I asked ChatGPT to plan my fan convention trip — and it saved me hours

(Image credit: Shutterstock) I've been going to Anime NYC for years, and every time I leave with the same regret: I missed something I really wanted to see. There's just so much to do!Between celebrity panels, manga announcements, autograph sessions, artist alley, exclusive merch and cosplay events, trying to map out a weekend at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center can take hours. Even after all that planning, it's easy to overlook a must-see event.This year, I decided to let ChatGPT come up with a plan so my trip included everything I wanted to see with zero regrets of missing out.My approach was simple. I gave AI a list of my favorite anime and manga, told it which days I'd be attending Anime NYC 2026, and asked it to build me a personalized convention itinerary. In just a few minutes, it organized everything into a schedule that would have taken me far longer to piece together myself—and even suggested events I probably would have missed.Three days of anime/manga goodness (Image credit: Shutterstock)Setting up the plan This is the prompt I used: As a massive fan of the following manga and anime, map out the panels, screenings, and special events I need to check out when I go to this year's Anime NYC:Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball DaimaMy Hero Academia and My Hero Academia: VigilantesGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.The Ghost in the Shell (2026 series)GachiakutaKagurabachiKaiju No. 8Dan Da DanChainsaw ManDemon SlayerSailor MoonThe chatbot analyzed my anime/manga fandom and prioritized what I should do & see over the course of this year’s Anime NYC. Here’s the list of events it wanted to make sure I didn’t miss:Kagurabachi: Anime World Tour premiere + first 20 minutes of Episode 1Kaiju No. 8: Special Panel with TOHO animationThe Ghost in the Shell: First-look event + Mokochan (Director) appearanceMy Hero Academia: Yuki Kaji (Japanese voice actor for Shoto Todoroki) appearanceDragon Ball: Daman Mills (English voice actor for Frieza) appearanceChainsaw Man: Tomori Kusunoki (Japanese voice actress for Makima) + Casey Mongillo (English voice actor for Angel Devil) appearancesDemon Slayer: Bryce Papenbrook (English voice actor for Inosuke Hashibira) appearanceDan Da Dan: Bryce Papenbrook (English voice actor for Kinta Sakata) appearanceSailor Moon: Stephanie Sheh (English voice actor for Sailor Moon) appearanceIdentifying the best use of my timeEven though some of the anime/manga I listed don’t have a dedicated Anime NYC panel or screening, ChatGPT still mentioned enough convention activities that should keep me busy. And to go even further, it laid out the days and activities for each one that I’m excited to be a part of:Thursday, August 20: meet and get autographs from Daman Mills, Bryce Papenbrook and Stephanie Sheh.Friday, August 21: attend the Kaiju No. 8 panel.Saturday, August 22: meet and get an autograph from Mokochan. And stay around to check out the “special surprise.”Bottom lineChatGPT might not help you get you into sold-out panels or shorten the autograph lines, but I'd be suprised if it didn't have tips. For me, though, it solved one of the most time-consuming parts of attending a convention — planning the schedule. Not only did it do it in minutes, but it was tailored to my interests. Now, instead of jumping between event pages, maps and schedules, I had one personalized itinerary built around the anime and manga I actually care about.And it's not just useful for Anime NYC. Whether you're heading to Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, Dragon Con, PAX, Star Wars Celebration, Gen Con or another fan event, you can give ChatGPT your interests, the convention schedule and a few preferences, then let it build a game plan. It won't replace the official event app, but it can make sure you spend less time planning and more time enjoying the convention. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.More from Tom’s GuideElon Musk's Grok dominates alarming deepfake report — 1 in 6 attacks involved sexual images including childrenOpenAI is testing a pay-to-reset limits feature — here’s what it could mean for your ChatGPT usage quotaI used ChatGPT to plan the ultimate coffee shop crawl for National Coffee Month — here's the tasty itinerary it gave me Elton Jones covers AI for Tom’s Guide, and tests all the latest models, from ChatGPT to Gemini to Claude to see which tools perform best — and how they can improve everyday productivity.He is also an experienced tech writer who has covered video games, mobile devices, headsets, and now artificial intelligence for over a decade. Since 2011, his work has appeared in publications including The Christian Post, Complex, TechRadar, Heavy, and ONE37pm, with a focus on clear, practical analysis.Today, Elton focuses on making AI more accessible by breaking down complex topics into useful, easy-to-understand insights for a wide range of readers.