ChatGPT agent builds a conference session itinerary
Hartman reports ChatGPT agent browsing a conference agenda and creating an Excel itinerary in 22 minutes, then correcting the timezone after his review.
journalofaccountancy.com
Original prompt
Shared by the source author. See source notes for context.
I will be attending Digital CPA in the winter of 2025. I need help creating a schedule of sessions which I want to attend.
Reach people exploring AI agents
See placements →What happened
Hartman reports ChatGPT agent browsing a conference agenda and creating an Excel itinerary in 22 minutes, then correcting the timezone after his review.
Reported by Wesley Hartman in Journal of AccountancyHow the agent did it
- Provide the conference agenda and topic interests.
- Navigate the agenda and expand details to collect speakers.
- Adapt browser navigation when scrolling does not work.
Where a person stepped in
Hartman reviews the selections, notices a missing keynote and requests Eastern Standard Time before downloading. He notes variation across repeated runs.
Wesley Hartman used ChatGPT agent to turn a Digital CPA conference agenda into a personalised spreadsheet. He specified artificial intelligence and client advisory services as his interests, supplied the public agenda link and requested session names, start times and speakers. The account follows the browser activity through screenshots rather than merely proposing a prompt.
The agent investigated filtering options, expanded session details to find speakers and adapted when scrolling failed. After two unsuccessful scrollbar attempts, it used the Home key to return to the top. Hartman reports that the task took 22 minutes and produced an Excel itinerary.
Review found two consequential choices. The agent omitted a keynote whose description did not contain the requested topic terms, and converted event times to Hartman’s Pacific timezone even though he would attend in person. He asked it to restore Eastern Standard Time before downloading the file. Repeating the same prompt also produced variations in selected sessions. The copyable practice is to specify the event-local timezone and require review of exclusions, especially keynotes, rather than equating topic filtering with a complete schedule. The source documents useful browsing and spreadsheet creation with an explicit correction, not a reliable unattended travel planner.
Prompt
Original prompt
Source: Blog · Wesley Hartman in Journal of Accountancy
Frequently asked questions
What information was collected?
Session names, start times and speakers for the writer’s artificial intelligence and client advisory services interests.
Why was the timezone corrected?
The agent used the writer’s Pacific timezone, but the in-person conference needed its local Eastern Standard Time.
Was the topic selection complete?
No. The agent excluded a keynote without the requested terms, and repeated runs varied in which sessions they selected.
More details
Remaining steps
- Create an Excel itinerary of selected sessions.
- Review excluded sessions and correct times to the event-local timezone.
About this account
ChatGPT agent determines website navigation, gathers session details, recovers from unsuccessful scrolling and generates a spreadsheet before a user correction.
Firsthand account by Wesley Hartman in Journal of Accountancy; original publication date verified against Primary page publication date. Outcomes are the author’s reports, not independently reproduced. Original prompt excerpt transcribed from the primary account; excerpt only, not the complete prompt. Preserve the source-specific context when adapting it.
Credit: Wesley Hartman in Journal of Accountancy
Source published 1 Nov 2025
Source checked 14 Oct 2026
Tools and topics
ChatGPT agent browser · Conference agenda · Excel
Conference planning · Timezone review · Session research
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.