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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- There are AI tools that tin really connection productivity gains.
- I usage these tools astir each day.
- All the tools connected this database are disposable to users astatine nary cost.
While I was moving the different time organically, I opened up 1 of my favourite AI tools and had an unprompted thought to myself astir however grateful I was to person entree to this application. That realization past made maine deliberation astir however galore apps person present go an integral portion of my mundane workflow, and astatine this point, galore person made the list.
While I enactment unneurotic a akin roundup each end-of-year season, I deliberation it is worthy noting that immoderate apps person made the database aggregate years successful a row, demonstrating consistency successful the worth of the tools. It is besides worthy noting that the marketplace is much saturated than ever, truthful having adjacent a acceptable of tools that chopped done the hype and tin beryllium relied connected to marque your beingness easier is simply a win.
Also: Gemini vs. Copilot: I compared the AI tools connected 7 mundane tasks, and there's a wide winner
I americium sharing my database not due to the fact that I deliberation it volition construe straight to your life, but alternatively due to the fact that I anticipation it sparks ideas connected however you tin usage immoderate of these tools successful your ain life.
1. NotebookLM
As I person written before, since Google launched NotebookLM, it has been the instrumentality that I americium astir often asked astir by AI superusers and media professionals alike owed to their affirmative experiences. When I initially tried the tool, I could spot the potential, but it took maine immoderate clip to find a mode to integrate it into my workflow. Now that I person done that, it's the instrumentality I scope for the most, and I would beryllium terribly inconvenienced if I had to unrecorded without it.
Also: I utilized NotebookLM for an full period - here's wherefore it truly is simply a crippled changer
NotebookLM is fundamentally a repository wherever you tin upload your ain files, including documents, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and dependable recordings. Not lone does this retention assistance with organization, arsenic each the information is filed into antithetic Notebooks, but it besides makes each your input information casual to parse done with a chatbot-like interface. The magic is that the app lone uses your repository of information, truthful you don't request to interest astir the answers being polluted by net information oregon AI slop.
The astir awesome facet is the chatbot's prime of responses. For example, I often usage the instrumentality to find the portion of an interrogation that I request for an article. Some diagnostic articles I constitute impact speaking with a twelve oregon much people, which makes it hard to support track. With NotebookLM, I tin compile each the interviews into a Notebook and past hunt for circumstantial questions, toggling boxes to see arsenic galore oregon arsenic fewer responses arsenic I'd similar successful the search.
Also: I recovered an open-source NotebookLM alternate that's powerful, backstage - and free
The responses the instrumentality offers maine see footnotes, indicating precisely which portion of the root it recovered its reply in. The app besides provides scannable, easy-to-read outputs of the content. You tin past person a speech with the chatbot, pursuing up with questions, wherever it maintains the discourse of what you antecedently asked. Additionally, if immoderate of the findings basal out, you tin adhd them to the notes barroom connected the broadside truthful they don't get mislaid successful the interaction.
Otter.ai besides features a question-asking capableness that allows you to inquire the exertion astir your conversation. However, I find that its responses are little broad and adjuvant than NotebookLM. The output is constricted to 1 root and provides reasonably rudimentary answers that deficiency in-depth elaboration and insight. One vantage of Otter.ai is that your audio transcriptions see timestamps, whereas NotebookLMs bash not, making it hard to skim done the contented for what you request to find. However, I recovered a workaround that led maine to my adjacent pick.
2. Apple's Voice Memo transcription
I person besides written astir the Voice Memo diagnostic successful Apple Intelligence this year, arsenic I often scope for it. Whether you are signaling dependable memos perpetually for your job, arsenic I do, oregon are a pupil signaling lectures, this diagnostic comes successful highly handy. Every clip you grounds something, automatically, a transcript of the signaling is generated. The astir convenient diagnostic is the hunt icon, which allows you to hunt the speech for a circumstantial word and past replay it.
I similar to use Voice Memo successful conjunction with NotebookLM due to the fact that I volition inquire that instrumentality to assistance maine find the portion of the speech I americium searching for. Then, erstwhile I person recovered what I'm looking for, if I request to perceive to the audio intimately to cleanable up the transcript oregon perceive to the afloat chat, I power implicit to Apple Voice Messages, benignant successful a distinctive connection from the quote, and re-listen to that information of the conversation. Voice Memo is free, portion Otter.ai has a yearly subscription outgo of $200.
Also: Apple's iPhone App of the Year is an AI instrumentality for radical with ADHD - and it's free
Not lone is Voice Memo escaped to access, but it is highly casual to usage natively without having to export files. All you request is iOS 18.0 oregon later connected an iPhone 12 oregon later, which makes the app 1 of Apple's much accessible features. The broader suite of Apple's AI features is disposable lone connected phones with the A17 Pro spot oregon higher, which is the iPhone 15 Pro or aboriginal models.
To beryllium clear, I inactive usage Otter.ai, and, arsenic of recently, person go 1 of those radical who nonstop their Otter adjunct to their meetings for them. However, I usage Otter.ai due to the fact that I americium provided with the concern instrumentality arsenic a reporter. For my idiosyncratic projects, I usage the operation of NotebookLM and Voice Memo.
3. ChatGPT (Voice Mode and Deep Research, specifically)
I precocious had a speech astir this taxable with a colleague, and, ultimately, your go-to chatbot volition apt beryllium the 1 you walk the astir clip tinkering with during your aboriginal explorations. For me, that instrumentality is ChatGPT. However, the crushed the chatbot has maintained my loyalty, contempt maine trying dozens of others for my job, is the changeless implementation of new, adjuvant features.
ChatGPT Voice Mode, for example, has been 1 of my go-to options since 2024, acknowledgment to its quality to simulate a quality speech portion besides providing meaningful advice. I person utilized the instrumentality truthful overmuch that I person adjacent discussed it connected national television and mapped it to my iPhone's enactment button. The easiest mode to picture Voice Mode is arsenic a dependable adjunct that really understands the discourse of what you are trying to say, portion besides providing wide and adjuvant answers.
The astir caller illustration is utilizing Voice Mode with my spouse to program a NYE trip. We utilized some Gemini's dependable assistant and ChatGPT's, but were yet much satisfied with ChatGPT's integration and ended up booking 1 of the destinations it recommended.
A much caller feature, Deep Research, was introduced astatine the opening of 2025 and has go a cardinal instrumentality successful my arsenal due to the fact that it works precisely arsenic promised: it tin autonomously hunt the web to compile a robust probe study with the sources you are seeking portion you are doing different things. The applications for this capableness are endless, whether you are researching a taxable for schoolhouse oregon work, oregon looking for accusation for a idiosyncratic project.
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