A Practical Guide to Alter Co-intelligences for Your Work

What Are Alter Co-intelligences?

Simply put, Alter Co-intelligences are specialized AI assistants within the Alter macOS app. Each focuses on a specific domain, aiming to provide relevant advice when you need it.

They’re not magic or revolutionary – just convenient AI tools designed to help with specific tasks.

How to Access Co-intelligences

1. Open Alter (hover over the notch or use your hotkey)
2. Type “co” to see available co-intelligences
3. Pick the one you need

Pro tip: you can type any part of the co-intelligence you’re looking for. For example, typing “mark” will show the marketing co-intelligence.

Using Co-intelligences: The Basics

Getting Started

1. Context matters: The AI needs relevant information to be useful
2. Be clear: Vague questions get vague answers
3. Follow up: First responses aren’t always the best ones

Adding Content for Context

• Drag and drop files
• Highlight text and use the Alter menu
• Right-click files and select “Add to Alter”
• Use @ to include windows from your apps, transcripts or workspaces

What Each Co-intelligence Actually Does

Quick Reference

Co-intelligence	What it knows	What it might help with	Who might use it
Business Strategy	Business frameworks, market analysis	SWOT analysis, competitive research, business modeling	Managers, entrepreneurs, analysts
Children Educator	Early childhood education (3-6 years)	Age-appropriate activities, developmental guidance	Teachers, parents, content creators
E-commerce Strategy	Online retail concepts, digital marketing	Conversion tips, customer journey analysis	Online retailers, digital marketers
HR Manager	HR practices, organizational development	Policy drafting, interview questions, team activities	HR staff, managers, hiring teams
Marketing	Marketing concepts, content strategy	Campaign ideas, content planning, audience targeting	Marketers, content creators
Mental Models	Decision frameworks, thinking patterns	Problem analysis, bias identification, decision frameworks	Decision-makers, planners, problem-solvers
Software Architect	System design patterns, code structure	Architecture feedback, technical debt assessment	Developers, tech leads

1. Business Strategy Assistant

Might be useful for: Planning, analysis, business development

Potential uses:

• Analyze a business plan (though you should get human experts for critical decisions)
• Generate ideas for market expansion
• Structure competitive analysis
• Brainstorm business model options

Example: "Looking at these quarterly results, what concerning trends should I pay attention to?"

2. Children Educator Assistant

Might be useful for: Education planning, activity development

Potential uses:

• Get ideas for age-appropriate activities
• Structure learning through play concepts
• Draft parent communications
• Generate educational content ideas

Example: "I need a simple activity for 4-year-olds that helps with counting. Any ideas?"

3. E-commerce Strategy Assistant

Potential uses:

• Generate ideas for improving conversion rates
• Get feedback on product descriptions
• Structure customer journey analysis
• Compare pricing approaches

Example: "Based on these metrics, what are the obvious problems in our checkout process?"

4. HR Manager Assistant

Potential uses:

• Draft policy templates (that should be reviewed by professionals)
• Structure performance review processes
• Generate interview question ideas
• Suggest team-building activities

Example: "I need a starting point for a remote work policy. Here's our current in-office policy."

5. Marketing Assistant

Potential uses:

• Brainstorm campaign ideas
• Generate content suggestions
• Structure social media approaches
• Refine messaging concepts

Example: "Our social engagement is dropping. What content types typically perform better?"

6. Mental Models Assistant

Potential uses:

• Apply thinking frameworks to problems
• Identify potential cognitive biases
• Structure complex decisions
• Break down problems systematically

Example: "We're stuck on this product decision. What mental models might help us think differently?"

7. Software Architect Assistant

Potential uses:

• Get feedback on system design
• Review code structure (not security or critical functionality)
• Prioritize technical debt
• Compare technology options

Example: "This is our current backend. How might we improve it to handle more users?"

Limitations and Reality Check

• These are AI tools with limited knowledge – not replacements for human experts
• They don’t have real-world experience or context beyond what you provide
• They can generate plausible-sounding but incorrect information
• Always verify important recommendations with human experts

Practical Workflow Examples

Product Development Process

1. Use Business Strategy for initial market analysis
2. Try Marketing for positioning ideas
3. Check with Software Architect for implementation considerations
4. Use Mental Models to challenge your assumptions

Team Project

1. HR Manager can draft initial role descriptions
2. Software Architect can suggest technical approaches
3. Business Strategy might help align with business goals
4. Mental Models could provide decision frameworks

Getting Started

1. Pick one co-intelligence that matches your immediate need
2. Provide specific context and clear questions
3. Be critical of the responses – they’re suggestions, not gospel
4. Iterate to get more useful information

Alter’s Co-intelligences are tools that might save you time on routine tasks or generate ideas, but they work best when paired with your own expertise and critical thinking.