Most weeks I show you the fast way to use AI: quick answers, quick drafts. This week is the opposite. Some questions are too important to rush, an appointment you don’t want to misremember, a decision with real money attached, a health question worth thinking through before you panic-Google it. Here’s how each of the four tools lets you slow things down and get more out of them when it counts. A slower answer can still be wrong, so check anything about money or health against a real source before you act on it.
Claude: extended Thinking
Claude has a visible “thinking” mode that gives it more time to work through a hard question step by step, and lets you read that reasoning before the final answer.
- Start a chat at claude.ai, on the web, in the desktop app, or in the mobile app.
- Click the model name next to the send button.
- If you see an “Effort” option, hover over it and turn the “Thinking” toggle on. If not, turn on the “Extended” toggle directly.
- Ask your question. A “Thinking” indicator with a timer appears, click it to expand and read Claude’s reasoning before the final answer.
When to reach for it: good for a decision with real trade-offs, comparing two job offers or working out whether a big purchase actually makes sense, where you want to see the reasoning, not just a quick verdict. It only shows up on certain models, and on Claude’s most capable model it can’t be turned off at all.
Source: Change the model, effort, and thinking settings, Claude Help Center
ChatGPT: record Mode
The ChatGPT desktop app can record and transcribe a real conversation, a contractor’s walkthrough, a call with your insurance company, then turn it into notes you can actually use.
- Open the ChatGPT desktop app on a Mac (record mode is Mac only for now).
- Click the Record button at the bottom of a chat.
- Talk normally. ChatGPT transcribes as you go, and you can pause or resume.
- Click Stop, then Send, when the conversation is over, and ChatGPT turns the transcript into notes.
When to reach for it: best for a conversation you don’t want to have to remember perfectly on your own, a repair estimate, a benefits call, a long meeting. It’s Mac desktop only right now, needs a paid ChatGPT plan, caps out at four hours, and works best in English. Always get the other person’s OK before you hit record, recording laws vary by where you are.
Source: ChatGPT Record, OpenAI Help Center
Copilot: copilot Health
Copilot Health is a separate, dedicated space inside the free consumer Copilot app just for health questions, symptoms, lab results, what kind of care to look for, kept apart from your everyday chat history.
- Go to copilot.com, or open the Copilot app on Windows or iPhone.
- Choose “Health” from the menu.
- Ask your question in plain language, like “what could cause a headache that only shows up in the afternoon.”
- Optionally build a Health Profile so answers factor in your age, history, and goals.
When to reach for it: a good way to walk into an appointment with sharper questions instead of a stack of half-formed worries. It’s still in preview, needs a Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium subscription, is limited to people 18 and up in the US, and it says plainly it is not meant to diagnose anything or replace a real doctor.
Source: Copilot Health, Microsoft Support
Gemini: deep Think
Deep Think is Gemini’s highest reasoning setting, meant for one genuinely hard question at a time, not everyday chatting, where you’re willing to wait a few minutes for a more careful answer.
- Open Gemini on the web or in the app.
- Tap the model name and select “Pro.”
- Tap the model name again, choose “Thinking Level,” then select “Deep Think.”
- Type your question and send it. This can take a few minutes, you’ll get a notification or a status indicator when it’s ready, and you can go do something else while you wait.
When to reach for it: save it for the one question that’s actually worth the wait, working through whether refinancing makes sense given your real numbers, not a quick fact check. It needs a Google AI Ultra subscription, is limited to people 18 and up, and Google calls it experimental, meaning it could change or disappear without notice.
Source: Use Deep Think in Gemini Apps, Gemini Apps Help
Try this
Pick one thing you’ve been meaning to think through properly: whether to refinance, an odd symptom, a big purchase you keep circling. Run it past the tool built for that, Claude or Gemini with the deeper thinking setting on, something like “walk me through the real trade-offs here, including what could go wrong.” See if the slower answer actually holds up better than your first instinct, then check anything about money or health against a real source before you act on it.
Want this in your inbox each week? Subscribe to Darice on AI.