The best AI productivity tools

Are you tired of juggling countless tasks and feeling like there's never enough time in the day? Thankfully, we might have the solution: artificial intelligence (AI).

AI tools are becoming increasingly important in our personal and professional lives, helping automate routine tasks, analyze data to unearth valuable insights, and enhance content creation.

This article explores the best AI productivity tools currently on the market, highlighting their features, benefits, and potential drawbacks.

Key takeaways

• How can AI tools boost productivity?
• The top 6 AI tools for productivity
• How-to use ElevenLabs Studio to create an audiobook
• Final thoughts

How can AI tools boost productivity?

Artificial intelligence has everyone talking about how we approach productivity. By automating repetitive tasks and providing intelligent solutions for complex tasks, AI tools have transformed workflows across industries.

Some of the main use cases for AI productivity tools include:

1. Task automation: AI can handle mundane, time-consuming tasks, such as data entry, scheduling, and email management, freeing up your time to focus on higher-value work.
2. Intelligent scheduling: AI-powered calendars and planners can optimize your schedule, automatically prioritizing tasks and ensuring you make the most of your time.
3. Enhanced communication: AI tools can improve team collaboration and communication through features like smart email categorization, intelligent chatbots, and real-time translation.
4. Personalized assistance: AI-powered virtual assistants can provide tailored recommendations, reminders, and support based on your unique needs and preferences.
5. Data-driven insights: AI can analyze vast amounts of data to uncover patterns, trends, and insights that inform better decision-making and help you work more efficiently.

With AI's ability to handle manual tasks and generate high-quality content quickly, businesses and individuals can achieve more in less time, marking a significant leap forward in productivity. The integration of AI in productivity tools also helps bridge language barriers, enabling seamless communication and collaboration across different languages and regions.

The top 6 AI tools for productivity

From video editing to human resources tools, AI is everywhere. But which tools are best for increasing productivity?

Here are the top 6 AI tools to try in 2024.

A versatile AI large language model that can assist with writing, brainstorming, coding, and more.

ChatGPT offers advanced natural language processing, context-aware responses, integrations with various apps and services.

Top features:

• Advanced natural language processing
• Context-aware responses
• Integration with various apps and services

Pros:

• Versatile tool for writing, brainstorming, and coding
• Generates high-quality content
• Supports multiple languages

Cons:

• Requires an internet connection
• May produce irrelevant or off-topic responses in some cases

An AI-powered writing assistant that helps improve grammar, punctuation, clarity, and style.

Grammarly’s features include real-time writing suggestions, tone detection, plagiarism checker, integration with multiple platforms.

Top features:

• Real-time writing suggestions
• Tone detection
• Plagiarism checker
• Integration with multiple platforms

Pros:

• Improves grammar, punctuation, clarity, and style
• Enhances content creation and writing tasks
• User-friendly interface

Cons:

• Advanced features require a premium subscription
• May not catch all nuanced errors

Notion is an AI-enhanced workspace, aiding in note-taking, project management, and collaboration. The AI features are automated task management, intelligent search, content generation, and summarization.

Top features:

• Automated task management
• Intelligent search
• Content generation and summarization

Pros:

• Enhances productivity in note-taking and project management
• Provides valuable insights for strategic tasks
• Integrates seamlessly with Notion pages

Cons:

• Learning curve for new users
• Some features may feel limited compared to dedicated tools

An AI assistant integrated into Microsoft Office 365, enhancing productivity in Word, Excel, and other Office apps. Microsoft co-pilot facilitates data analysis in Excel, content generation in Word, meeting insights in Teams, and task automation.

Top features:

• Data analysis in Excel
• Content generation in Word
• Meeting insights in Teams
• Task automation

Pros:

• Integrates well with Microsoft Office 365
• Enhances productivity in various complex tasks
• Supports multiple programming languages

Cons:

• Requires a Microsoft Office 365 subscription
• May not always provide accurate data analysis

Otter.ai is an AI-driven transcription service that converts spoken conversations into text. Useful capabilities are real-time transcription, speaker identification, integration with conferencing tools, searchable notes.

Top features:

• Real-time transcription
• Speaker identification
• Integration with conferencing tools
• Searchable notes

Pros:

• Excellent for automating routine tasks like meeting notes
• Supports multi-language transcription
• Accurate and fast transcription

Cons:

• Advanced features require a premium subscription
• Occasional errors in speaker identification

ElevenLabs offers a suite of tools for AI-driven audio generation using its advanced TTS model.

The ElevenLabs Reader app is particularly useful for productivity purposes, instantly converting emails, PDFs, or web pages to audio. Or if you want to convert text to nuanced, naturalistic audio for long term projects such as audiobooks, then the ElevenLabs Studio tool is the perfect solution.

Top features:

• A free Text Reader app
• High quality audio editing with Studio
• Context-aware TTS model for natural sounding audio

Pros:

• Ideal for video tools and content creators
• Generates professional-grade audio content
• User-friendly interface for audio recording and editing

Cons:

• May require some technical knowledge for best results
• Limited to audio content creation

How-to use the ElevenLabs Studio tool to create an audiobook

ElevenLabs Studio is the simplest way to create long-form audio content—just check out the example below.

But is it really as simple as it seems?

In short, yes. Follow these 5 steps to generate audiobooks with ElevenLabs Studio.

1. Log in to ElevenLabs and select 'Studio' from the menu. The model supports 29+ languages and 90 voices.
2. Create a new project: You can initialize your project from a URL or opt for direct imports such as .epub, .txt, or .pdf files.
3. Craft your narrative: Assign different text fragments to specific speakers and set default voices for headings, paragraphs, or entire sections. Adjust the stability, clarity, and enhancement settings to achieve the desired voice output.
4. Fine-tune: Correct or adjust specific segments within larger audio sections, while ensuring the context remains intact. Fine-tune pacing by manually adjusting the length of pauses between speech segments. Divide your project into chapters or sections for focused editing and playback.
5. Wrap-up: Export your project as an audio file with a single click. You can also save your progress and return to your project at any time.

Final thoughts

Integrating AI tools into your daily workflow will transform your productivity, helping you complete more tasks in less time—and with significantly less effort.

From content generation and data analysis to project management and audio recording, AI tools offer a myriad of benefits that streamline processes and boost efficiency.

While there is a learning curve associated with some of these tools, the long-term benefits far outweigh the initial investment of time and effort. As AI continues to evolve, the capabilities of these AI-powered tools will expand, offering even greater potential for improved productivity and work-life balance.

Ready to boost your productivity and generate audio content with ease? Sign up to ElevenLabs today.

Update: as of January 2025, Projects is now called Studio and is available to all free users.

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