As the generations that grew up with Smart House, SmarterChild, and Ask Jeeves, you could say we were into AI way before it was cool. Now that it’s all the rage, though, everyone seems to be peddling the hottest AI tools money can (or can’t) buy.
Let’s be real: we love AI, but we also know it has limitations. Can it make your life easier? Hell yeah. Can it hallucinate and give you false info? Absolutely. Are there a lot of moral issues to talk about when it scrapes stuff it doesn’t have consent to scrape? You betcha.
Here at 8THIRTYFOUR, we take AI ethics more seriously than we take our happy hours (and trust us. That’s saying something). We use AI like we use tequila – carefully, in moderation, and never as a replacement for actual brain power. Still, we’ve found some AI tools that make everyday marketing a whole lot easier. And because we’re not selfish, we’re gonna share our favorites with you. You’re welcome.
Claude
Oh, Claude. How we love thee. We could seriously talk all day about how great Claude has been. Unlike ChatGPT, Claude is a closed system. That means you can add in brand voice, mission statements, presentations – you name it, all without worrying some rando halfway across the world will be able to pull that info up, too. Did we mention you can share your workspaces with other team members? Yeah, it’s a dream come true.
Still, just likeany other AI tool, Claude’s only as good as its training. It can spit out some serious ideas when you hit writer’s block, but it’s not a replacement for human creativity. We use Claude to give us a head start. It generates some text, and then we rip it apart until it sounds how we want it to. Are you out of ideas for a blog topic? Claude can help.
AI is all about the starting point. The hardest part is knowing where to start. Consider Claude the superhero that saves us from all those blank white pages.
Perplexity.ai
Have you ever wondered if the information you’ve been given from an AI tool is accurate or where it even came from? With Perplexity.ai, you don’t have to wonder anymore.
Perplexity.ai is a free AI-powered search engine that actually cites its sources. That’s right. It pulls from sources all over the web, answers your question, and tells you how to find the receipts, too. Misinformation? Gone. Perplexity has become our go-to tool for streamlining research processes and helping to summarize complex topics.
For example, if you ask, “What are the health benefits of owning a dog?” Perplexity will:
- Scan health and wellness websites, medical journals, and dog blogs
- Compile key facts into an overview
- Provide a clear, concise answer with citations for you to dive into on your own time
Did we mention the “related” tab? Under each search, Perplexity suggests relevant questions about the topic you’re searching. Expand your knowledge or hone your search with the touch of a button. Save time wading through endless Google search pages – your next research rabbit hole awaits!
Goblin.Tools
Finally, an AI tool with a name that doesn’t suck. Goblin.Tools is every anxious person’s best friend. Not sure where to start on a task? Need a second opinion on an email? Goblin.Tools has you covered.
Goblin.Tools comes with a bunch of functions. Here’s what you need to know:
- Magic To Do: Tell it what you want to do. Then hit the magic wand and watch it break that task into smaller steps. Procrastination? Never heard of her.
- Formalizer: Not sure how to translate the thoughts in your head into anything but screams? Slap some text into Formalizer, and it’ll make it sound like you’ve never been more put together.
- The Judge: Stop reading too far into that email. Copy and paste it into the Judge. It’ll tell you if your client’s really upset with you or if they’re just in a rush so you can stop overthinking. You’re welcome.
- The Professor: Brain melting over technical text? Professor to the rescue. It’ll explain whatever you’re trying to understand and also provide a handy-dandy example.
- Estimator: Who says you can’t write a report, clean the office, build ads, and develop a press release all in an hour? Estimator does. Put your tasks in, and it’ll tell you how long that shit really takes.
- The Compiler: Brain dump all of your thoughts into the Compiler, and it’ll spit out a list of tasks based on that word salad. You can even send those tasks to Magic To Do to break them down more.
- The Chef: Okay, it’s not work-related, but it’s fun. Enter all of the ingredients in your pantry, and the Chef will whip up a recipe just for you. No more throwing out that lettuce you forgot in the back of your fridge for a month.
All those options might sound like a lot, but they mean one thing to us: productivity. No more worrying over next steps or tone or staring at a scholarly article. Bring on the time savings.
So what’d we forget? If there’s an AI tool you’re going crazy over, we want to hear about it. Drop it in the comments so we can give it a spin and tell you what we really think.
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