There are a LOT of AI tools out there, but sometimes an AI tool really is worth all the hype. We’re sharing three tools our team loves and uses regularly, and some quick AI tips and tricks.

Synthesia.io for AI-Generated Videos

We’ve used Synthesia for a few videos on our ticket system, FacetTRAK (you can see them at FacetTRAK.com). Their avatars are surprisingly lifelike (especially their most recent additions) and the voices don’t sound like robots—no Siri/Bixby here. I found the editing to be quick and easy. If you, like us, prefer staying off-camera, this is a great way to make video content.

Scribe

Scribe is our development team’s go-to tutorial maker. It records your screen while you perform any task and turns it into step-by-step documentation. You can then edit the document if needed. Fast, simple, incredibly helpful and time-saving.

Claude: a Brainstorming/Outlining Pal

I’ve yet to find an AI tool that can really replace an actual human “voice,” but the one that comes closest for me is Claude, a large language model (LLM) with a free tier and a more advanced paid tier. Here are some things I think it excels at:

1. Outlines: I use Claude to outline blog posts and articles. It can turn a brainstorming document into an outline instantly, so you can start writing faster.

2. Working Off Other Documents: Claude lets you upload whole documents to use as a reference or to proofread—this is great for converting, say, a blog post into a Facebook post, or checking for typos. Just don’t upload anything confidential–I stick to things that will be posted publicly.

3. Sounding Like a Real Person: Claude is good at understanding niche subjects and avoids predictable AI tropes. If you’ve been unimpressed with the robotic tone of ChatGPT, I’d recommend trying Claude. It’s often said to sound more “human” out of the box.

Quick Tips:

Fake Your Excel Power User Status: ChatGPT and other LLMs tend to be pretty good at providing Excel/Google Sheets formulas. Use plain English to explain what you’d like to do, and save that time you would have spent down a Google rabbit hole.

Social Media Posts, Faster: Canva, the free social media/creative tool, has some new AI features that blew me away, including image editing abilities and background removal that used to require manual work and lots of patience, and AI-powered image generation.

YMMV: Having AI help with your fantasy football (soccer) picks. Have ChatGPT help build a workout (just don’t expect it to replace your personal trainer). Have ChatGPT plan some meals (use your discretion, obviously, and take the Google AI recommendations with a grain of salt).