AI Explored Podcast Episode Summary Episode Title: Creating AI Assistants Using Claude Projects
Host: Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner
Guest: Kyle Vollmer, AI Business Educator and Consultant
Release Date: October 22, 2024

Introduction to the Episode

In this episode of AI Explored, host Michael Stelzner dives into the intricate world of AI assistants with expert guest Kyle Vollmer. The focus is on leveraging Claude Projects to create effective AI assistants tailored for marketers, creators, and business owners.

Guest Introduction: Kyle Vollmer

[02:29] Kyle Vollmer:
"My journey with AI and my entrepreneurial background has been relatively mixed... I've started over 30 businesses... My main focus has been digital marketing, and I've run an agency in digital marketing for about a decade or so."

Kyle Vollmer, a seasoned AI business educator and consultant, shares his extensive background in entrepreneurship and digital marketing. His transition into AI began earnestly in early 2023 following significant challenges in his business, which propelled him to explore AI's potential in solving real-world business problems.

Kyle's Journey into AI

[04:00] Kyle Vollmer:
"The public release of ChatGPT was a turning point... I started experimenting with workflows, like using it to write Facebook adverts, but it wasn't until losing two major clients that I fully committed to AI."

Kyle emphasizes how the emergence of AI, particularly ChatGPT, combined with business setbacks, motivated him to delve deeper into AI applications. He founded the AI Business Breakthrough Academy and launched the Prompt Entrepreneur newsletter, which has amassed 60,000 subscribers in its first year.

Claude vs. ChatGPT: Why Claude Projects?

[08:37] Kyle Vollmer:
"Claude has a much larger context window than ChatGPT... This allows us to provide more information before the AI starts forgetting earlier parts of the conversation."

Kyle introduces Claude, a competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT, developed by Anthropic. He highlights Claude's superior performance in maintaining context over longer conversations, which is crucial for building reliable AI assistants.

Advantages of Claude Projects

1. Larger Context Window

   • [10:03] Kyle Vollmer:
     "Claude can handle more information at once without forgetting earlier parts of the conversation, reducing the instances of hallucinations."

2. Superior Writing Quality

   • [15:06] Michael Stelzner:
     "We've been able to train Claude on our writing style and we feel like Claude is a superior writer."

   • [15:30] Kyle Vollmer:
     "Writers immediately recognize Claude's more human-like writing compared to ChatGPT's robotic style."

3. Customization and Consistency

   • Claude Projects allow for tailored AI assistants that align closely with a brand's tone and guidelines, making it ideal for marketing applications.

Limitations of Claude Projects

1. No Internet Access

   • [11:33] Kyle Vollmer:
     "Claude does not search the web, so it's not suitable for tasks that require real-time information retrieval."

   This limitation ensures that the AI assistant relies solely on the provided data, enhancing the relevance and quality of its outputs.

2. File Size Restrictions

   • [28:52] Michael Stelzner:
     "There's a 10MB limit per file, which can be challenging with large screenshots or documents."

   Users must preprocess and optimize their data to fit within these constraints.

Creating AI Assistants: Practical Applications

[13:06] Kyle Vollmer:
"Let's go for that. So I've created a framework called the SPUN Framework: Scope, Priming, Uploading, and Narrowing."

Kyle outlines the SPUN Framework to guide users in building effective AI assistants:

1. Scope: Define what the assistant is intended to do.
2. Priming: Provide detailed instructions and guidelines.
3. Uploading: Incorporate relevant data and documents.
4. Narrowing: Refine and iterate based on feedback.

Training the AI Assistant: Risen Framework

[20:13] Kyle Vollmer:
"I use the Risen framework: Role, Instructions, Steps, End Goal, and Narrowing."

The Risen Framework complements the SPUN Framework by detailing how to prime the AI assistant:

1. Role: Specify the assistant's function (e.g., email marketer).
2. Instructions: Provide comprehensive guidance akin to a standard operating procedure.
3. Steps: Break down the task into clear, sequential actions.
4. End Goal: Define what success looks like, including examples of good and poor outputs.
5. Narrowing: (Handled after initial training) Refine the assistant through iterative feedback.

Refining and Iterating the AI Assistant

[32:54] Michael Stelzner:
"How can we refine and iterate to make it better for what we want?"

Kyle explains that refining an AI assistant involves continuous feedback. By reviewing outputs and providing specific, human-like feedback, the assistant learns to align more closely with user expectations. This iterative process ensures gradual improvement and higher quality results over time.

[34:35] Michael Stelzner:
"The more I tell it, like, don't use these kind of words. Use an emoji in the subject line... it's an iterative process that goes and goes and goes."

Michael shares his experience of iteratively refining email drafts with Claude, highlighting the importance of persistent and specific feedback to achieve the desired tone and style.

Practical Tips and Best Practices

1. Specificity Over Generality

   • [19:29] Michael Stelzner:
     "It's important to build an assistant that does one task really, really well."

   Focus on creating specialized assistants rather than jack-of-all-trades models to ensure higher quality outputs.

2. Preprocessing Data

   • [28:07] Kyle Vollmer:
     "Strip out all the HTML and CSS when uploading website information to keep the memory clear and relevant."

   Ensure that only pertinent and high-quality data is uploaded to maximize the assistant's effectiveness.

3. Utilize Multiple Projects for Different Tasks

   • [19:50] Kyle Vollmer:
     "Have individual projects for different tasks to maintain specificity and quality."

Sharing Projects with Teams

[37:41] Kyle Vollmer:
"With a premium membership, you can create projects and share them within your team."

Kyle confirms that Claude Projects support team collaboration, allowing multiple users to access and contribute to the same AI assistant, enhancing productivity and consistency across the organization.

Unique Features and Personal Experiences

1. Mobile App Usage

   • [40:42] Kyle Vollmer:
     "I write most of my newsletters on the mobile app... it's so slick that I can work with projects on a phone."

   The Claude mobile app offers a user-friendly interface that facilitates on-the-go AI assistant management.

2. Inter-AI Collaboration

   • [16:00] Michael Stelzner:
     "I use both Claude and ChatGPT to enhance content, each providing different perspectives."

   Combining different AI tools can lead to more refined and versatile content creation.

3. Screenshot Capture Feature

   • [40:13] Michael Stelzner:
     "There's a capture screenshot button inside of Claude that allows you to pick any particular tab."

   This feature simplifies the process of uploading visual data, although file size limits must be considered.

Conclusion and Where to Find More Information

In wrapping up the episode, Michael and Kyle reiterate the transformative potential of Claude Projects in building AI assistants that enhance business operations. Kyle directs listeners to his comprehensive guide on aibusinessbreakthrough.com, and both encourage experimentation with Claude Projects to unlock their full capabilities.

[42:56] Kyle Vollmer:
"I've put together a written guide... you can find it on my website at aibusinessbreakthrough.com."

Notable Quotes

• Kyle Vollmer [02:12]:
  "I'm the AI business educator and consultant... helping business owners start and grow with AI."

• Kyle Vollmer [08:37]:
  "Claude Projects finally allows us to achieve the consistent output we were promised with earlier AI models."

• Michael Stelzner [15:06]:
  "We've trained Claude on our writing style and find it to be a superior writer compared to ChatGPT."

• Kyle Vollmer [20:31]:
  "Instructions are like giving a standard operating procedure to a new employee; it's essential for quality results."

• Michael Stelzner [34:35]:
  "It's an iterative process that goes and goes and goes... but it really pays off."

For more insights and detailed guides on leveraging Claude Projects for AI assistants, visit aibusinessbreakthrough.com.

This summary was crafted based on the transcript of the AI Explored podcast episode "Creating AI Assistants Using Claude Projects" featuring Michael Stelzner and Kyle Vollmer.