The 5 (and a bit) AI Tools I Get The Most Value From Right Now

No, I'm not funding millions of subscriptions

Author

Ross Stevenson
September 23rd, 2025

📨 Subscribe | 🤖 AI Training | 🚀 Courses

 TODAY’S THOUGHTS ☠️

Hey there 👋,

Today I answer one of the single most popular questions I’m graced with weekly.

What AI tools do you use and what value do they bring?

The answer to this is always evolving based on current innovations and the work I’m doing.

So, today, we’re exploring the 5 (and a bit) AI Tools I Get the Most Value From Right Now.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready, 🍵.

We've got lots to discuss!

P.S. Your app might clip this edition due to size, if so, read the full edition in all its glory in your browser.

P.P.S I’m running a short survey on what AI tools you actually use and why. Use 90 seconds to take part and get the full report in the next month.

 IN THIS DROP 📔

  • 5 (and a bit) AI-powered tools I get real value from

  • Video tutorials showing how I use my favourite tools

  • What happened to that Learning Science AI model from Google?

🙋‍♀️ Want to reach over 5,000 L&D pros? Become a Newsletter sponsor in 2025

 THE BIG THOUGHT 👀

The 5 (and a bit) AI Tools I Get The Most Value From Right Now

Look who it is

This edition isn’t another list of the 25 million AI tools on the market today (99% are irrelevant and will fade away, FYI).

Instead, I want this to be more nuanced.

These are the 5 AI-powered tools I’m finding the most value from right now. This isn’t me saying they’re the best for you because that’s hyper-contextual.

Yet, I’ve tested each extensively to ensure they’re worth your time.

You don’t, and certainly shouldn’t, use every tool on this list at the same time. Your job is to use the ones that work for your context. Pick the ones that work best for you through experimentation.

Sorry to those who were expecting one of those crazy visuals with millions of tools!

I always believe you don’t need more tools, you only need the right tools for your context, and that is always changing, so don’t be afraid to make changes.

Before we begin… these aren’t in any particular order, and for the most part, I am using the paid versions.

ChatGPT by OpenAI

I’m not sure I even need to give an introduction for this one anymore.

It’s the poster child for the new wave of generative AI tools. I can’t deny its current top billing as the best-performing multi-model conversational AI tool today.

It’s incredibly effective.

If Willy Wonka operated a delightful factory of AI tools rather than delicious chocolates, ChatGPT would be his most beloved creation.

What it can do:

  • Answer your burning questions with depth and context

  • Create images and videos (with Sora)

  • Analyse and summarise anything

  • Create custom AI assistants that connect to other applications.

  • Use voice and vision to talk with you and explore your surroundings

  • Perform deep research to a PHD level

  • Perform agentic features and connect with other tools in your personal stack

What you can use it for:

  • A thought partner to support your ideas and general work

  • Your research intern

  • A data analyst that distills complex, bloated reports into meaningful insights

  • Cute cat images, if that’s your thing

  • Live problem-solving with vision and voice mode to see the world around you, and share your screen.

My favourite use cases:

  • Thought Partner

  • LXD Assistant

  • Research Assistant

  • Data Analyst

  • Skills coach

Here’s a few ‘how-to’ videos to get you started with ChatGPT:

NotebookLM by Google

This one is under the radar for most.

It’s a tool specifically built for research and analysis by the smart folk at Google. The USP of this tool is its ability to handle huge stores of data. It allows you to treat it like a notebook.

That means you can store little sticky notes of thoughts, discoveries and insights to revisit.

Key features include:

  • Upload and analyse up to 300 different data sources in one chat

  • Create FAQ’s, study guides and briefing docs from conversations

  • Comparative data analysis – ask for critiques, breakdowns and related ideas on your research

  • Generate podcast-style conversations based on your findings, voiced by AI-created hosts (weird, I know)

  • Generate video overviews of your research

This is not your typical LLM.

It won’t create images for you or any of the classic creative tasks the tool above are used for. That’s actually what makes it great. It does 1 – 2 tasks exceptionally well.

Learn how to use this tool with my in-depth tutorial playlist on YouTube ↓

Sana AI by Sana

This one is a little different.

Sana have built a very slick and easy way to interact with LLMs from all the big names.

What you get here is a superior user interface for using different LLMs.

The advantage with Sana AI is that you don’t just get access to one LLM but lots, and the best bit is you can choose which one to use and when. This also extends to their agent feature, which enables you to build AI-powered assistants with different LLMs and assign them tasks with any connected apps.

Key features include:

  • All the features you know and love from other LLMs

  • Access to a huge list of LLMs with a list picker

  • Create AI-powered assistants and agents to work on tasks and with connected apps

  • Record and transcribe your meetings

  • Quickly and accurately surface knowledge across any of your connected systems

Chipp AI by Chipp

This one is less something you use but what you use as a builder to create apps for users.

For any learning experiences where I want to build easy to use AI assistants, I come to Chipp. If you’ve ever taken any of my online courses or used some of the tools on my website, you’ve used one of my Chipp creations.

For about $200 a year, I can create multiple assistants for projects and even get them to work together for back-end business support. The advantage of Chipp vs using ChatGPT to build assistants is that I can easily embed my creations onto websites, courses and even this newsletter. Not something easily achieved with ChatGPT.

Chipp AI is an app builder and a perfect beginner-friendly one.

You can see how I use ChatGPT, Sana and Chipp to build AI-powered products below ↓

Descript

A video editing suite so simple a 5-year-old can master it.

Of course, it comes with AI-powered features to simplify the creation and editing of visual content. It’s easy to use, saves time, and makes your videos look incredibly professional.

What more can you ask for?

What it can do:

  • Edit videos with user-friendly, AI-assisted tools

  • Auto–generate subtitles and transcripts for accessibility

  • Repurpose existing video content into new formats

  • Create podcasts and voiceovers with built-in recording features

  • Clone your voice for speedy but slightly eerie creations

What you can use it for:

  • Create slick videos with little experience

  • Podcasts and audiograms

  • Text-to-voice creations, if you’re interested in voice cloning

My favourite use cases:

  • Producing all my video content – it’s my only video editing tool

  • Adding subtitles in seconds to any video

  • Adding studio sound quality to any video

  • Editing my transcripts. This might sound simple, but it’s hard and time-consuming. Descript simplifies this.

  • Generating b-roll, avatars and images with in-built AI models

  • Using agent mode to help me design production elements I can’t do on my own

Bonus: HeyGen

Ok, I did put 5 and a bit in the title.

For a while, I had been resistant to AI avatar technology as I’d found its applications incredibly gimmicky, and most often used to elevate already bad L&D practices.

But the fact is that’s not the tech’s fault, it’s down to the users.

AI avatar tech has been getting better, and right now, HeyGen is the platform that most impresses me and where I get a lot of value when I do choose to utilise AI avatars.

It’s packed full of features, and they’re generally first to market with the latest innovations from the space. Check out the video below, where I create an interactive AI avatar that can listen and respond to users ↓

Final thoughts

Ok, friend, there you have it.

The 5 and a bit AI-powered tools I’m getting most value from right now,

Have you used any of these? What do you think?

Also, you can contribute to my next research project, where I’m exploring what AI-powered tools L&D teams are actually using and getting value from.

→ If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing it wherever you hang out online, tag me in and share your thoughts.

A MESSAGE FROM WORKERA

Is Your Workforce Growing Skills Fast Enough?

Too many enterprises still measure learning by hours and completions but none of that matters if skills aren’t improving. In this exclusive demo, discover how Workera helps you prove real workforce growth:

  • Establish a clear baseline

  • Focus on business-critical skills

  • Verify proficiency with real-world application

  • Show ROI with confidence

Join us to see how you can turn L&D into a true engine of growth.

 VIDEO THOUGHTS 💾

What Happened to Google’s AI Model For Education?

Earlier this year, I covered Google’s LearnLM, an experimental AI model trained specifically on learning science principles.

Since then, I’ve had a flood of messages asking: Where did it go? Is it dead? Can you still use it?

In this video, I answer all of those questions.

I’ll break down what this shift means, how you can still take advantage of LearnLM’s learning science foundation, and where to get the best tools and prompts to get real educational value from it today.

Till next time, you stay classy, learning friend!

PS… If you’re enjoying the newsletter, will you take 4 seconds to forward this edition to a friend? It goes a long way in helping me grow the newsletter (and cut through our industry BS with actionable insights).

And one more thing, I’d love your input on how to make the newsletter even more useful for you!

So please leave a comment with:

  1. Ideas you’d like covered in future editions

  2. Your biggest takeaway from this edition

I read & reply to every single one of them!

🙋‍♀️ Want to reach over 5,000 L&D pros? Become a Newsletter sponsor in 2025

P.S. Wanna build your L&D advantage?

Here’s a few ways I can help:

Reply

or to participate.