Season 4Episode 3

Claude Cowork: When AI Starts Working in Your Files

8 July 2026 · 00:42:21

From Chatbox to Workspace! What happens when AI stops being a chatbot and starts working inside your files?In this episode of Decoded: AI for Everyone, we continue Season 4: Applied Intelligence by looking at Claude Cowork and the bigger shift it represents.AI is moving from the chatbox into the workspace. Documents, spreadsheets, folders, reports, meeting notes, templates and outputs. The question is no longer just, “What should I ask AI?” It is, “How do I structure the task so AI can help safely and practically?”We walk through real-world examples of using AI inside work, including preparing a briefing note, working with Excel, identifying duplicated expenses, creating summary tabs and charts, using brand templates, and setting up folder structures that help AI understand what to use, what to protect, and where to put the final output.You’ll also get a practical at-home exercise using recipes and meal planning, so you can test the workflow safely without starting with client files, sensitive documents or your whole desktop.The takeaway is simple: do not just give AI a messy task and hope for the best. Give it a workspace, rules, boundaries and a review step.Resources for this episode, including the folder structures, workspace rules, prompts and practical instructions, are available at https://decoded-podcast.com/resources/s4e3More from Decoded: https://decoded-podcast.comAI tools, platform comparisons and practical guides: https://PromptEngineeringCookbook.comStrategen AI helps organisations adopt AI safely, practically and without unnecessary cost or risk: https://www.strategen-ai.com

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