We tested AI tools (so you don’t have to)

August 2025

AI isn’t just having a moment. It’s having all the moments. Like Taylor Swift in 2024. Or pumpkin spice lattes in October.

If AI could’ve helped us move into our new Boston office, I’d have been first in line (An algorithm that lifts file cabinets and untangles cords? Yes, please). Sadly, that’s still not a thing.

But AI is making a dent in the day-to-day grind—helping us speed through the tedious stuff so we can focus on the fun stuff: ideas, strategy, and the kind of creative leaps no bot can replicate.

Here’s a look at a few of the tools we’re experimenting with—and how they’re helping us work smarter, without losing the human touch.

AI tools are popping up faster than new messages in your family group chat. And keeping up can feel like…a lot. Here are a few that actually make our work easier (without stealing the magic):

ChatGPT – Brainstorm buddy.

  • Where it shines: Kicking off drafts, rewording, wordplay on demand.
  • Where it slips up: Tone, depth, accuracy. Plus, its penchant for emojis, exclamation points, and clichés can scream “AI wrote this.” Proceed with caution—it needs a human editor to keep it real.

 

Grammarly – Grammar police, but friendlier.

  • Where it shines: Grammar checks, typo patrol, tone tweaks…it can even flag AI-generated content.
  • Where it slips up: Zero imagination. Strictly an assistant, not a co-writer.

 

Perplexity – Research with receipts.

  • Where it shines: Document summaries, research with sources.
  • Where it slips up: Nuance. Always fact-check.

 

Adobe Generative Expand – Designer’s shortcut.

  • Where it shines: Removing backgrounds, extending images.
  • Where it slips up: Detailed retouching and photo-realism—yep, our designers still rule.

 

Otter.ai – Meeting memory keeper.

  • Where it shines: Transcripts, summaries, searchable notes.
  • Where it slips up: Accuracy with noise or multiple voices. Needs a once-over.

 


A little friendly guidance before you dive headfirst into the AI pool:

✅ Do fact-check like a pro.“Hallucination” is just AI-speak for “I made this up.” Double-check your sources.
✅ Do craft killer prompts.Be specific, add context, skip the “please” and “thank you” (they use extra energy—really).
✅ Do review, edit, and humanize. Too many emojis? Extra fingers in that photo? Edit until it feels like you.

❌ Don’t outsource your brain. AI can’t replace your knowledge or creativity.
❌ Don’t settle for bland. Without edits, AI content can sound like a soggy cracker.
❌ Don’t assume it’s private. Sensitive info doesn’t belong in prompts.
❌ Don’t copy, paste, send. Always give it a once-over. Preferably twice.

  • HeyGen: Quick AI video avatars. Cool, but occasionally…creepy.
  • Google NotebookLM: Summarizes docs, even hosts “podcasts” of your content. Quirky, entertaining, maybe brilliant.

 


AI can make things faster, easier, and sometimes stranger. But the spark that moves people—the imagination, the strategy, the storytelling—that’s still us. That’s still human.

Sorry, Jasmine—while we’re great at fixing stale ideas, popcorn is a little out of scope. But hey, we’re loving the word “unfreshness.” That one’s going in the vocabulary vault.

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