Setup — Other Platforms

Other AI platforms

The core principles covered on this site apply regardless of which AI platform you choose. This page covers the essentials for Claude in the browser, Gemini (and Gemini Spark), ChatGPT and Codex, and Perplexity Computer. For detailed, up-to-date instructions, the provider's own website is the most reliable source; platforms are evolving quickly.

What stays the same, whatever platform you choose

Before diving into the platform specifics, it is worth naming the things that do not change. The same setup principles apply across every major AI tool:

Tell it who you are. Every platform has some form of custom instructions or persona settings. Use them. Tell the AI your professional role, your context, your audience, and how you want it to write. Without this, you get a generic assistant. With it, you get something that works the way you do.
Set your writing rules explicitly. Use British/American spelling, prose over bullet points, words to avoid (e.g. robust, innovative, transformative, seamless), and preferred length. AI defaults to wordy and generic. Your instructions override those defaults.
Build a workspace, not just a chat. Every platform has a way to group related conversations and keep reference material — Projects (Claude), Gems (Gemini), Notebooks (Copilot), Projects (ChatGPT). Use these instead of starting fresh every time.
Privacy first. Never paste personal patient data, confidential documents, or information marked restricted into any consumer AI tool. For sensitive organisational work, use your institution's enterprise-licensed version (Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Workspace Gemini, or a contracted enterprise plan) — not the consumer product.

Claude — browser version

Claude in the browser runs at claude.ai. No installation needed, just a browser and an email address. The free plan covers daily tasks, file uploads, and Projects. Claude Pro (around $20/month) unlocks higher limits and the most capable models.

Personalising Claude in the browser

Two features carry your context across conversations:

Custom Instructions

Found in Settings → Profile. Write your professional role, your audience, and your style rules here. Claude applies these to every conversation so that you never need to repeat yourself.

Projects

Create a dedicated workspace per topic. You can add project-specific instructions, upload reference documents (guidelines, templates, frameworks), and keep all related conversations in one place. Conversations within a Project persist, so you can pick up where you left off.

Example custom instructions

I am a public health professional working in [your country/region]. My work focuses on [main area]. I produce outputs for [audience — e.g. national government, WHO, community organisations].

Always use British English: colour, organise, behaviour, programme. Write in prose by default — not bullet points — unless I ask. Be direct. No filler phrases, no AI buzzwords (robust, innovative, transformative, seamless, nuanced, vibrant). Match the length I request exactly.

For further guidance: Anthropic Help Centre · claude.ai

Gemini and Gemini Spark

Google's Gemini runs at gemini.google.com. If your organisation uses Google Workspace, Gemini is already in your ecosystem — and Gemini Spark (the agentic, task-completing version) is being rolled out within Workspace. The free tier includes web search. Gemini Advanced, part of Google One AI Premium (around $20/month), adds the most capable model and deeper integration with Gmail, Docs, and Drive.

Setting up a Public Health Gem

A Gem is a custom version of Gemini with your instructions built in. Click Explore Gems → New Gem, name it "Public Health Analyst," and write your professional context and writing rules in the instructions field. Start every professional session by opening this Gem rather than a regular chat.

Gemini can also read directly from Google Drive — share a report or policy document in the conversation and ask it to summarise, analyse, or rewrite for a different audience.

Organisational accounts: If your organisation uses Google Workspace, your IT administrator may have Gemini enabled already. An organisational account gives stronger data protection than a personal one.

For further guidance: Gemini FAQ · Gemini for Google Workspace

ChatGPT and Codex

OpenAI's ChatGPT runs at chatgpt.com. The free plan includes web search and file uploads. ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) gives access to the full GPT-4o model. Codex is the agentic, code-capable mode within ChatGPT Plus.

Personalising ChatGPT

Go to Settings → Personalisation → Custom Instructions. There are two fields:

Field 1 — "What would you like ChatGPT to know about you?" Write your role, your context, your audience. This is the equivalent of ABOUT ME.md.

Field 2 — "How would you like ChatGPT to respond?" Write your style rules e.g. British spelling, prose over bullets, words to avoid, format preferences.

ChatGPT also has a Memory feature (Settings → Personalisation → Memory) that remembers facts across conversations. Say "Please remember this" when you want something stored. You can view and delete memories at any time.

Privacy: By default, OpenAI may use your conversations to train future models. Go to Settings → Data Controls → Improve the model for everyone and switch it off before using ChatGPT for work content.

For further guidance: OpenAI Help Centre · chatgpt.com

Perplexity Computer

Perplexity is primarily known as an AI search engine that answers questions with cited sources, which is useful for quickly finding recent evidence, guidelines, or statistics. Perplexity Computer is its agentic, task-completing mode that can carry out multi-step research and browsing tasks.

It is particularly well suited to research-heavy tasks where you want sources cited automatically. Personalisation in Perplexity is more limited than in Claude or ChatGPT, but you can set a profile with your background and preferences in Settings.

For further guidance: Perplexity FAQ · perplexity.ai

Already using Microsoft 365? Most public health professionals working in institutional settings have access to Microsoft Copilot through their organisation's M365 subscription. It works directly inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams — and its Notebooks feature is particularly useful for synthesising and collating information from multiple sources. See the dedicated Microsoft Copilot page for a full overview.
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