When it comes to using AI chatbots, most people stick to just one. Maybe they’re loyal to ChatGPT and just dabbling with Gemini or curious about Claude. But after spending hours testing every major chatbot on the market, I’ve discovered something better: using them together.
It’s a technique I’ve coined Prompt Dusting — and no, it has nothing to do with Swiffers. Prompt Dusting is a name I created for the practice of running the same or complementary prompts across multiple chatbots to “dust off” the most complete, creative or accurate response.
It’s like casting a wider net, comparing results and merging the best of all worlds.
Here’s how you can start doing it, too — and why it makes a major difference.
What Is Prompt Dusting?
Although you won't find it in the dictionary, here is my definition to help you understand the process a bit better.
Prompt Dusting (noun): The practice of sprinkling the same or similar prompts across multiple AI chatbots to compare responses, extract deeper insights or combine the best parts for a stronger result.
Think of Prompt Dusting as AI cross-pollination. You start with a core idea or problem, then “dust” that prompt across different chatbots.
Each bot interprets the prompt a little differently based on its training data, tone and design. Some may go broad, others deep. Some are fast. Some are poetic. Some cite sources. You take the best of each and combine them for a clearer, stronger outcome.
Keep in mind, that this isn’t about redundancy or wasting time, it’s about amplification and clarity.
Know your chatbot strengths
Before you start Prompt Dusting, it helps to know which chatbot does what best. Here’s a very basic cheat sheet based on my tests.
- ChatGPT (GPT-4o): Excellent for writing, summarizing, organizing thoughts and tone matching. Great at step-by-step logic and structure.
- Claude 3.7 Sonnet: Amazing at nuance, emotional intelligence and digesting long documents. Feels like a gentle co-thinker.
- Gemini 2.0: Strong at pulling in Google Search info, perfect for travel planning, event discovery and integrating with your calendar or Gmail.
- Perplexity AI: My go-to for source-backed research, current news and citations.
- Groq 3: Blazing fast. Ideal for logic puzzles, short answers or coding.
- DeepSeek: Surprisingly sharp at multimodal reasoning, good with charts, graphs and solving math problems step-by-step.
I test AI for a living — here's how I use Prompt Dusting in real life
Here are a few real workflows where Prompt Dusting gives me better results than using any single chatbot alone:
- Content creation. I’ll prompt ChatGPT to outline an article, DeepSeek to help refine the tone and Gemini to find current trends or headlines. Perplexity checks the facts. When you use all the AI tools together, it’s like having an entire AI-powered editorial board.
- Idea generation. DeepSeek is my go-to to brainstorm creative angles, but Gemini often brings in real-world context. ChatGPT ties it all together into a pitch-ready format.
- Research deep dives. Perplexity gives me a fast lay of the land with links. I’ll run the same query through ChatGPT for synthesis and Claude for interpretation. Comparing outputs can reveal blind spots or contradictions I’d otherwise miss.
Tips to make Prompt Dusting work for you
Track what each bot says. Use a note-taking tool or split-screen your browser. Then start with the same prompt, but tweak it slightly per bot to play to its strengths (e.g., “Be poetic,” “Use citations” or “Summarize in 3 bullet points”).
Then, compare outputs critically. In other words, don’t just take one answer at face value. Combine responses into your own final version that’s better than any single bot’s reply.
Why it works (and why it matters)
Prompt Dusting works because no chatbot is perfect, and none are trained the exact same way. By blending perspectives, you reduce the chance of hallucinations, fill in knowledge gaps and surface more creative or strategic insights.
It’s also a reminder that you, the human, are still the one in charge and ultimately the most important part of the equation. You’re the editor, the strategist and the final filter. Prompt Dusting just gives you more raw material to work with — and better material, at that.
5 prompts to give it a try
- 1. Spotting trends
Prompt: "Explain the future of AI in education in 5 years. Include both optimistic and cautious perspectives."
Why it works: Each bot will highlight different trends, values and risks.
What to compare: Tone (hopeful vs. skeptical), use of examples (real vs. hypothetical) and structure (balanced vs. biased). - 2. Business ideas
Prompt: "List 3 creative business ideas for moms who want to work from home, along with a short plan for each."
Why it works: Some bots will lean practical, others more imaginative.
What to compare: Uniqueness of ideas, market potential and level of detail in plans. - 3. Summarization
Prompt: "Summarize this article [paste URL or content] in under 100 words with a professional tone."
Why it works: Summarization skills vary wildly.
What to compare: Accuracy, tone consistency and ability to capture nuance. - 4. Writing support
Prompt: "Write a short, emotional thank-you message to a teacher who helped my child through a hard year."
Why it works: Emotional intelligence is a key differentiator.
What to compare: Warmth, personalization and natural language vs. robotic phrasing. - 5. Planning
Prompt: "Create a weekly meal plan for a family of five with picky kids. Include options for lunchboxes and one vegetarian dinner."
Why it works: Forces practical, multi-variable thinking.
What to compare: Level of creativity, nutritional balance and parent-friendliness (easy prep, minimal whining).
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been using AI as a one-bot show, it’s time to upgrade your workflow. Prompt Dusting doesn’t require more effort, just more intention. Try mixing ChatGPT with Gemini. Add Claude into the mix. Toss in Perplexity and DeepSeek. Mix and match to discover the best hybrid system for you.
If you ask me, the future of AI isn’t picking one model to rule them all. It’s learning how to orchestrate many. And honestly, once you start Prompt Dusting, you’ll wonder how you ever did it any other way.
More from Tom's Guide
- 7 genius chatbot prompts that will instantly boost your ideas
- These 5 ChatGPT prompts set me up for success every week — here's how
- This tiny prompt change makes ChatGPT way more useful — here’s how
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