In previous posts, I’ve highlighted the importance of integrating AI into our daily workflows and I talked about the importance of crafting effective prompts, using prompt frameworks.

Today, I’ll share my experiences with my favorite AI tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney and Perplexity.

ChatGPT & Claude: My Best Friends and Companions

Both ChatGPT and Claude are very powerful AI tools and I have a paid subscription to both.

ChatGPT’s custom GPT store is a goldmine of specialized AI assistants created by the community that I find very useful. And I’ve also found myself using its voice mode on the mobile app quite often, especially for rehearsing upcoming conversations.

Both ChatGPT and Claude offer the ability to build custom assistants – I’ve already created a couple that have proven incredibly useful. One example is a personal coach, that I trained on my Insights and Core Talents profile, so it can give me personalized advice.

Another example is one that I have trained on my professional background, so whenever I need a speaker’s bio, I just have to tell it how long it should be and it provides me with a near-perfect version.

One feature I particularly appreciate in Claude is the option to favorite conversations, something I wish ChatGPT would implement (OpenAI, are you listening?)

Interestingly, I’ve developed a habit of cross-pollinating ideas between these AIs. I’ll often take the output from one and present it to the other, asking for improvements or alternative perspectives. This back-and-forth approach typically results in more nuanced, well-rounded content. It’s a bit like having two expert collaborators, each bringing their unique strengths to the table.

Midjourney: My Go-To Tool for Image Creation

Midjourney consistently impresses me with its superior image quality and versatility. It can create anything from realistic photographs to abstract art, and it can even replicate styles from reference images. Like the one that I have on top of this post.

I am subscribed to its cheapest subscription plan and have yet to run into its limits.

Midjourney does come with a bit of a learning curve but fortunately, you can find a ton of Midjourney tutorials on the internet.

Perplexity.ai: My Google Alternative

Perplexity.ai has become my go-to for quick online research. I’ll ask it a question, it will search the internet and it will provide me with a summary of the search results and its sources. And it also offers a couple of relevant follow-up questions.

I use the free version which offers me everything I need: it saves me time and it facilitates fact-checking, making it the perfect alternative to Google for me.

MS Copilot for Web in Edge Browser

Actually, I only use this one when I need a quick summary of a webpage. I’ll open the page in my Edge browser, click the Copilot button and it will suggest to summarize the page I have open. I don’t really use it for anything else, because of its really small context window. A couple of messages into a conversation it will have forgotten what we were talking about. Very annoying!

Et voila, those are my favorite AI tools. Which ones do you prefer to work with and why? Let me know!

And remember, if you want to dive deeper into using AI for email marketing, join me and Jeanne for our workshop on August 12 and 13. You’ll walk away with tons of new ways to leverage AI for your email marketing.