How to set up Projects in AI chatbots

Welcome to How to AI, where every Friday I (or a specialist guest columnist) will help you get more out of AI for work and life.

If you've ever started a new chat and had to spend the first five minutes re-explaining who you are and the project you're working on, there's a fix for that. All three main platforms let you create dedicated workspaces where your files, instructions, and chat history for that project live together—and unlike the broader Memory settings I covered a couple of weeks ago, you control exactly what goes in—so you can start a new conversation in that project with the full context already in place.

I've set up a few projects that I use regularly. At work, I have one for management (one-on-ones, call transcripts, review prep, running tasks) and one for Tech Brew's analytics and strategy, where I keep reader survey data, email responses about specific sections, and anything that helps me explain the thinking behind a decision or brainstorm a change against what readers actually want. On my personal account, I have a project for health that includes my insurance plan details, bloodwork results, and anything I want to ask about quickly without hunting through paperwork.

Note: Before you upload anything sensitive to a project, go into your settings and make sure your chats aren't being used for model training. Each platform has this option, and most are on by default. And regardless, strip out any personally identifying information first, like your name, address, and date of birth.

The breakdown by platform:

• Claude Projects: Free for all users, with a cap of five projects on a free plan. Each file you upload must be under 30MB, with no hard limit on the number of files. Project context is automatically kept separate from any global Memory you have turned on, so there's no cross-contamination.
• ChatGPT Projects: Free for all users. File uploads capped at five per project on Free, 25 on Plus and Go, 40 on Pro. If you have Memory turned on, consider turning it off to avoid outside context bleeding in.
• Gemini Notebooks: Free for all users (as of last week). Web only for now; syncs with NotebookLM. Up to 50 sources on a free plan. Same applies—turn off Memory to keep your notebooks clean.

To set one up: Find Projects or Notebooks in the sidebar, name it, and start adding files. If you saved context summaries as markdown files after last Friday's Life Hack, this is a natural place to keep them (some platforms also let you add standing instructions). —SM

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