Day 9: Your Digital Sidekick Awaits: Build a Custom AI Assistant in 5 Minutes
How to build a personalized GPT agent (it’s easier than you think!)
Image: A retro robot assistant illustration, Rosie-inspired. Generated with AI (ChatGPT + DALL·E)
Hey everyone! Welcome to Day 9 of our journey. Today, we’re diving into something that I hope will spark some excitement: creating your own personal AI sidekick.
Yes, really! We’re talking about building a little digital assistant that’s customized just for you. This builds on the personal prompts we’ve been playing with so far — and takes it to the next level.
✨ The best part? It only takes a few minutes.
⚠️ The catch? Depending on the path you pick, it might require a subscription or asking IT to enable something in your workplace tools.
🧑🤝🧑 First, what the heck is an “agent”?
People throw this word around a lot, so let’s make it plain: an agent is basically AI that can either talk to you or do things for you.
Types of AI Agents
💬 Chatty Sidekick
Description: A conversational helper that mostly just answers you.
What It Can Do: Brainstorm ideas, answer questions, draft text.
Other Terms: Conversational agent, chatbot
⚡ Task Runner
Description: Goes beyond chatting and actually does things by connecting to apps/tools.
What It Can Do: Send emails, update your calendar, pull data.
Other Terms: Tool-using agent, workflow agent
🎯 Specialist
Description: Trained for one niche domain or expertise.
What It Can Do: Analyze X-rays, review contracts, run analytics.
Other Terms: Domain-specific agent, vertical AI model
🤖 Autonomous Agent
Description: Independent AI that takes a big goal, breaks it down, and keeps going without prompts.
What It Can Do: Research, generate reports, monitor data.
Other Terms: Autonomous agent, AutoGPT-style
👉 Today, we’re building your own Chatty Sidekick. Over time, you can upgrade it into a Task Runner or even an Autonomous Agent.
Option 1: The Freebie Route
Not ready to pay yet? No problem. You can still play!
Try TextCortex (they have a free GPT Builder).
Give your sidekick a name, role, and a few instructions.
It won’t be as powerful as ChatGPT Plus, but it’s perfect for dipping your toes in.
Option 2: The Paid Quick & Easy Route (ChatGPT Plus)
If you’re ready to invest a little (~$20/month), ChatGPT Plus lets you create Custom GPTs right inside ChatGPT.
Here’s the fast path:
Open Explore GPTs → + Create.
In Create, describe what you want (the GPT Builder guides you).
In Configure, paste in one of the instruction templates below.
(Optional) Upload files (like policies or FAQs).
Toggle capabilities: Web browsing, Image generation, Data analysis.
(Optional) Add connectors/actions for task-running powers.
Test it in the preview.
Publish privately, with a link, or in the GPT Store.
⚡ Safety note: Be mindful if you add connectors. Only grant access to what’s truly needed.
Option 3: The Enterprise Route (Microsoft 365 Copilot Studio)
If your workplace uses Microsoft 365, you may already have Copilot in apps like Word, Outlook, and Excel. That’s handy for everyday drafting and summarizing — but if you want to build your own GPT-style copilot for your company, you’ll need Copilot Studio.
💡 Tip: Copilot Studio is an add-on license, so you might need to ask your IT team to enable it. Just say:
“Hey, can we turn on Copilot Studio so I can build a custom assistant for our team?”
How it works:
Go to copilotstudio.microsoft.com and sign in.
Click + Create Copilot, give it a name and set its language.
Paste one of the instruction templates below as its “job description.”
(Optional) Connect it to SharePoint, company docs, or FAQs.
(Optional) Add actions with Power Automate.
Test it, adjust as needed.
Publish & share in Teams, your intranet, or even your website.
📝 Copy-Paste Instruction Templates
Here are three ready-to-use starting points. Just copy one into the Instructions (for Custom GPT) or Job Description (for Copilot Studio):
The Organizer Sidekick
You are my personal digital sidekick. Your job is to help me stay organized, draft emails and posts in my voice, and summarize information clearly. Always keep your answers short, friendly, and practical. Avoid jargon.
The Research Buddy
You are my research partner. Your job is to quickly find, summarize, and explain information in plain English. Always give me 3–5 bullet point takeaways, and suggest a next step I can take with that knowledge.
The Motivational Coach
You are my encouraging coach. Your job is to help me stay focused and motivated during the day. Keep responses upbeat, supportive, and practical. Use positive reinforcement and end each response with a small action I can take.
🎯 Today’s Challenge
👉 Pick one path (Free, Paid, or Enterprise) and create your first custom AI sidekick.
Let me know how it went!
Which template did you choose — Organizer, Research Buddy, or Motivational Coach? Or did you make your own?
I can’t wait for you to meet your new digital teammates.