Book 2 · Chapter 2: Teaching AI Who You Are
This page hands you a personal-context template with a filled example, plus a plain-language guide to what AI memory keeps and forgets.
This page assumes you've read the chapter. It hands you the tools, not the lessons.
Personal Context Template
Section 1: Who I Am
Your name, role, company or organization (if relevant), industry. Two or three sentences.
I'm Dana, a Senior Project Manager at HealthFirst (a 600-person healthcare services company). I manage three concurrent project teams and report to the VP of Operations. I'm PMP certified.
Section 2: How I Communicate
Your preferred tone, writing style, the formality level of your workplace, any pet peeves.
I write in a professional but warm tone. I keep emails under 200 words when possible. I use bullet points for action items but write everything else in paragraphs. I never use exclamation marks in work emails. I start emails with the person's first name, not "Hi team."
Section 3: My Common Tasks
The things you ask AI to help with most often.
My most common AI tasks: drafting follow-up emails after meetings, preparing talking points for client calls, summarizing weekly status reports, creating project timeline updates, and reviewing contracts for scope creep.
Section 4: My Preferences and Constraints
Formats you prefer, lengths you target, information you always need included, things that annoy you in AI output.
Always include next steps at the end of any summary. Never use the word "synergy." Keep meeting prep documents to one page. When comparing options, use a table format. Include dates in MM/DD format, not DD/MM.
Section 5: My Personal Life
Family details, dietary needs, travel preferences, schedules, recurring personal logistics.
I have two kids: Sophie (7, in 2nd grade at Lincoln Elementary) and Max (4, at Bright Horizons daycare). Sophie has a tree nut allergy. Max won't eat anything green. My partner Alex works irregular hours as a physical therapist, so I handle most weekday logistics. We're planning a family trip to Spain this August.
From the Building Your Personal Context Document section.
- The blank template (fill in your own)
# Personal Context Document ## Who I Am [Your name, role, company or organization, industry. Two or three sentences.] ## How I Communicate [Your preferred tone, writing style, formality level, and pet peeves.] ## My Common Tasks [The things you ask AI to help with most often.] ## My Preferences and Constraints [Formats you prefer, lengths you target, info you always need, things that annoy you in AI output.] ## My Personal Life [Family details, dietary needs, travel preferences, schedules, recurring logistics.]
- A filled example: Dana
# Personal Context Document (a filled example: Dana) ## Who I Am I'm Dana, a Senior Project Manager at HealthFirst (a 600-person healthcare services company). I manage three concurrent project teams and report to the VP of Operations. I'm PMP certified. ## How I Communicate I write in a professional but warm tone. I keep emails under 200 words when possible. I use bullet points for action items but write everything else in paragraphs. I never use exclamation marks in work emails. I start emails with the person's first name, not "Hi team." ## My Common Tasks My most common AI tasks: drafting follow-up emails after meetings, preparing talking points for client calls, summarizing weekly status reports, creating project timeline updates, and reviewing contracts for scope creep. ## My Preferences and Constraints Always include next steps at the end of any summary. Never use the word "synergy." Keep meeting prep documents to one page. When comparing options, use a table format. Include dates in MM/DD format, not DD/MM. ## My Personal Life I have two kids: Sophie (7, in 2nd grade at Lincoln Elementary) and Max (4, at Bright Horizons daycare). Sophie has a tree nut allergy. Max won't eat anything green. My partner Alex works irregular hours as a physical therapist, so I handle most weekday logistics. We're planning a family trip to Spain this August.
- What are the three tiers of AI memory?
- Conversation memory (everything within a single chat, gone when you close it); persistent memory (facts the tool carries across chats, which you can see, edit, and delete); and project context (your detailed profile, always available inside that project).
- Memory or explicit instructions?
- Use both, but treat your instructions as the reliable layer. Let memory handle the little things that come up naturally; put the big things (role, style, constraints, family) in instructions. When they conflict, instructions win.
- Does my context carry between projects?
- No. Context lives inside a specific Project. Switch to another project, or work outside any project, and that context isn't available. That's by design, so your client context doesn't bleed into your personal one.
- What does AI try not to remember?
- Tools try to avoid storing financial data, passwords, health information, and anything truly private. But "tries to avoid" is not a guarantee. The memory is transparent, so review what's stored and delete anything you don't want there.