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Productivity Pros,
Comet, the AI browser from Perplexity, is bringing major gains to my daily workflow. This fusion of AI into browsers will transform how we interact with the web and AI.
Three of my favorite use cases:
- Tab synthesis: Summarize all my open tabs into clear, concise bullet points with 1–3 sentences.
- Data aggregation: Scrape information from websites to populate Google Sheets.
- Email sleuthing: Find verified, truly monitored email addresses for high-profile people.
I have a few Comet invitations to share. Comment on LinkedIn if you'd like to give it a whirl.
And below: Recent AI news you can't miss. As always, if it's helpful, say thanks with a share.
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Onward 🦾,
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Google
With Google's new image model, natural-language editing has arrived.
For months, a mysterious image model codenamed "nano-banana" had the developer world abuzz. It was the first to make edits legitimately from natural-language requests, most notably maintaining character consistency as it modified an image.
Google revealed itself as the engineer and made it available to everyone in Gemini. That sent the web into a frenzy.
It excels at:
- Inpainting (adding or modifying objects)
- Outpainting (extending images by continuing the background)
- Combining elements from multiple images into a single photo
For a photo of Whaley and me on my cargo bike, I asked it to remove the car and enhance the quality:
I also had it touch up my sister's new house to inspire her own upgrades:
And for my buddy's popular sunscreen company, Gemini adapted the sunscreen label to a scented candle (which I'm dying for him to make):
Give it a whirl in Gemini. Try asking it to:
- Decorate an empty room
- Change your clothes
- Restore an old photo
- Show people using your product
One place it falls short: Generating realistic photos of yourself or others from sample photos. For that, I'm still obsessed with Astria.
Trends
Andreessen Horowitz released its fifth "Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps."
The report is highly anticipated annually by industry stakeholders of every stripe. This year, we saw Google and Grok gaining ground on ChatGPT, China's outsized influence on mobile apps, and the popularization of vibe coding tools.
- Gemini ranked No. 2 after ChatGPT, drawing about 12% of ChatGPT’s web traffic — alongside Google’s AI Studio, NotebookLM, and Labs, which also earned places on the list.
- Grok climbed to No. 4, fueled by strong adoption around Grok 4 and the launch of its AI companion features.
- Chinese AI apps secured 22 of the top 50 positions in the mobile category, despite only three being primarily used within China.
- Vibe coding platforms on the rise: Lovable (No. 23), Cursor (No. 26) and Replit (No. 41).
Nutt's Notes
a16z's list offers helpful insight into how the masses are using AI and their tools of choice, but it's not a reflection of the most useful and dependable AI tools. For that, reference my most recommended AI apps.
Trends
There's a stunning correlation between school and ChatGPT usage.
- ChatGPT demand surges during the school year and plummets when school's out for the summer (and weekends).
- That's made clear by the chart above from OpenRouter, and it highlights the moral dilemma faced by schools against the rise of generative AI.
- As students outsource their thinking to chatbots, reading abilities among school-aged kids are at all-time lows, creating a crisis in literacy.
- Educators are divided:
- Some schools are embracing AI as a tool to personalize education, level the playing field, boost engagement and operate more efficiently.
- Others are heavily monitoring or outright banning AI over fears that it's fueling academic dishonesty and eroding critical thinking skills.
Nutt's Notes
One school that's all-in on AI is Alpha School. I was spellbound by the founder's recent appearance on Reid Hoffman's podcast, Possible, which I highly recommend.
Alpha's next stop is Raleigh, NC, which this AI nerd happens to call home.
AI Need-to-Know
- Lindy, which I consider the all-around most useful AI tool, introduced Lindy Build for creating web apps from text prompts.
- A rigorous MIT study showed minimal ROI on AI. One from Stanford showed it's taking jobs.
- Manus—a leading autonomous agent—introduced Mail Manus, allowing you to forward threads or attachments for summary or analysis.
- ChatGPT got project-specific memory.
- Sam Altman said the AI market is in a bubble.
- Google Translate is taking on Duolingo with new AI language-learning features.
- AI Mode in Google Search is now available to everyone—and getting agentic capabilities, like identifying reservations that meet specific criteria.
- ESPN's new streaming app uses AI to give you a personalized SportsCenter.
- Google is (finally) replacing Google Assistant with Gemini for Home. Coming for your smart speakers and displays in October.
- Gemini can now read your Google Docs aloud.
- Microsoft added a COPILOT() function to Excel for AI-generated cells. (Requires $30/mo. Copilot subscription.)
- After another lawsuit alleging ChatGPT encouraged a teen's suicide, OpenAI is adding parental controls. The American Psychiatric Association says AI chatbots need further refinement to prevent the mental health episodes that increasingly appear to cause.
- Grammarly launched nine AI agents that help improve writing, detect plagiarism or AI and, when provided the assignment, predict an essay's grade.
- At a star-studded Made by Google event, Google unveiled a Pixel 10 lineup with a slew of helpful new AI features that further expose Apple's lag.
- Fitbits are getting an AI health coach that offers personalized guidance based on tracking data, workout recommendations and sleep insights.
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.
The Battle-Tested AI Tools Fueling Top Performers
My curated list of AI tools with proven benefits—the ones most recommended by experts and core to my own workflow.
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.
- Make — The most affordable, yet dependable, automated workflow builder—far more capable than Zapier.
- Lindy — The best tool for creating and managing your squad of custom AI agents that can reference and control your other apps.
- 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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