AI-powered document editing: how to simplify your workflow with ONLYOFFICE and ChatGPT

Use AI to make things easier when working on your documents

Artificial intelligence is a buzzword that you can hear everywhere, and this happens for a reason. AI-powered technology is becoming part of our everyday life changing our habits and the way we do different things. Software development, content creation, data analysis, sales and marketing, SEO optimization, etc. — all these fields and many others are affected by artificial intelligence, and its influence is becoming stronger and stronger every day.

Document editing is not an exception. Nowadays, there are a lot of office software tools that offer AI-based features to make it easier for users to create, edit and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations and other content.

ONLYOFFICE is one of the striking examples of such software. In this article, you will discover how the ONLYOFFICE office suite uses ChatGPT, one of the most popular AI chatbots, to make document editing as easy and enjoyable as possible.

ONLYOFFICE and ChatGPT: how it works

ChatGPT was first launched by OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research company, in November 2022. A few months later, the ONLYOFFICE team released a special plugin for their editors allowing users to use the capabilities of the chatbot while working on documents. The first version of the AI assistant offered a basic set of features, such as text generation based on a user’s prompt, question answering, translation, text summarization and conversation-style communication.

The next version of the ChatGPT plugin came with new mechanics and more specific features for text-related tasks. ONLYOFFICE users were able to extract keywords, explore the meaning of different words, find synonyms and even generate pictures and images, in addition to the already existing functionality.

Finally, version 1.1.4, released in January 2024, provided a broad range of new tools for more effortless document editing and access to GPT-4, the latest multimodal model that shows human-level performance.

The ONLYOFFICE and ChatGPT integration works via a plugin that you can install and delete at any moment using the built-in Plugin Manager. When you click the Install button, the AI assistant will be installed within seconds.

This ChatGPT plugin works in the background so it’s possible to activate it by pressing the corresponding button on the Plugins tab. Read this article to find out how to configure the plugin and prepare it for work. The process is pretty simple and requires you to have an OpenAI account.

Once you have the ChatGPT plugin installed and configured, you can start working on your text using the context menu to access the chatbot’s features*. Let’s take a deeper look at what ChatGPT can do for you.

Please note that the ONLYOFFICE developers assume no responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of the information provided by ChatGPT.

1. Generate texts within seconds

If you need to write a text on a certain topic but don’t have time, you can rely on ChatGPT. The chatbot is capable of generating text information of comparatively high quality but you shouldn’t take for granted everything ChatGPT generates. Like a human being, the AI assistant can sometimes make mistakes so you need to be very careful.

Let’s imagine that we need to write something about open-source software. We don’t have time to look up the required information on the Internet, so we ask the chatbot to do this for us. We open the Custom request window and write “Hello. Please write 10 sentences about open source software.” Then we click Submit and wait a few seconds while ChatGPT is processing our request.

This is what we get after the processing process is complete. As you can see, now we have 10 sentences about open-source software and can use this information for any purpose.

2. Rewrite the generated text in different ways

If you don’t like what ChatGPT generated for you, you can try improving the quality of the text content with the following options:

• Make longer;
• Make shorter;
• Make simpler;
• Rewrite differently.

As the names suggest, these options are designed to expand your text with new words, make it shorter, make it less difficult to comprehend or rewrite it completely. Let’s activate the Rewrite differently option and see what will happen to the current text. As you can see, the same ideas are expressed with slightly different vocabulary and structures.

You are allowed to use the combination of the options above to make your text look perfect.

3. Generate unique images

Another useful feature of the ChatGPT plugin for the ONLYOFFICE editors is the ability to generate custom images based on your description. This way, you don’t have to look for free images on the Internet as the chatbot will create one for you.

For example, you need an image for your presentation. What you want to see in your image is a smart-looking cat wearing sunglasses and sitting in front of a computer. Type what you imagine, choose the Generate image from text option from the context menu, select the desired resolution of the output image and wait some time. The image generation process usually lasts longer so you need to be patient.

The output image looks great, doesn’t it?

4. Translate into various languages

What else makes ChatGPT an ideal choice for document editing is that you don’t need to use third-party translating services since the chatbot was trained to translate into a bunch of languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc.

For example, we have a short paragraph about cloud computing and want to translate it into Spanish. No need for DeepL or Google Translate! Just select the text, access the ChatGPT context menu, and choose the Translate option and the desired language. In our case, it’s Spanish.

The translated text seems to be correct. You can try different languages and forget about the linguistic disadvantage.

5. Make your text grammatically perfect

With the ChatGPT plugin, you don’t need to remember all English grammar rules and know how to write tricky words correctly. The built-in spelling and grammar checking option allows you to worry less about how to write in the right manner. Let’s get back to our text about cloud computing. Obviously, it contains a lot of mistakes:

“Claud computin is provision of computin services including servers, storage, data bases, software, analitics, and inteligence, over Internet (“the claud”) to ofer faster innovation, flexible resorces, and economys of scale. It allows users acces and use this services on demand, without the need for fysical infrastructure or teknical nowledge.”

Now let’s ask the chatbot to correct the text. For this purpose, we activate the Fix spelling & grammar option in the context menu. The corrected text looks perfect, right?

6. Leave explanatory comments for others

ChatGPT knows almost everything so you can use the chatbot to explain professional notions and jargon for those who will read your document. When you choose the Word analysis tool from the context menu, you will be offered to select one of the following:

• Explain text in comment;
• Explain text in hyperlink.

The former option is designed to leave comments with explanatory notes, i.e. provide more information about the selected word or phrase. For example, if we ask ChatGPT to explain the notion “server”, we will see a detailed definition:

The latter option, Explain text in hyperlink, can also come in handy if you want to give more details about a certain word or phrase. In this case, the chatbot will find a suitable Internet source and insert the corresponding hyperlink. When you click the hyperlink, you will be redirected to the web page where you will know more about the selected notion.

For example, if you use this tool for the word “infrastructure”, ChatGPT will insert a hyperlink leading to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. When you follow the hyperlink, you will see the detailed definition of this word.

7. Extract keywords and summarize large texts

When you deal with large texts, you will definitely find the Text analysis feature quite useful. It allows you to summarize large texts with a few clicks. For example, the chatbot turns a 569-word text about the history of the Linux operating system into a summary containing only 121 words. This way, you can quickly get familiar with the most important information without having to absorb hundreds of words.

Another option offered by the Text analysis feature is the ability to extract keywords from the selected text. This might be extremely useful for SEO professionals seeking to optimize their texts. If we ask ChatGPT to analyze the original text about the history of the Linux operating system, the result will be the following:

Keywords: Linux, open-source operating system, history, Linus Torvalds, kernel, Unix-like system, Free Software Foundation, GNU General Public License, distributions, enterprise use, Red Hat, Ubuntu, mobile devices, supercomputers, internet servers, collaboration, open-source software.

All of these keywords seem to be relevant to the topic. Well done, ChatGPT.

8. Chat with the AI assistant

ChatGPT might be a valuable source of information. If you need to look up something on the Internet or want to test your knowledge, you are welcome to resort to the chatbot. Using the Custom request option from the context menu, you can ask questions, find information online and just learn new things.

For example, we are going to visit the capital of Great Britain but know nothing about London. When we ask ChatGPT about the most interesting places there, we get a detailed answer. Our future trip is going to be busy if we want to visit all these wonderful places!

Please note that sometimes ChatGPT provides inaccurate information and facts so you don’t need to trust the chatbot blindly. Don’t forget to double-check the most important information.

9. Entertain yourself

Finally, document editing with the AI assistant is fun. If you feel tired or bored, you can use the chatbot to entertain you. Let’s see what happens if we ask ChatGPT to tell us a joke to cheer us up. For this purpose, we need to use the Custom request option. This is what we get:

“Can you please tell me a joke?”

“Sure, here’s a classic one for you:
Why don’t scientists trust atoms?
Because they make up everything!”

If you don’t like this kind of humour, you can ask the chatbot to tell you another joke or just have a conversation with it like a human being. Also, you are allowed to tune up the answers given by ChatGPT by trying different prompts and options. In this case, the chatbot might joke better. Use your imagination to unleash the creativity of the AI assistant and have a good time.

ChatGPT alternative: ZhiPu Copilot

If you don’t trust ChatGPT or would like to try something different, there is an alternative option for you. The ONLYOFFICE editors have another AI assistant — ZhiPu Copilot, a chatbot based on cutting-edge AI models with the support of the Chinese language and a localized knowledge base, which is good for Chinese-speaking users.

ZhiPu Copilot also works via a special plugin, and you can easily get it from the Plugins Manager.

Like ChatGPT, ZhiPu Copilot makes it easier to work with texts*. Using this plugin, you can:

• Summarize the selected text;
• Explain words and phrases;
• Translate into English, Chinese, French, German, Russian and Spanish;
• Automatically generate texts based on your prompts;
• Communicate with the chatbot.

Please note that the ONLYOFFICE developers assume no responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of the information provided by ZhiPu Copilot.

How to get started with AI in ONLYOFFICE

To access the powerful features provided by the AI assistants for document editing, you just need to have the ONLYOFFICE suite and install the corresponding plugin via the Plugins Manager. The easiest way is to start in the cloud and create a free account in ONLYOFFICE DocSpace, a room-based collaborative platform for document management and collaboration with other people.

Alternatively, you can download and install ONLYOFFICE Desktop Editors, a free desktop client for Windows, Linux and macOS.

Both ChatGPT and ZhiPu Copilot work in the online and desktop versions of the ONLYOFFICE suite. Don’t forget that you need valid API keys provided by the developers of the chatbots to be able to use the AI assistants while editing your documents. Find more information on how to get a valid API key on the official websites, OpenAI and ZhiPu AI.