These 4 AI tools boost my productivity at work – and most are free

The generative AI growth may need began with the launch of ChatGPT, however the expertise has now been built-in into all types of productiveness platforms designed to make our on a regular basis workflows simpler.

A concern many individuals have after they hear about AI use within the office is that the expertise will exchange them. Nonetheless, the instruments I am speaking about right here will not do the be just right for you — somewhat, they will improve your work productiveness.

These AI instruments might help you full small however vital each day duties that add as much as a lot of saved time in the long term. The end result: You spend much less time on admin and drudgery, and extra time doing stuff you get pleasure from or which are of upper worth to your work.

I’ve been protecting and testing AI instruments for ZDNET for over two years, even earlier than AI reached its present degree of recognition. A few of the instruments stood out and impressed me a lot that I discovered it laborious to cease utilizing them and, in consequence, I’ve included a number of of those instruments into totally different features of my each day workflow. 

Listed below are my favourite AI instruments, which I take advantage of virtually every single day. Curiously, solely certainly one of these life-hack applied sciences is an AI chatbot.

1. Grammarly 

Grammarly has been round for fairly some time, and AI has at all times been an integral a part of its companies. The platform is understood for its potential to verify for spelling, grammar, conciseness, and extra in on a regular basis writing, and for good motive — it is dependable and useful. 

My favourite means to make use of the device is by turning on the Grammarly for Chrome extension in order that the AI can work alongside me within the background to catch any errors I’ve missed. That is particularly helpful when writing on the go, like composing a fast electronic mail. 

I studied journalism in school and now write a number of tales each day for work. In consequence, I am pretty assured in my potential to keep away from most grammatical errors and write high quality content material. Nonetheless, generally, when writing a fast electronic mail or message, I miss little particulars — that is the place Grammarly can polish my work. 

Along with primary grammar help, the device can provide different extra superior assist, because of its integration of generative AI options that present shortcuts to common duties. 

For instance, you should utilize Grammarly to create or rewrite textual content, present concepts, determine gaps in your writing, change the tone of your textual content, generate fast replies, make outlines, and extra. You possibly can even choose a voice, which incorporates choices for formality and tone, to assist compose messages for various platforms, comparable to LinkedIn or electronic mail. 

Though I do not use the write or rewrite options in my very own workflow, I can see the worth of implementing it into different individuals’s on a regular basis writing processes. 

2. ChatGPT

I’ve examined most AI chatbots in the marketplace, and ChatGPT lately turned my favourite and vital in my workflow. This is why. 

Though ChatGPT was undeniably spectacular when it first launched, it had some main drawbacks, together with a information restrict and an older GPT mannequin. Nonetheless, OpenAI upgraded its chatbot in Might to deal with these points, including options usually restricted to ChatGPT Plus customers, together with Browse, Imaginative and prescient, information evaluation, file uploads, and GPTs. This improve makes free ChatGPT an all-encompassing AI device for work that you must reap the benefits of.

Then in November, OpenAI formally added a search characteristic to the chatbot which permits customers to look the net straight inside ChatGPT for well timed, up-to-date data, full with citations linked to sources.

I primarily use the device as a extra conversational search engine. If I’ve a query about something, I flip to ChatGPT somewhat than Google as a result of as a substitute of filtering by a whole bunch of outcomes as I’d following a Google question, I get one easy, conversational reply that addresses my query straight. 

The most important profit for me is the time saved from not having to enter a structured sentence with key phrases into Google. Moderately you’ll be able to enter a rambling sentence into ChatGPT Search and nonetheless get nice outcomes.

ChatGPT might help proofread grammar, rewrite textual content with imperfect wording, and write messages, proposals, or different content material from scratch. Though I do not use these options in my work or articles, I discover them extremely useful when writing private correspondence.

Maybe one of the useful new options permits customers to add screenshots, images, and paperwork. PDFs usually comprise a lot of data that may be tough to digest; now, you’ll be able to add them to ChatGPT and have it reply your questions concerning the doc, generate summaries, and even create content material primarily based on it. 

As a reporter protecting the quickly evolving world of AI, I usually need to learn new analysis, together with many tutorial journal articles. After I’ve learn everything of a research, I will use ChatGPT’s abstract to substantiate my findings and inquire additional on factors I used to be nonetheless unclear on. 

One other useful perk of ChatGPT is its potential to help with writing code, producing Excel formulation, creating charts and tables, and extra. Whereas I needn’t use these options at work and have not examined them, I do know a number of working professionals who use them recurrently. 

3. Canva Professional 

Canva has almost each AI device you’ll be able to think about for graphic design, together with its personal AI picture generator. Nonetheless, in case you create visible content material each day like me, you seemingly will not have to generate photographs that ceaselessly. As a substitute, you want instruments that make it simpler and sooner to create social media posts, invites, flyers, and shows — and that is the place Canva Professional shines. 

Canva Professional has a powerful array of graphic design instruments, together with Magic Edit, Magic Design, Magic Eraser, Background Remover, and extra. These options full a sturdy vary of duties, automating almost all of your visible design wants.

My favourite device, which I attain for continuously, is Canva’s AI Background Remover. Does it sound primary? Certain, however in case you’ve ever needed to isolate an merchandise in a photograph, you know the way tedious the method might be utilizing Photoshop or how badly some automated instruments can botch this activity.

With Canva, all it takes is the contact of a button to isolate a picture, and the AI produces correct outcomes each time. The very best half is that I haven’t got to open a brand new picture or video editor to then make a graphic with the PNG, saving me time. I take advantage of this characteristic recurrently to create photographs for my articles, product photographs for ZDNET finest lists, and even Instagram posts. 

A Canva Professional particular person account prices $120 per 12 months after the 30-day free trial expires. 

4. Otter.ai

In case you’ve ever transcribed a dialog by hand, you will know it is a time-consuming and tedious activity. 

AI is right here to assist. Whether or not you are a pupil who information your lectures, knowledgeable who must create assembly notes and highlights, or somebody who conducts interviews recurrently, Otter.ai is a critical time-saver. 

With Otter.ai, you’ll be able to import a voice recording and have it transcribe the dialog in minutes. The AI assistant contains speaker designations, time stamps, and a fairly correct transcription. Otter may report and transcribe conversations in actual time. 

As a reporter, I conduct many interviews as a part of my each day workflow. It may be extraordinarily time-consuming to evaluate the audio recordings of those interviews — which might be as brief as quarter-hour or so long as an hour and a half — after which both write down the conversations phrase for phrase or jot down time stamps of sections that stood out to me. With Otter.ai, I can merely add the audio file and generate the transcription in seconds. 

Additionally it is helpful for reside occasions, comparable to conferences, lectures, and briefings, the place you’ll somewhat be current within the second than speed-take notes. I’ve used different transcription companies, however Otter.ai excels in accuracy and effectivity. If a transcription part seems to be off, you’ll be able to hearken to the audio and edit the textual content with a single click on. 

One other helpful perk is the chatbot that accompanies every transcription. You possibly can chat with “Otter” and ask questions concerning the transcription, which is beneficial for these moments if you keep in mind the gist of what somebody stated however not the precise phrases. 

Otter.ai presents a free plan, however you are restricted to 300 month-to-month transcription minutes at half-hour per dialog for all conversations recorded on the platform itself, and also you solely get three lifetime imports with a free account. Subsequently, in case you report the conversations that want transcribing elsewhere, the free plan may not be for you. 

In case you are like me and wish limitless imports and superior search, Otter.ai presents a subscription value of $8.33 per thirty days when billed yearly. Since time is cash, contemplating on a regular basis that Otter.ai saves me, it is a worthwhile funding.