AI Beyond ChatGPT
By now, almost everyone knows about ChatGPT—the AI tool that has reshaped how we interact with technology. But AI is much bigger than just ChatGPT. Over the past months, I’ve been gathering notes on free and accessible AI tools. While many of these tools were originally highlighted for teachers and students, they also have incredible potential to improve efficiency in professional workflows and provide fun ways to explore AI.
In this blog post, I highlight 10 AI tools that sparked my interest. For even more inspiration, check out my ongoing collection of AI tool notes here
1. Gemini: Multimodal AI at Its Best
Gemini (formerly Bard) isn’t just a text-based assistant. While more and more AI tools can process text, images, and audio, Gemini is specifically trained to be multimodal. Whether you need help understanding a chart, summarizing an image, or analyzing audio, Gemini provides a more dynamic way to interact with AI.
2. Notebook LM: The Ultimate AI Study Assistant
Notebook LM is one of the best AI tools for students. It allows you to upload PDFs, notes, or documents, and the AI helps you organize, summarize, and retrieve key information. Think of it as your personal AI research assistant that makes studying and academic work easier.
3. Perplexity: AI-Powered Search Engine
If Google and ChatGPT had a baby, it would be Perplexity AI. This tool provides detailed, sourced answers while letting you refine queries like a conversation. It’s perfect for research, quick learning, and finding high-quality, AI-generated search results.
4. Teachable Machine: Build AI Models Without Coding
Want to experiment with AI but don’t know how to code? Teachable Machine by Google lets you create simple AI models using images, sounds, or poses—all with a few clicks. It’s an easy and fun way to understand AI in action.
5. LM Studio: Run AI Models Locally, No Internet Required
For those who want to experiment with AI offline, LM Studio lets you run AI models directly on your own device—no internet or cloud access required. It’s a powerful tool for researchers, developers, and privacy-conscious users who prefer local AI processing.
6. Cursor AI: AI-Powered Coding
Cursor AI is like having an AI coding assistant inside your development environment. It helps with autocomplete, debugging, and generating code snippets, making programming faster and easier.
It is so good that it even introduced a new hype: vibe coding. In vibe coding, professionals make entire games and software without writing a single line of code, just by prompting the AI system.
7. SlidesAI: AI-Powered Presentations in Seconds
Creating slides can be time-consuming, but SlidesAI generates presentation slides automatically from text input. Just type in your topic, and the tool structures your content into a professional slide deck—perfect for teachers, students, and business professionals.
8. MeetGeek: AI-Powered Meeting Notes & Summaries
Ever struggled to keep up with meeting notes? MeetGeek records, transcribes, and summarizes your meetings, saving you time and ensuring you never miss key points. It’s a game-changer for professionals and teams who want to focus on discussions rather than note-taking.
9. Suno: Make Music Without Musical Talent
Ever wanted to compose music but don’t play an instrument? Suno generates AI-powered music based on prompts, allowing anyone to create original tracks. Great for fun projects, creative work, or simply experimenting with AI-generated audio.
10. GPT Excel: Master Excel Formulas Instantly
Struggling with Excel formulas? GPT Excel lets you describe what you need in plain text, and it generates the correct formula for you—saving time and reducing frustration for students, professionals, and anyone who works with spreadsheets.
AI is for everyone
AI is more than just ChatGPT—the tools listed above can help with learning, productivity, creativity, and coding. Whether you’re a teacher, student, researcher, or professional, there’s an AI tool that can simplify your work and boost your efficiency. Also, they are just fun to experiment with.
For a deeper dive into these tools and how they work, check out my ongoing collection of AI tool notes here. Every two weeks, I highlight a new tool!