AI & Automation Tools I Actually Use (and Recommend). Learn More

AI & Automation Tools I Actually Use (and Recommend)

These are the tools I use regularly across client projects and my own workflows - my "AI tech stack" for building, writing, automating, and staying sharp. This list isn't exhaustive (there are quite a few tools not mentioned here that I occasionally use), but it includes my favorite tools both for myself and for my clients.

Name

Category

How I use it

OpenAI

LLM

OpenAI is the company behind ChatGPT, and the reason why I say OpenAI instead of ChatGPT is because I use the backend API more than anything else - connecting the power of AI to just about every one of my automation workflows.

Claude

LLM

In addition to OpenAI, I use Claude quite a bit, too, as I feel like it's actually a little better than OpenAI at solving complex challenges such as programming and file creation.

Pipedream

Workflows

Pipedream is like Zapier for building workflows, but I prefer it to Zapier because it is a little more developer-friendly and allows for greater complexity as well as leveraging external AI agent frameworks.

Formyra

Forms

Formyra is actually a tool that I created, and use for just about all of my forms. It looks like a traditional form, but has the intelligence to ask followup questions. And then it has its own workflow solution leveraging AI to handle and analyze data before sending it off to somewhere else.

NotebookLM

Learning

This educational tool created by Google doesn't seem too different from ChatGPT at first, but I've actually found it really helpful to have it produce a 5-10 minute podcast on something I'd like to learn more about.

LangChain

Workflows

I use LangChain when I need AI to iterate over something, perform research, and analyze its own outputs. It has the ability to produce next-level results to back-end systems.

Gemini

LLM

While most of my workflows are integrated with OpenAI, I do use Google's Gemini quite a bit for Google-related products, Gems, etc.

Framer

Websites

Framer is the best AI-powered website builder that I've tried till now (v0 by Vercel is a close second). Its designs are a step above other builders, and the functionality it can create is enough for most websites. Plus, it has an API which is incredible.

ElevenLabs

Text to Speech

Converting text to speech with AI can be a great way for a company to improve its communication. Some clients prefer voice over longer text-based messages, and I use it to communicate better and for marketing content (i.e. voiceovers via cloning).

Wispr Flow

Productivity

Alternatively, there are productivity benefits to speaking and having it be converted to a polished email, message or something else. It requires some time to get in the habit!

Vy by Vercept

Productivity

I've been on the lookout for a true AI intern - a tool that I can literally delegate new tasks too. Vy is the closest thing I've seen so far. I've taught it how to complete some tasks, then I let it take over my computer to perform them.

Other non-AI tools that are often a part of my workflows ...

Name

Category

How I use it

ClickUp

Project Management

ClickUp isn't an AI-first platform, but it's definitely prioritizing integrating AI into its app. A common process is to trigger a workflow on a task update or status change, handling all or some of the task via an automated workflow, and then tagging the task creator in a comment when complete.

Gmail

Email

Gmail is regularly included in many of my workflows - either as a trigger (i.e. monitoring new emails for certain terms or requests) or as a final step (i.e. creating an email reply and putting it in the drafts folder for human review before sending).

Google Forms

Forms

Oftentimes, you need some sort of way to input data to be used and transformed into something (e.g. an email, a blog post, a website). Google Forms is a good, cheap solution that lets you send the data, on submission, to an API or webhook.

SerpApi

API

For local businesses, SerpApi is a very helpful API as it allows for retrieving data from Google (e.g. search data, competitor data), monitoring reviews, updating Google Business Profiles, and more.

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