Which tool to choose
Try the link first: some assistants, especially when they have web search on, open the address and read its content. If it works, it's the most convenient way. If it doesn't work — the AI says it can't open it, or answers nonsense — switch to copy-paste: you select the page's text, copy it, and paste it into the chat. For downloadable documents, the alternative is to upload the file. The practical rule: link for convenience, pasted text for safety.
How to do it
- Paste the page address into the chat and ask the AI to read it and do what you need (summarize, explain, find a piece of data).
- Check that it actually read the right content and didn't answer at random: ask for a specific detail to verify.
- If it can't open the link, go to the page, select and copy the text, and paste it into the message.
- Then ask your questions about the pasted text: now the AI works on certain content.
A concrete example
Davide wanted the summary of a long in-depth article. He pasted the link and asked for a summary: the assistant produced something generic, citing nothing specific from the article — a sign it hadn't really read it. So he went to the page, selected all the text, copied it, and pasted it into the chat. This time the summary was precise, with the article's real points. The difference wasn't in the question, but in the fact that the second time the AI had the real text in front of it instead of guessing from a link it couldn't open.
When it DOESN'T work (and how to fix it)
If the AI gives a vague summary after receiving the link
Almost always it means it didn't open the link, and it's improvising. Unmask the bluff by asking for a precise detail: if it doesn't know it, it hasn't read it. Switch to copy-pasting the text, which removes all doubt.
If the page is protected or behind access
Paywalled content, restricted areas, pages that require login aren't reachable from the link. There the only way is to copy the text yourself (the one you legitimately see) and paste it. If you can't even copy it, the AI won't be able to work on it.
If the page is very long
A huge text may exceed what the AI holds together at once. Paste the part that interests you, or proceed in pieces: first a general summary, then a deeper look at the sections that count.
A tip from someone who really uses it
When the information is important, don't trust the link: paste the text. Giving an address is convenient, but it leaves you with a doubt — did the AI actually read it, or is it reconstructing from what it imagines is there? Copy-paste eliminates the doubt: you've put the content right under its eyes, and the answer is born from there. For a quick curiosity the link is fine; for something you have to count on — a piece of data, a clause, a news item — the few seconds of copy-pasting are the difference between an answer anchored to the page and an invented one that resembles it.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the AI sometimes not open links?
Because not all assistants have the ability to browse, and even those that do don't reach every page: some are protected, others block automatic reading. When the link doesn't work, the pasted text is the solution that doesn't depend on these limitations.
How do I tell whether it really read the page?
Ask it for a particular that only that page contains: a figure, a name, a sentence. If it answers vaguely or gets it wrong, it hasn't read it. It's the quickest way to unmask an improvised answer.
Can I paste very long pages too?
Up to a point: beyond a certain amount the AI struggles to hold everything. For long texts it's better to paste only the useful part or work in sections, instead of dumping everything in at once.
If I paste a link, will the AI surely read that page?
No, and it's the misunderstanding that produces the wrong summaries. A pasted link guarantees nothing: if the assistant can't open it, it often doesn't tell you clearly and answers anyway, reconstructing plausible content from the address alone or from what it remembers of similar pages. The result looks like a reading but is an invention. The only way to be sure the AI works on the real page is to put the text in front of it: pasted or uploaded. Trusting the link on information that matters is the most common way to believe you've had a page read that the AI never saw.