Marketing Against The Grain: Episode Summary Title: I Built 2 AI Assistants That Made Me 10x More Productive | Step-by-Step Guide
Host: Kieran Flanagan, Co-Host
Release Date: February 6, 2025

Introduction to Building AI Assistants

In this episode of Marketing Against The Grain, co-host Kieran Flanagan delves into the creation and implementation of two AI assistants designed to drastically enhance productivity within a company. Kieran outlines a comprehensive approach to building an Executive Assistant and a Project Assistant using leading AI platforms: Google's Gemini Gems, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Anthropic's Claude. He emphasizes the importance of choosing the right platform based on specific workplace needs.

Kieran Flanagan [00:00]: "I'm going to show you how to create two AI assistants to make you the most productive person in your company."

The Critical Role of Folder Structure

A foundational tip Kieran shares is the establishment of a robust folder structure. This organizational method serves as the backbone for the AI assistants, facilitating seamless access and management of data.

Kieran Flanagan [03:15]: "I always start to think about how your folder structure allows you to build these kind of AI assistants."

He recommends segregating data into Meeting Transcripts and Strategic Documents, enabling the Executive Assistant to handle meeting-related tasks and the Project Assistant to manage strategic initiatives effectively.

Automating Data Management with Zaps

To streamline the process, Kieran employs automation tools like Zaps. These tools automatically transfer meeting transcripts from platforms like Zoom into designated folders, reducing manual effort and ensuring data consistency.

Kieran Flanagan [04:10]: "Every time the meeting ends and the transcript is available, it just zaps it into the right folder."

Building AI Assistants in Gemini Gems

Kieran explores the functionalities of Gemini Gems, Google's custom AI solution akin to ChatGPT. He details the process of creating an Executive Assistant by configuring prompts that enable the AI to analyze meeting transcripts, identify key decisions, track action items, and prioritize tasks.

Kieran Flanagan [06:00]: "You basically tell it to do meeting analysis. So anytime you give it a meeting transcript, it analyzes the meeting transcript."

The Project Assistant is similarly developed to handle strategic documents, offering summaries, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations. Kieran highlights the significant advantage of Gemini Gems' large context window, which allows the AI to process extensive documentation effectively.

Kieran Flanagan [09:30]: "What I really like about Gemini is the context window is really large."

Creating Custom GPTs in ChatGPT and Claude

Kieran compares Gemini Gems with other AI platforms, particularly ChatGPT and Claude. He demonstrates how to create custom GPTs in ChatGPT, replicating the functionalities of the Executive and Project Assistants. ChatGPT excels in strategic analysis and provides comprehensive project assessments, often outperforming Gemini in this aspect.

Kieran Flanagan [11:10]: "In OpenAI ChatGPT... the output does a slightly better job of like strategic analysis, strategic recommendations."

When discussing Claude, Kieran points out its limitations, such as a smaller context window and challenges in integrating non-text formats like PowerPoints. Despite these drawbacks, Claude remains useful for specific tasks, such as rewriting documents for better clarity and presentation.

Kieran Flanagan [10:30]: "Claude's core drawback here is... the context window is just too small."

Comparative Analysis: Gemini Gems vs. ChatGPT vs. Claude

Kieran provides a comparative analysis of the three platforms:

• Gemini Gems: Best integrated with Google Suite, boasts a large context window, and handles diverse documentation seamlessly. However, it requires manual addition of documents into the context window.

• ChatGPT: Superior in strategic thinking and recommendations, making it ideal for in-depth project analysis. Like Gemini, it also necessitates manual document uploads but offers more nuanced output.

• Claude: While useful for specific tasks like document rewriting, it struggles with larger projects due to its limited context window and less intuitive document integration.

Kieran Flanagan [10:45]: "ChatGPT really good. The output does a slightly better job of like strategic analysis, strategic recommendations and then Claude really struggling..."

Practical Implementation and Daily Use

Kieran shares practical insights into integrating these AI assistants into daily workflows. By maintaining a well-organized folder structure and leveraging automation tools, users can ensure their AI assistants remain up-to-date and efficient. He advocates for using a combination of AI platforms to capitalize on each one's strengths, such as using Gemini for data management and ChatGPT for strategic analysis.

Kieran Flanagan [10:55]: "So I'll take the output from Gemini Gems on the one pager it built for the executive team and then I'll put it into Claude and I'll say, hey, can you rewrite this for my executive team?"

Conclusion and Takeaways

Kieran concludes by reiterating the transformative potential of AI assistants in enhancing productivity. The key takeaways include:

1. Establish a Robust Folder Structure: Organize data into clear categories to maximize AI efficiency.
2. Leverage Automation Tools: Use tools like Zaps to minimize manual data handling.
3. Choose the Right AI Platform: Utilize Gemini Gems for integration with Google Suite, ChatGPT for strategic insights, and Claude for specialized tasks.
4. Combine AI Strengths: Integrate multiple AI platforms to benefit from their unique capabilities.

Kieran Flanagan [12:30]: "All of them are pretty good to create a first pass at a meeting executive. They all do a really good job..."

By thoughtfully implementing these strategies, professionals can harness AI to streamline workflows, enhance project management, and drive organizational success.

Notable Quotes:

• Kieran Flanagan [00:00]: "I'm going to show you how to create two AI assistants to make you the most productive person in your company."

• Kieran Flanagan [06:00]: "You basically tell it to do meeting analysis."

• Kieran Flanagan [09:30]: "What I really like about Gemini is the context window is really large."

• Kieran Flanagan [11:10]: "In OpenAI ChatGPT... the output does a slightly better job of like strategic analysis, strategic recommendations."

• Kieran Flanagan [10:55]: "So I'll take the output from Gemini Gems... and I'll put it into Claude..."

• Kieran Flanagan [12:30]: "All of them are pretty good to create a first pass at a meeting executive."

This episode provides a valuable roadmap for professionals seeking to integrate AI into their workflows, offering practical steps and comparative insights into the leading AI platforms. By following Kieran's guide, listeners can unlock significant productivity gains and streamline their organizational processes.