ChatGPT’s new Projects feature can organize your AI junk
Day seven of 12 Days of OpenAI may not have seen a conversation with Santa like the day before, but the new Projects feature for ChatGPT would likely appeal to its elves.
OpenAI CPO Kevin Weil and his compatriots debuted Projects with a demo demonstrating how it can organize your interactions with ChatGPT, including all files and data. Imagine a digital version of a cluttered desk covered in papers representing your conversations with ChatGPT. Projects are the virtual file drawer full of neatly labeled folders, put together by an assistant who has read every word on those papers.
When you start a project, you should give it a name and a color so that you can find it more easily. You can then group related chats and upload relevant files. You can also set specific instructions for ChatGPT to follow while working within that specific project space. This means that if you’re collaborating on a scenario or building a website, you don’t have to remind ChatGPT of the details every time you start a new chat. You can add existing chats to a project, start new chats, and even pull data from your files during a conversation. Additionally, features like SearchGPT and Canvas all play well within the project space.
If Projects feels familiar, that’s because it’s a feature that some of ChatGPT’s rivals already offer, most notably Claude, Anthropic’s AI chatbot. So OpenAI is in some ways catching up and offering a solution to a common frustration. Until now, tracking conversations with ChatGPT often meant dealing with a cluttered sidebar and a lot of scrolling.
While OpenAI has made strides with features like memory and customization, the ability to group chats and files into cohesive thematic bundles may be as important as switching from Post-It notes to binders.
Projects are also useful for building websites. You can upload design files and content ideas and specify your preferred coding languages. ChatGPT can then help you generate code for the site and improve its design or content. Unlike the usual ChatGPT coding helper, the AI remembers what you’ve already worked on together because it happens within the same project space.
Neat AI
Weil and his team demonstrated projects with different ways the tool can be used. Since Santa was away, he showed how to use Projects to host a Secret Santa exchange instead. Instead of switching between spreadsheet tabs and copying and pasting the same information a million times, create a project with the rules and agreed-upon budget, including a spreadsheet with everyone’s wish lists. All your Secret Santa data is there, and you can instruct ChatGPT to manage it, even letting the AI send anonymous emails with gift orders.
Of course, there are a few potential problems. First, the effectiveness of Projects depends on how clearly you communicate with ChatGPT. As the demo shows, vagueness can lead to unintended results (like revealing Santa’s secrets). Furthermore, organizing through Projects will not compensate for any sloppy directions or failure to check for errors in the output.
You’ll need a ChatGPT Plus, Pro, or Teams subscription to use Projects for now, though those on the free tier will get access soon. Still, they may need to make a note to remind them since they don’t have any projects available yet.
