As of 13 August 2026, AI can summarise a long document.

What to actually do

1. Hand it to a person

   The route this page recommends

   A person who owns the outcome does this end to end, worth it when the failure is dear.

2. Use a tool built for this

   Second choice

3. Do it yourself

   The distant third

   A chat interface, chat-fluent skill, and roughly 30 minutes until you can act on the result.

   How to actually do it

   1. Open the document in its original format and confirm that you have permission to share it with an AI tool, removing unnecessary personal or confidential information.
   2. Upload the complete document to a document-capable AI tool, or paste it in labelled parts if the tool cannot accept the whole file.
   3. Paste the supplied prompt and set the requested summary length in the bracketed slot before asking for the first summary.
   4. Ask a follow-up question for a page or section reference beside every important point, deadline, figure, condition and action that lacks one.
   5. Compare the summary's key points and action list against the document's contents page, headings, appendices and conclusion, checking every date, number, exception and named responsibility.
   6. Rewrite the checked result into the format your colleagues need, such as a short briefing, action list or email, and link or attach the original document so readers can verify it.

   Prompt

   Summarise the document I provide for a UK workplace audience. First give me:
   1. A summary in no more than [NUMBER] words.
   2. The document's purpose and intended audience.
   3. The five most important points, each with the page or section where it appears.
   4. Every decision, deadline, requirement, risk and action, with the responsible person or team if stated.
   5. Any figures, dates, conditions or exceptions that could change the meaning.
   6. A list of terms or passages that are unclear, contradictory or open to interpretation.
   
   Use only the document. Do not add outside facts, fill gaps, or infer responsibilities that are not stated. Label any inference clearly. If the document does not contain an answer, say so. Preserve important qualifications and distinguish between facts, recommendations and opinions. End with five questions I should ask a colleague or subject expert before relying on this summary.

   Open it prefilled in ChatGPT or Claude, or copy it into Gemini, which takes no prefill link.