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Productivity Pros,
One of your most common requests is a simple list of dependable AI tools with proven benefits. Today, I deliver:
It's all signal, no noise—only battle-tested tools recommended by experts and core to my own workflow.
Reply to my LinkedIn post with any questions, recommendations or tutorial requests.
And below: The latest AI news you can't miss, including hefty happenings in ChatGPT. As always, if you find it helpful, say thanks with a share.
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Onward 🦾,
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OpenAI
OpenAI released ChatGPT Agent.
- With no hint in advance, OpenAI added Agent mode to ChatGPT's Tools menu.
- Unlike chatbots, which reference information to generate content, agents take action.
- They control a web browser, with the ability to navigate live websites, click elements, and fill forms. By contrast, chatbots reference an index of the web—the way traditional Google Search does.
- Beyond the browser, they control a virtual computer, allowing them to run code and generate spreadsheets and slides.
- Agents also reason autonomously. Assigned an objective, they'll create a plan for accomplishing it, then make adjustments as they execute.
- ChatGPT Agent has finished rolling out to all paying users.
Nutt's Notes
- AI is quickly shifting from content-generating chatbots that inform your work to autonomous agents that do your work.
- A few ways I use agents nearly every day:
- Find information online to fill empty cells in a spreadsheet.
- Find someone's personal email address.
- Scrape information from a full website.
Softr
Softr's new Ask AI lets you chat with your data.
Softr has become an undeniable force among next-gen productivity apps. It uniquely blends an app builder, databases and AI.
It began as a way to create gorgeous interfaces for information in database apps like Notion, Airtable and Google Sheets. Then, it released its own powerful database feature.
And last week, it launched Ask AI, an ultra-simple way to add a chatbot to your Softr apps. Any visitor can ask questions about the app’s data and uncover useful insights.
Example: I work with an iconic jeweler in New York who buys high-end diamonds, and they use Softr to manage the full process. With Ask AI, they can ask questions like:
- What are the least and most productive referral sources?
- List the deals with no activity in the past two weeks.
- What’s the total value of all active deals?
Ask AI is available on Softr's free plan, among many other features.
OpenAI
ChatGPT's Study Mode is a powerful learning tool (and a threat to tutors).
Alongside Agent, OpenAI also added Study Mode to the ChatGPT toolkits.
- The feature guides students through problems step-by-step using Socratic questioning and constructive feedback in lieu of straightforward answers.
- It relies on educator-informed custom instructions to pose thoughtful questions and promote active learning rather than simply giving away the solution.
- The AI engages learners with prompts, hints, and knowledge checks, fostering deeper comprehension through participation.
- When enabled, ChatGPT intentionally avoids offering quick fixes, steering users back toward the problem-solving journey.
- The feature is rolling out now for Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users, with schools and educational partners set to gain access in the coming weeks.
Nutt's Notes
- Learning is a top use case of AI, and Study Mode makes it accessible at its full potential.
- While it's a boon to students and their budget-conscious parents, it's likely to accelerate the displacement of tutors and other education-adjacent professions.
- Related: Be sure to see my note on NotebookLM under Need-to-Know.
Shortcut
Viral Excel agent Shortcut is available to everyone.
- Shortcut is an AI agent designed specifically for Excel. From plain English commands, it completes advanced spreadsheet tasks, eliminating the need for high-level Excel skills.
- The agent summarizes data, unearths insights, and creates complex models, pivot tables and charts.
- On Excel World Championship cases, Shortcut consistently outperformed human experts in both accuracy and speed, beating first-year analysts from McKinsey and Goldman in 89.1% of head-to-head competitions. That supports the widely held belief that agents will soon replace junior-level analysts.
- Since its private release weeks ago, the tool has been a sensation in nerdy corners of the internet. This tutorial seems to be the favorite.
Nutt's Notes
- Shortcut exemplifies AI's evolution from advisory tools to autonomous agents that actually do the work.
- I'm eager to see Google add true agentic capability to Google Sheets. Comet is decent at updating Google Sheets—but pain... full... y... slow.
Need-to-Know in AI
- Krea and Black Forest Labs selectively trained an image model to avoid AI traits like waxy skin. You can try it free.
- Google's popular NotebookLM, which converts multiple content sources into podcast-style audio, added Video Overviews. Initially, it creates narrated slides with charts, quotes and other visuals to improve comprehension.
- Manus—the OG AI agent—is rolling out Wide Research, which deploys many agents simultaneously for processing high volumes of data.
- Amazon invested an undisclosed amount in Showrunner. The "Netflix of AI" enables users to generate their own shows (currently only animated).
- Microsoft joined the agentic browser war with Copilot Mode in Edge. (I've been testing Dia and Comet, finding the latter most impressive.)
- Speaking of Comet, it got Shortcuts.
- Ideogram launched Character, which allows you to maintain subject consistency across generations. You can create a character from an uploaded image (of yourself) or a generated image. It's impressive but no match for my favorite AI app, Astria.
- Google Photos is rolling out a handful of new AI features, including the ability to create short videos from images.
Red-Hot Resources
The Bulletproof Framework for Notion
The Bulletproof framework is my flagship contribution to the Notion universe, helping millions of users maximize the app. With the debut of Version 4, it reset the standard for Notion Workspaces. If you're not using it or learning from it, take the tour, then join Notion A-to-Z for full access to Bulletproof and all other templates and resources from Notion VIP.
There's a version for Coda, too, if that's you preference.
8 Ingredients of Highly Effective Prompts
When it comes to harnessing the power of AI, one of the most accessible improvements you can make is enhancing the quality of your prompts. The quality of AI output is largely determined by the quality of your input—specifically, the prompt you provide. Let's walk through eight essential ingredients of an effective prompt to consider each time you interact with an AI chatbot or craft custom instructions for a GPT, Gem, or project.
Notion Flowchart Generator
Easily generate Mermaid code for rendering useful and beautiful flowcharts in Notion's Code blocks.
10 Crucial Roles of AI in Your Workflow
Ten ways everyone should use AI reflexively throughout their day to boost eficiency and productivity.
Your 10-Minute Jumpstart to Formulas 2.0
I'm actively creating tutorials on the essential formulas and functions used in the Notion Wealth Tracker. This jumpstart is an essential prerequisite.
The WWWH Prompting Framework
The quality of your responses from AI is a function of the quality of your prompts. My WWWH framework ensures you provide the information the AI needs, in a format it will understand.
The 12 Golden Rules of Notion
I've developed countless workspaces and worked intensively with the Notion team, top experts, and users of all stripes. Along the way, I established a set of core principles for maximizing Notion. They underpin every strategy I hone and resource I craft. Skip years of learning the hard way, and let them guide your own approach to Notion.
Next-Generation Wealth Tracker for Google Sheets
This sophisticated wealth tracker leverages the latest features of Google Sheets to create a simple, powerful tool for managing your entire net worth in one familiar place. And it's an extraordinary way to master Google Sheets.
Create Your Team of Personalized AI Assistants
The #1 way to harness AI is to create a team of specialized, personalized assistants. Here's how to do it in a snap.
Notion vs. Coda: 30 Key Differences
You've seen Notion inspire a whole new app category that’s redefining productivity. But it’s not doing it alone: Coda is just as instrumental in the rise of “all-in-one” apps.
They’re built on the same foundational concept, but Notion and Coda have distinct differences that suit them for particular users. The best one for you depends on your priorities.
To make it easy to find your match, I conducted a methodical comparison that revealed the most consequential differences between Notion and Coda.
Animated Page Covers
You can make your Notion pages look stunning with animated covers. But choose them carefully: Stick to gradients and subtle patterns to avoid distractions, and use SVGs over GIFs, which are grainy and bulky. To make that easy, I aggregated my best animated covers for you to preview and download instantly. Six are available for free. Members of Notion A-to-Z get more than 40.
Create Stunning Card Previews
One of the best ways to enrich a Notion workspace is the Gallery database layout with robust card previews. That's partly what makes the Bulletproof Framework such an exceptional Notion experience. So I created a tool for generating
similar cards for your own workspaces.
Tools of the Modern Professional
Tried and true tools that fuel the Nutt Labs machine.
- Fillout — One of my top-5 productivity principals is collecting information through forms, never freeform docs or especially email. Fillout is the best tool for it—and much more.
- Tally — Another incredible form tool—simpler than Fillout if you don't need the bells and whistles.
- Cal.com — The booming Calendly alternative with robust integrations and automations.
- Wispr — Another top-5 productivity principal: Speak, don't type. Wispr transcribes and polishes your spoken word in any app—desktop or mobile.
- Voicenotes — And Voicenotes captures your rambling ideas, then tidies and formats however you need them.
- Otter — My go-to for transcribing, summarizing, and organizing meetings. I love Otter for its versatility and rich UI.
- Notion — The all-in-one app that stole my heart and ignited my success when I launched Notion VIP. It's the operating system of my business and life.
- Coda — An all-in-one app like Notion, but with more horsepower.
- Lindy — The AI-first automated workflow builder. (And cheaper than Zapier.)
- Make — The most affordable, yet dependable, automated workflow builder.
- Screen Studio — Ever wonder how I capture those silky smooth zooms in my screen recordings? They're automated with Screen Studio—an indispensable tool in my production workflow.
- Ideogram — The top AI image generator, with exceptional ability to generate text and an elegant interface.
- Descript — My indispensable video production app with innovative script-based editing. It also converts my cruddy audio to studio sound.
- ElevenLabs — The top AI voice generator. It's just a few updates from allowing me to ditch recording and use text-to-speech exclusively. Can't. Wait.
- Softr — The easiest way to build powerful web apps that integrate seamlessly with Notion, Airtable, Google Sheets, et al.
- Super — Hands-down, the best way to publish Notion as a website, with a custom design and domain. The Super team upholds incredibly high standards.
- Lovable — The #1 way to create sophisticated, gorgeous web apps through natural-language AI—AKA "vibe coding."
- Robinhood — The app that democratized investing is becoming a full-fledged financial services company. I love everything Robinhood does—and you can't beat its unlimited 3%-back credit card. With this link, you'll get a gift stock when you join.
- Mercury — Banking services exceedingly well tailored for modern professionals. Truly among the best experiences across categories.
- Wealthfront — My indispensable destination for earning interest on cash and automated investing. Wealthfront consistently offers the highest APY and simplest UX.
Let's supercharge your workflow.
I help ambitious professionals leverage next-generation tools to achieve profound efficiency and productivity. If you're serious about modernizing your workflow to maximize your performance 👇
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