This post explains how to respond when an AI assistant replies, “I’m sorry — I can’t access or retrieve the content from that URL,” and asks you to paste text or key excerpts so it can summarize them.
Drawing on three decades of experience in scientific communication and working with AI tools, I’ll explain why this happens, how to prepare content for fast, accurate summaries, and best practices for privacy and clarity when you paste text for an AI to process.
Why an AI often can’t open or fetch content from a URL
There are several technical and policy reasons an AI will decline to fetch content directly from a link.
Most AI models used for chat are run in environments without web browsing enabled to protect user privacy, prevent the spread of malicious content, and avoid copyright or access violations.
In practice this means: the model can process only the text you provide in the chat, not the live content behind external links.
Understanding that limitation helps you get faster, more accurate results.
How to give the AI the right input for a useful summary
When the assistant asks you to paste text or excerpts, follow a simple, repeatable process to optimize the summary it returns.
The clearer your input and instructions, the better the output will be.
Here’s a practical checklist I recommend:
Tips for accurate scientific and SEO-friendly summaries
As a scientific communicator, I recommend combining clarity with SEO-minded phrasing to maximize reach.
Provide the AI with a few target keywords (for example: AI summarization, URL access limitations, privacy best practices) and request inclusion of those phrases naturally in the summary.
Also, ask for a specific tone and audience — a one-line technical abstract for specialists differs from a short explainer suitable for the general public.
Example prompt you can paste to the assistant
To get a clean, useful result, copy a prompt like this alongside the text:
Privacy, copyright and practical alternatives
If you’re concerned about privacy or copyright, consider sharing only the sections you need. Paraphrase proprietary passages, or ask the AI for a summary framework it can fill once you paste sanitized excerpts.
Many platforms also allow file uploads or authorized connectors. Use those if available and compliant with institutional policies.
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