To summarise a document with AI, upload the file to an assistant that cites the passages it uses. Say who the summary is for and what you are looking for. Then check every important point against the original text. For a contract or a confidential document, choose a plan that does not train its models on your files.
Analyse the attached document: [type of document, e.g. specifications]. Reader: [job title], who needs to [decision to make]. Give a five-line summary, then the key obligations and dates, then the risks or unclear points. For each point, give the page or section it comes from. If information is missing, write “not stated” instead of guessing.
Replace the parts in square brackets. Always reread the result before using it. Learn to write a good request
A work situation, an exercise with a real AI model, about 5 minutes.
| Tool | Hosting | Your data | Data processing agreement | Price | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vibe | Hosted in the EU | Training can be turned off | Data processing agreement on business plans | Free, then from €14.99 / month | 82 |
| Claude | Hosted outside the EU | Training can be turned off | Data processing agreement on business plans | Free, then from $20 / month | 68 |
| ChatGPT | EU as an option | Training can be turned off | Data processing agreement on business plans | Free, then from $8 / month | 75 |
| Gemini Notebook | EU as an option | No training on your data | Data processing agreement on business plans | Free, then from €4.99 / month | 82 |
Only checked listings appear in this table, from the most general to the most specialised. No paid placement.
Under review, listings still being checked: Humata.
A good tool shows the page or passage each statement comes from, which makes checking quick.
Test your real files: scanned PDFs, tables, long appendices, Word documents with comments.
To compare offers or query internal documentation, the tool must accept several files in the same workspace.
Check whether uploaded documents are used for training, where they are hosted and how long they are kept.
Vibe, formerly called Le Chat, is Mistral AI’s assistant for writing, searching the web, analysing documents and automating tasks. It is made by a French company and comes as a free version, subscriptions and an enterprise plan.
Claude is Anthropic’s chat assistant. It writes, summarises and analyses long documents from instructions in everyday language. It comes as a free version, individual subscriptions and team plans.
ChatGPT is OpenAI’s chat assistant. It writes, summarises, translates and analyses files from written or spoken instructions. It comes as a free version, individual subscriptions and business plans.
Gemini Notebook, formerly NotebookLM, is a research assistant that answers from your own sources: PDFs, web pages, documents. It cites the passages it used and can produce summaries, study sheets and audio overviews.
Humata lets you ask questions about your documents, such as PDFs, and get answers that point to the passage quoted. It can also summarise and compare several documents.
Yes, most assistants accept long documents, with limits that vary by tool and plan. On a very large file, some parts may only be skimmed. In that case, ask for an analysis section by section.
Yes, to spot clauses, dates and obligations, and to prepare your questions. No, to replace a lawyer’s opinion on an important matter. Also check that your plan protects the confidentiality of the document.
A document tool answers only from the files you provide and links to the exact passages. A general assistant sometimes adds its own knowledge, which mixes up the sources. For an analysis that stays true to the text, the first approach is safer.