10 Generative AI That You Should Be Using

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Love it, or loathe it, generative AI is here to stay. Over the past few years, generative AI tools have evolved from being a niche that most people weren’t too familiar with, into easily accessible tools that can write your emails and plan your holidays for you.

Even if you haven’t used generative AI models yet, chances are you have heard of ChatGPT at work, school, or in the news. Today’s generative AI tools are being used by people at home and in the office, as well as on a larger scale, by businesses eager to harness the power of this new form of intelligence.

Faced with the arrival of a powerful, new technology, it is human nature to be wary. Indeed, these advanced artificial intelligence models have been met with equal parts enthusiasm and trepidation across the globe. This article does not set out to judge the various applications of generative AI, or its users. These are tools that some people use and some people don’t.

By familiarizing yourself with generative AI, you will have a better understanding of how it works and what it can do. Have a read of this article, then figure out if you want to use generative AI, or not. But don’t get left behind! Below we will discover what generative AI really is, and how to make it work for you, and not against you. We will also introduce ten generative AI tools worth checking out, so keep reading to see how generative AI can help you and your business.

What is generative AI and why should you be using it?

Generative AI is an artificial intelligence system that can generate text, music, images, computer code, and other media from user prompts, usually typed text. Designed to mimic human imagination and creativity, generative AI uses advanced machine learning techniques to learn the patterns and relationships of the data that they are trained on. For a more in depth introduction to generative AI, check out this informative Google video.

AI models (programs that analyze data to find patterns and make predictions) utilize data to produce new data with similar characteristics. The inner workings of individual generative AI tools differ somewhat, but they rely on generative adversarial networks (GANs) to create new examples from a specific training set. 

Put simply, this means that algorithms are trained to generate output that appears to be created by a human. The more data that is fed into the AI model, the more it is able to perfect its ability to replicate human expression, be that in words or a painting.

What is AI used for?

As the name suggests, generative AI generates content, and all businesses require content. Currently, generative AI is most effectively applied to the fields of marketing and sales, customer operations, software engineering, and R&D. Industries across the board have already tapped into this low cost, time and resource saving method of generating social media posts, articles, graphics and many other types of content.

Ever wonder why you keep receiving advertisements for things you might actually be interested in buying? Well, another widespread application of generative AI in business is in analyzing customer data to create personalized customer experiences and tailoring product suggestions to increase customer engagement.

A replication, a kind of burlesque?

At this point in time, generative AI offers more practical applications in the creative industries, than in medicine, for example. Generative AI has been widely adopted by businesses that require written content. This article itself could feasibly be written by an AI text generator (it isn’t, but if you want to check, paste a chunk of it into Copyleaks AI content detector).

Time will tell if generative AI can outlearn all that humans have learned, of love and suffering over the centuries, and instantly put it down in song, poem, and script. As it stands, AI generated stories and AI art generators are widely derided by creatives. Earlier this year, musician Nick Cave commented that a ChatGPT song written in his style was “a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human”.

That said, there is widespread fear that generative AI, although in its infancy, is well on the way to replacing human workers. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has been on strike since May this year due to a labor dispute, focused on residuals from streaming media. AI has also raised its head in this dispute, with strike leaders somewhat optimistically demanding reassurance that AI will remain a tool used by writers, not a tool that replaces writers.

Ten generative AI tools that you should check out 

1) ChatGPT   

First launched in November 2022, ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) is the most well known of the artificial intelligence chatbots. Developed by San Francisco based OpenAI, ChatGPT-3.5 is free to use, while the advanced GPT-4 version, (ChatGPT Plus) is available via paid subscription. Noted for its ability to interact in a conversational, distinctly human manner, ChatGPT has over 100 million users. The applications of ChatGPT are manifold, including writing articles, summarizing text, writing code, and translating. There are limitations, notably that the training data is not updated with real time events, currently ending in early 2022.Bias and hallucinations (plausible, but incorrect answers) are other notable flaws in ChatGPT. To make the most of ChatGPT, check out this article on ChatGPT prompts for work. 

2) Notion

Notion started life as a note-taking app, and has grown into an all-in one workspace tool. Suitable for individual users and teams alike, Notion combines project management, workflow building, and now an AI writing tool, all in a user friendly platform. The San Francisco based company unveiled its writing tool, Notion AI in November 2022, and it is available at a monthly price of US$10 per person. Notion AI can generate content, edit spelling and grammar, as well as voice and tone. On top of this, Notion AI also promises to create lists, summaries, explain technical jargon, and use simpler language.      

3) Microsoft 365 Copilot

This next generation AI assistant, integrated into Microsoft 365 applications, is built on OpenAI’s GPT-4. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your copilot for work, promising to combine “the power of large language models (LLMs) with your data in the Microsoft Graph and the Microsoft 365 apps to turn your words into the most powerful productivity tool on the planet.” Copilot is integrated with Windows 11, and will greatly increase business productivity, letting the user attend to work, while the copilot gets the grunt work done. Somewhat resembling a genetically improved Clippy, Copilot will work alongside users, embedded in apps like Word, Excel and Powerpoint.

4) Midjourney

According to their website, Midjourney is an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species. Midjourney is a text-to-image generator, creating images from prompts typed by users. Simply type it, this tool will turn it into a realistic or stylised image. The AI art generator has already been used to create children’s books and AI generated photos, including realistic deep fakes, some of which have proved controversial. Thanks to Midjourney, generating all manner of images is now a common global pastime. But, take note: Midjourney curtails users from typing certain prompts, namely the names of political figures that may offend.

5) GitHub Copilot

Another willing sidekick for your writing journeys, GitHub Copilot is an integrated, cloud-based AI pair programmer. The most recent evolution from San Francisco based GitHub, Copilot X, adopts OpenAI’s GPT-4, generating solution code from natural language. GitHub Copilot X is set to redefine developer productivity by introducing chat and voice for Copilot, as well as bringing Copilot to pull requests, the command line, and docs. With this assistance, developers can code faster, focus on business logic over boilerplate, and most importantly, build great software. Github Copilot is already being used in 46% of code written, and according to their own research, Copilot helps developers write code up to 55% faster.

6) YouChat

Part of the You.com family of AI powered tools, YouChat is the future of AI assisted searching. At first, YouChat may seem similar to ChatGPT and its cousins, but this is not the case. Launched in 2022, YouChat is the AI search engine that you control to perform powerful, generative searches, linked to up to the minute news and information. YouChat can also write, summarize and explain complex concepts in language that is easy to understand. And not just in the English language, YouChat can function in any language. If you are interested in learning how to make AI generated art, YouImagine is a good place to begin, as is YouWrite, if you are looking to improve your penmanship. If you want to find out more about this powerful, innovative search assistant, check out this informative article introducing YouChat.

7) Chatsonic

Confidently asserting itself as a revolutionary AI like ChatGPT, Chatsonic features a conversational AI NLP processor, purportedly addressing the limitations of ChatGPT. Part of Writesonic, the AI writing assistant used by over 5 million teams, agencies and freelancers, Chatsonic supports voice commands, and is integrated with Google search for the latest information. That’s right, Chatsonic stays constantly updated with the latest information, so when it comes to news and events, you won’t be stuck in September 2021. Chatsonic simplifies and streamlines the way you work, making it easier to create efficient, targeted content. What’s more, as well as the features that you’d expect, Chatsonic for Chrome can be used in Google Docs, and will save you time and effort when using Gmail, LinkedIn, Twitter, and more.

8) GrowthBar

Next in our list of generative AI programs that you should check out is GrowthBar. This AI assisted SEO content writing tool is also a chatbot with ChatGPT-like powers. GrowthBar promises to create SEO-friendly, long-form blog content 10x faster than a writer like little old me. No more searching through AI created articles purported to be written by people, GrowthBar scans hundreds of results in the Google SERP and generates an SEO-optimized outline for your blog or website, instantly. Featuring headline optimization, internal links, keywords and more, GrowthBar also features a 2-minute blog builder, creating a 1,500 word blog post in 2 minutes flat. With a tool like GrowthBar, you won’t have to pay for human writers ever again!

9) Scribe

This AI text generator, founded in 2019 allows users to create documentation in seconds, saving you time to focus on doing what you love. Scribe can be integrated with Chrome, and is the new go-to tool for building SOPs, help centers and processing documents. This innovative approach to process writing uses Scribe’s AI-powered text generator to generate high quality text documents. Create a process document by simply clicking ‘Record’ in the Scribe toolbar, and navigate the desired process. Scribe automatically captures screenshots and text, until you stop recording, auto-generating a document. Further editing and customization is easily achieved in the program, and documents can be shared with your team in your Scribe workspace, or by conventional document sharing methods.

10) GhostWryter

As the name suggests, GhostWryter is a writing assistant and an ideas generator. Supporting English, French, Spanish, and German languages, GhostWryter is an AI writing assistant specially made for Google Docs. Priced slightly differently than other generative AI in our list, with GhostWryter, you only pay for what you use, and the current rate is $1 for about 37,500 words. By automating your writing, GhostWryter will create SEO text, blog posts, and other marketing content, at the click of a button. From keywords to headlines, outline generators, and complete essays, GhostWryter makes writing a low cost breeze.

The future prospects of AI in business

From the mechanization of the textile industry, to the invention of the internet, and even 5G data, naysayers and early adopters made a fuss, while the newfangled technologies quietly settled into the status quo after a few years. Similarly, generative AI is becoming an integral part of the digital business landscape.

AI in the future is in many ways, what you choose to make of it. From AI consulting to content generation, the applications of AI will continue to grow and impact all industries. The generative AI tools listed above all have their benefits and inconveniences, some will stand the test of time, some will soon be forgotten. However you feel about it, AI cannot be ignored, it is worth learning more about how generative AI will affect your industry. Perhaps AI will not take your job, but someone who can use it effectively might. Check out this eye-opening Fortune article discussing how prompt engineers are expected to be in increased demand.

Businesses, large and small, are increasingly adopting AI, and skilled workers who understand AI are needed to assist in this historic transition. AI will be used on tasks that don’t add value, the heavy lifting and sifting of our workday.  As we discussed above, asking AI the correct questions gives us the most useful answers. So whatever it is that you do, whether you choose to use AI, or not, do yourself a favor and keep an eye on it.