OpenAI has introduced a new organizational feature for ChatGPT called “Projects,” mirroring a similar functionality found in Anthropic’s Claude. Announced during OpenAI’s “12 Days of OpenAI” event, Projects offers a folder system designed to streamline chat and data management within the platform.
ChatGPT Projects
“Think of these as smart folders,” explained Thomas Dimson, an OpenAI staff member, during the live stream announcement. Projects allows users to consolidate documents and past conversations around specific topics. This eliminates the need to repeatedly upload the same information for each new chat session.
Streamlining Research and Information Retrieval with ChatGPT Projects
One example highlighted during the live stream showcased the benefits for research. Imagine writing a book and using ChatGPT for research. With Projects, you can create a dedicated folder for your book project, uploading all relevant notes, documents, and sources. This centralized repository makes all your research materials readily accessible to ChatGPT without constant re-uploads.
Another practical application involves home maintenance. By uploading appliance manuals and maintenance logs to a designated Project folder, you can quickly query ChatGPT for specific information, like when to replace your refrigerator’s water filter. This demonstrates how Projects facilitates efficient information retrieval, making everyday tasks more manageable.
Introducing Projects—an easy way to organize chats that share topics or context in 4o.
Now available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team users globally.
We’ll bring it to Enterprise and Edu users in January, and to Free users soon. pic.twitter.com/Bmv7kB0GKY
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 13, 2024
Rollout and Availability of ChatGPT Projects
Unlike some other features announced during the 12 Days event, Projects began its rollout during the live stream. Initially available for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, OpenAI plans to extend access to Enterprise and Education users early in 2025. Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s chief product officer, confirmed their intention to release Projects to free users as soon as possible.
OpenAI’s 12 Days of Innovation
The introduction of Projects marks the midpoint of OpenAI’s “12 Days of OpenAI” promotional event. Other notable announcements include the unveiling of the Sora video generation engine, the full release of the o1 reasoning model, a $200 Pro subscription tier, and enhancements to the Canvas feature. The event is scheduled to continue through the end of the following week.
OpenAI’s focus on improving organization and information access within ChatGPT through the Projects feature signifies a valuable step towards enhancing user experience and productivity. By allowing users to contextualize their interactions with the chatbot, Projects unlocks more efficient and personalized use cases.
