After two years of producing TechSambad content—first as written posts and now as video podcasts—I'm excited to share my hands-on experience with two cutting-edge AI developments: Comet Browser and OpenAI's GPT-5 prompting techniques.
Comet Browser: First Impressions
Having received early access to Comet Browser this week, I was eager to put it through its paces. While the user interface feels familiar, the real power comes with a Pro account that unlocks the full range of agentic capabilities.
Key Features Tested:
1. Social Media Management
My first test involved having Comet Browser create and post content to X (formerly Twitter) directly from a blog post I'd written about the "Acquihire" concept. The process revealed both strengths and limitations:
The Good: The browser successfully analyzed my content, created appropriate posts, and even scheduled future posts.
The Challenge: With a free X account, the character limit became an obstacle. While Comet Browser eventually recognized this limitation, the process involved multiple attempts and self-corrections.
The Reality Check: What would take seconds manually required 5-10 minutes through the agent. This reflects the current state of agentic AI—powerful but not yet optimized for speed.
2. Profile Enhancement
In another test, I asked Comet Browser to review and enhance my LinkedIn profile. The results were impressive:
Added 50+ relevant skills to my profile
Rephrased sections for greater impact
Made intelligent suggestions for improvements
Implemented changes after receiving my approval
3. Form Filling Automation
For tedious data entry tasks like transferring information from spreadsheets to web forms, Comet Browser showed particular promise, handling the repetitive work efficiently.
4. Research Capabilities
Though I'll cover this more extensively in a future podcast, Comet Browser's ability to synthesize information across multiple browser tabs shows significant potential for researchers and content creators.
The Learning Curve
My experience highlighted an important best practice: be extremely specific in your initial instructions. When I failed to mention my X account limitations upfront, the browser went through multiple cycles of trial and error. Clear instructions from the start would have streamlined the process considerably.
GPT-5 Prompting Techniques
OpenAI's GPT-5 represents a significant architectural shift, functioning as both an LLM and an intelligent router that directs queries to the appropriate model based on complexity. This dual nature requires updated prompting strategies:
1. Structured Instructions with Reasoning Parameters
Break down your instructions into clearly labeled components:
Goal: What you want to achieve
Method: How it should approach the task
Reasoning Effort: Explicitly state if you need high, medium, or low reasoning effort
This last parameter is particularly important as it helps the router determine which underlying model to use—immediate response models for simple tasks or more powerful reasoning models for complex ones.
2. Self-Reflection Requests
One of the most effective techniques I've found is asking GPT-5 to evaluate its own responses:
"After drafting your answer, review it critically and note any weaknesses."
"Rate your answer from 1-10 in terms of accuracy and completeness."
This self-reflection process significantly reduces hallucinations and improves output quality.
3. Tool Preambles in Agentic Workflows
Specify which tools you want GPT-5 to use:
Web search capabilities
Code execution
Data analysis functions
Being explicit about tool usage guides the model toward more effective reasoning paths.
4. Verbosity Control
Setting clear expectations about output length and detail level:
"Provide a concise summary (low verbosity)"
"Give me a comprehensive analysis (high verbosity)"
This parameter helps ensure you get responses in the format and depth you need.
5. Multi-Format Integration
GPT-5 excels when processing multiple input types simultaneously:
Text + images
Code + natural language
Audio + video analysis
Combining formats often yields more nuanced and accurate responses.
Conclusion: The Dawn of Truly Agentic AI
Both Comet Browser and GPT-5 represent significant steps toward AI that can operate semi-autonomously across complex task sequences. While there are still efficiency challenges—particularly in execution speed—the reasoning capabilities are already impressive.
We're witnessing the early stages of AI that doesn't just respond to prompts but actively navigates the digital world on our behalf. The coming months will likely bring rapid improvements in efficiency, but even in their current state, these tools demonstrate the transformative potential of agentic AI.
In my next TechSambad podcast, I'll dive deeper into Comet Browser's research capabilities—showing how it analyzes content across multiple tabs to create comprehensive reports. Until then, I welcome your feedback and questions about these emerging technologies.
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