidence · 2 links
Each link has a purpose and scope. Link counts do not establish independent confirmation; direct support applies only to the statements specified below.
Source timeline
- · Entered the BitShovel radar: same-story across Simon Willison's weblog, AIHOT featured (15/30 entries visible at collection).
Collection record
First discovered:
Collection and source publication have distinct dates.
Editorial record
Corrected
· Beijing time (UTC+8)
Added the author’s heading-extraction and website examples, separated cloud observations from current local/cloud guidance, and withdrew generalized time-saving and migration claims. Event, discovery and collection dates remain unchanged.
Sources and full record
This dates our review of the wording and sources, not a project release or product update.
- Simon Willison's weblog original, carried same-story by Simon Willison's weblog, AIHOT featured
- Official ChatGPT Work guide