Build your personal AI chief of staff.

Why this works

Most people do not need another blank chatbot. They need a simple briefing system that can look across the places where work and life already happen, then tell them what changed and what needs a decision.

This safe version starts read-only. Use ChatGPT, Claude Desktop, Codex, Gemini, or the AI tool your company allows to review a small set of sources. Let it summarize, rank, and draft. Do not let it send messages, schedule meetings, spend money, publish, delete, edit records, or contact people until the output has earned trust.

Run it

1. 1
   Pick the scope

   Choose work, personal, or both. If this is inside a company, follow the company AI and data policy first. Do not connect private company systems to a tool that is not approved.
2. 2
   Choose 3 to 5 read-only sources

   Start with sources that create real coordination load. Examples: Gmail or Outlook, Google Calendar or Microsoft Calendar, Slack or Teams, Notion or task lists, Google Drive or OneDrive docs, repo files in Codex, or a finance export. In ChatGPT, check Settings > Apps & Connectors for available apps. In Codex, use the workspace, files, repos, and connectors you have enabled.
3. 3
   Run the first brief manually

   Do not automate the first run. Ask simple questions first: what changed, what emails need my response, who is waiting on me in team messages, what changed in my finances, what deadlines are coming up, what is blocked, what decisions do I need to make, and what can wait?
4. 4
   Tell it what it cannot do

   Write the rules in plain English. The assistant may summarize, rank, and draft. It may not send messages, schedule meetings, spend money, publish, delete, edit records, or contact people unless you approve it first.
5. 5
   Schedule only after it proves useful

   After two or three useful manual runs, turn it into a weekly scheduled task or automation in a tool you trust. Keep the first scheduled version read-only and review the output before granting any write permissions.

The prompt

Build me a weekly personal AI chief of staff brief.

Scope:
- Work, personal, or both:
- Time window:
- Sources I am allowing you to use:
- Sources you must not use:

Sources:
- Email:
- Calendar:
- Messages:
- Tasks or notes:
- Docs or files:
- Finance:
- Repos or work files:

Allowed actions:
- Summarize
- Rank
- Identify decisions
- Draft next actions for approval

Not allowed:
- Do not send messages
- Do not schedule meetings
- Do not spend money
- Do not publish anything
- Do not delete or edit records
- Do not contact people without approval

For this brief, review the sources I provide and return:
1. What changed since the last brief
2. Emails or messages waiting on my response
3. People I owe or need to follow up with
4. Meetings, deadlines, bills, or tasks coming up
5. Changes in my finances or recurring charges
6. Blockers, risks, or decisions I need to make
7. Things that can wait
8. Draft next actions I can approve, edit, or reject

Use plain language. Separate facts from guesses. If you are missing a source or permission, say so instead of pretending you have it.

Next 5-minute action