Everyone worships ChatGPT. But let’s be honest: for many narrow tasks, it’s mediocre. Ask it to draw a diagram, and it will give you ASCII code from the 90s. Ask it to analyse Excel, and it will start hallucinating and getting confused with the numbers. Ask it to write an application, and you’ll be debugging the code for half a day.
My goal is efficiency. I don’t want to spend hours on something that can be done in minutes. That’s why I stopped using a ‘universal hammer’ for everything and put together a stack of specialised tools.
Below are four services that I have personally tested. No theory, just hardcore cases: before and after.
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Table of Contents
1. Visualisation: Napkin AI
Problem: I need to insert a diagram into a report, presentation or coursework. In PowerPoint, it takes a long time and looks crooked. In Miro, it’s overly complicated for a single image. Solution: A plugin that generates infographics directly from text. Works in Google Docs.
My test: I copied some boring text about a SWOT analysis of a coffee shop. I clicked the lightning button. Result: A perfect diagram in 10 seconds. The AI itself broke it down into blocks, picked icons and colours.
2. Working with books and PDFs: Google NotebookLM
Problem: The ‘Sort later’ folder is clogged with 500-page PDF reports, textbooks and contracts. No time to read, but I need the gist right now. Solution: This is not a chatbot, it is your personal analyst. You can feed it up to 50 files at a time.
My test: I uploaded Steve Jobs’ biography (Walter Isaacson, 600+ pages). I asked it to highlight the 5 main principles of Apple’s management.
Result:
A clear list of principles.
Killer feature: Footnotes (numbers). Click on them to see the relevant paragraph in the book. No fiction, just facts from the source.
Verdict: The best tool for research and preparing for exams/meetings.
3. Searching for the truth: Consensus
My test: I asked the question: ‘Does AI really help with business decisions?’
Result: A summary of 28 peer-reviewed studies. Plus a list of risks and benefits with links to scientific papers.
Verdict: If you need rock-solid proof for an argument, thesis, or strategy, this is the place to go.
4. No-code development: Bolt.new
Problem: I need a simple tool for myself (ROI calculator, expense tracker), but I’m too lazy to learn Python for a single task, and hiring a freelancer is expensive. Solution: A browser-based development environment that writes code itself, installs libraries, and deploys.
My test: I asked, ‘Make an expense tracker with a chart.’
Result: In 30 seconds, I had a working web application. You can enter expenses, select categories, and the chart is updated in real time.
Verdict: The best way to quickly test a hypothesis or put together an MVP on the fly.
Conclusion
AI is not hype. It is leverage. While some complain that ‘neural networks will replace people,’ others silently automate routine tasks and go home at 6 p.m.
