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

The generative AI increase may need began with the launch of ChatGPT, however the know-how has now been built-in into every kind of productiveness platforms designed to make our on a regular basis workflows simpler.

A worry many individuals have once they hear about AI use within the office is that the know-how will replace them. Nevertheless, the instruments I am speaking about right here will not do the give you the results you want — slightly, they will enhance your work productiveness.

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These AI instruments will help you full small however needed day by day duties that add as much as plenty of saved time in the long term. The outcome: You spend much less time on admin and drudgery, and extra time doing stuff you take pleasure in or which can be of upper worth to your work.

I’ve been masking and testing AI instruments for ZDNET for over two years, even earlier than AI reached its present stage of recognition. A number of the instruments stood out and impressed me a lot that I discovered it arduous to cease utilizing them and, in consequence, I’ve integrated a number of of those instruments into completely different facets of my day by day workflow. 

Listed below are my favourite AI instruments, which I take advantage of virtually on daily basis. Apparently, solely one among 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 providers. The platform is thought for its capacity to verify for spelling, grammar, conciseness, and extra in on a regular basis writing, and for good purpose — it is dependable and useful. 

Additionally: Why the Grammarly app is better than the browser extension – and how to configure it

My favourite manner to make use of the instrument 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 e mail. 

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

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

For instance, you need to use 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’ll be able to even choose a voice, which incorporates choices for formality and tone, to assist compose messages for various platforms, akin to LinkedIn or e 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 on the market, and ChatGPT not too long ago grew to become my favourite and essential in my workflow. Here is why. 

Though ChatGPT was undeniably spectacular when it first launched, it had some main drawbacks, together with a data restrict and an older GPT mannequin. Nevertheless, OpenAI upgraded its chatbot in Might to handle these points, including options usually restricted to ChatGPT Plus customers, together with Browse, Vision, data analysis, file uploads, and GPTs. This improve makes free ChatGPT an all-encompassing AI instrument for work that you must benefit from.

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

I primarily use the instrument as a extra conversational search engine. If I’ve a query about something, I flip to ChatGPT slightly than Google as a result of as an alternative of filtering by way of a whole bunch of outcomes as I might following a Google question, I get one easy, conversational reply that addresses my query instantly. 

Additionally: ChatGPT has officially replaced Google Search for me – here’s why

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 possibly can enter a rambling sentence into ChatGPT Search and nonetheless get nice outcomes.

ChatGPT will 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 worthwhile new options permits customers to add screenshots, pictures, and paperwork. PDFs typically include plenty of data that may be tough to digest; now, you possibly can add them to ChatGPT and have it reply your questions concerning the doc, generate summaries, and even create content material based mostly on it. 

Additionally: How to use ChatGPT to analyze PDFs for free

As a reporter masking the quickly evolving world of AI, I typically must learn new analysis, together with many tutorial journal articles. After I’ve learn the whole lot of a research, I will use ChatGPT’s abstract to verify my findings and inquire additional on factors I used to be nonetheless unclear on. 

One other worthwhile perk of ChatGPT is its capacity to help with writing code, generating Excel formulas, creating charts and tables, and extra. Whereas I need not use these options at work and have not examined them, I do know a number of working professionals who use them commonly. 

3. Canva Professional 

Canva has practically each AI instrument you possibly can think about for graphic design, together with its personal AI picture generator. Nevertheless, should you create visible content material day by day like me, you probably will not have to generate pictures that often. As a substitute, you want instruments that make it simpler and sooner to create social media posts, invites, flyers, and displays — 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 practically all of your visible design wants.

Additionally: The best AI image generators: Tested and reviewed

My favourite instrument, which I attain for consistently, is Canva’s AI Background Remover. Does it sound fundamental? Positive, however should you’ve ever needed to isolate an merchandise in a photograph, you understand how 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 most effective half is that I haven’t got to open a brand new photograph or video editor to then make a graphic with the PNG, saving me time. I take advantage of this characteristic commonly to create pictures for my articles, product pictures for ZDNET best lists, and even Instagram posts. 

A Canva Pro individual account prices $120 per 12 months after the 30-day free trial expires. 

4. Otter.ai

In the event 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 data your lectures, knowledgeable who must create assembly notes and highlights, or somebody who conducts interviews commonly, Otter.ai is a severe time-saver. 

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With Otter.ai, you possibly can import a voice recording and have it transcribe the dialog in minutes. The AI assistant consists of speaker designations, time stamps, and a fairly correct transcription. Otter also can document and transcribe conversations in actual time. 

As a reporter, I conduct many interviews as a part of my day by day workflow. It may be extraordinarily time-consuming to evaluation the audio recordings of those interviews — which might be as quick 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. 

It’s also helpful for stay occasions, akin to conferences, lectures, and briefings, the place you’ll slightly be current within the second than speed-take notes. I’ve used different transcription providers, however Otter.ai excels in accuracy and effectivity. If a transcription part appears to be like off, you possibly can hearken to the audio and edit the textual content with a single click on. 

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One other helpful perk is the chatbot that accompanies every transcription. You’ll be able to chat with “Otter” and ask questions concerning the transcription, which is beneficial for these moments while you bear in mind the gist of what somebody stated however not the precise phrases. 

Otter.ai affords 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. Due to this fact, should you document the conversations that want transcribing elsewhere, the free plan may not be for you. 

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