Catch an earlier train after a cancellation, spotted by a ChatGPT Dot without being asked
- Posted
- by Paul Hudson (@twostraws)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.
Outcome
Paul Hudson woke to find an early train to London cancelled; the later train would have made Hudson late for an event, and the earlier alternative left in 20 minutes. Hudson's ChatGPT Dot had already spotted the problem on its own: it read the cancellation email to confirm the ticket was valid on earlier trains, then checked live tracking and found the earlier train was running late and hadn't left its starting station. Hudson left more or less as normal and caught that train. Hudson was testing Dots early through OpenAI's Dev Early Access Community.
AI tool
Prompt Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.
Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so. Goal: When a train I'm booked on is cancelled, find the best way to still get there on time. What I'll share as we go: - My booked train, route and arrival time I need: [DETAILS] - The cancellation email or notice: [PASTE] - How soon I can get to the station: [TIME] Rules: - Read the cancellation notice and say exactly which trains my ticket is valid on. - Check live running times for the alternatives, including earlier trains that are delayed and might still be catchable. - Rank the options by arrival time and how likely I am to make them. - Don't buy a new ticket without asking me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: The best train to aim for, when to leave, and a backup. You'll know it worked when: I'm on a train that gets me there on time, on my existing ticket if possible.
Customize this prompt
Answer these questions and we'll put your answers into the prompt for you. You can leave any of them empty.
Your prompt
Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so. Goal: When a train I'm booked on is cancelled, find the best way to still get there on time. What I'll share as we go: - My booked train, route and arrival time I need: [DETAILS] - The cancellation email or notice: [PASTE] - How soon I can get to the station: [TIME] Rules: - Read the cancellation notice and say exactly which trains my ticket is valid on. - Check live running times for the alternatives, including earlier trains that are delayed and might still be catchable. - Rank the options by arrival time and how likely I am to make them. - Don't buy a new ticket without asking me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: The best train to aim for, when to leave, and a backup. You'll know it worked when: I'm on a train that gets me there on time, on my existing ticket if possible.
Scroll to see the whole prompt. Your answers show in green.
3 blanks are still empty: My booked train, route and arrival time I need; The cancellation email or notice; How soon I can get to the station. They'll stay in brackets in your prompt, so the chat tool may ask you about them.
What you type stays in this browser tab. We don't send it or save it, and it's gone when you leave the page. If you use a "Try this in" button, your answers go to that tool as part of the prompt.
Try this in:
This prompt has blanks to fill in, like [DETAILS]. We'll copy it instead of filling it in, so you can edit it before you send.
Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.
These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google or xAI, and your results may not match the source.
Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so. Goal: When a train I'm booked on is cancelled, find the best way to still get there on time. What I'll share as we go: - My booked train, route and arrival time I need: [DETAILS] - The cancellation email or notice: [PASTE] - How soon I can get to the station: [TIME] Rules: - Read the cancellation notice and say exactly which trains my ticket is valid on. - Check live running times for the alternatives, including earlier trains that are delayed and might still be catchable. - Rank the options by arrival time and how likely I am to make them. - Don't buy a new ticket without asking me. - Ask for my OK before you pay, book, send, submit or cancel anything. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. - Tell me what compensation the cancellation might qualify for, and where to claim it. Output: The best train to aim for, when to leave, and a backup. You'll know it worked when: I'm on a train that gets me there on time, on my existing ticket if possible. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
Source
https://x.com/twostraws/status/2104982934423839229
Related cases
- Get a full refund after a flight returned to its origin, using rules Gemini foundImproved promptEvidence: Described by poster
After their diverted flight returned to the origin airport in Delhi, a traveller used Gemini as a crisis consultant: they asked for the specific DGCA rules for a full refund instead of a credit shell, compared night train and bus reliability in fog, and got the exact Metro route to the interstate bus station. They say they secured a refund using the clauses Gemini gave them and were on a sleeper bus within an hour.
Gemini · Travel · Source date:
- Find the cheapest Hamburg–Copenhagen train with ChatGPT agentRecreated promptEvidence: Article or interview
Asked (in German) to book the cheapest Hamburg–Copenhagen train for September, ChatGPT agent found a €63.26 fare after about ten minutes on the Deutsche Bahn site, then asked the author to log in; Comet was faster (3:40) but booked legs separately for €70.94.
Poster says:€63.26 vs €70.94 from Comet
ChatGPT agent · Travel · Source date:
- Rebook a connection at risk from a delay while in the air, with a ChatGPT DotRecreated promptEvidence: Described by poster
Denis Shiryaev's Alaska Airlines flight was delayed, putting the connection to Amsterdam at risk. While Shiryaev was on the plane, a ChatGPT Dot chatted with Alaska, Delta and KLM at the same time, found a new route and, after Shiryaev approved it, got the rebooking done for free, saving a night in Seattle.
ChatGPT Dots · Travel · Source date: