ChatGPT Can Now Read Your Chrome Tabs

OpenAI has launched a ChatGPT sidebar extension for Google Chrome. It reads the contents of whatever tabs you have open, so ChatGPT can reference a supplier price list, a PDF invoice or a client's spec sheet directly, without you copying and pasting a single word into the chat box.

What it means for your hours

Quoting a job usually means flicking between three merchant websites and a client spec document, copying numbers into a spreadsheet by hand. That is the slow part most owners never bill for.

Worked example: an electrician spends roughly 20 minutes per quote copying cable and fitting prices from three merchant sites into a spreadsheet. With the Chrome sidebar open, they load the three merchant tabs and ask ChatGPT to compare the price of 2.5mm T&E cable across all three. The answer comes back in under a minute. Run that across 10 quotes a week and you have saved more than three hours, time that goes back into jobs or quoting more work.

The same trick works for comparing a client's spec PDF against your own price list, or pulling figures out of a supplier invoice without re-typing them into your accounts software. None of this needs a developer or a new system. It is the browser you already use, with one extra sidebar.

One thing to watch

Because the sidebar can read anything open in the browser, close personal or banking tabs before using it on a work machine. Treat it the same way you would treat screen sharing on a call. It is a convenience feature, not a reason to get sloppy about what is on screen.

What to do this month

• Install the ChatGPT sidebar extension on one work laptop and try it on your next quote.
• Use it to compare supplier prices or summarise a client spec before you price a job.
• Close any personal or financial tabs before you open the sidebar.
• Get one admin person comfortable with it before rolling it out to the rest of the team.