It was not so long ago that Artificial Intelligence (AI) seemed to the everyday layman as an overly advanced tech that would change the future. Going by this line of thought, it would seem like the saying ‘the future is now’ has never been truer than it is these days. But, in fact, if the life trajectory of AI is looked at closely enough, one would see just how untrue it is to think of it as futuristic at all. The tech has been with us for decades, as far back as the 1950’s when the first working AI programs were written to run on the Ferranti Mark 1 machine of the University of Manchester by Christopher Strachey. Maybe even earlier, some argue.

If that proves too hard to comprehend, how about the Siri in your iPhone? Chatbots? Alexa? Grammarly? Text-to-Speech apps? Has it sunk in yet? Should I add autonomous vehicles, navigation apps, AI image generators, or the recent rave, ChatGPT? AI really has been with us for a long time, a lot of us just haven’t been paying attention.

So what is AI and what are some of the examples that can you help through activities faster and in a more seamless manner in today’s world?

Simply put, AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes to engineer intelligent machines or computer programs that can perform tasks in an organized manner. These machines, programs, or systems focus on cognitive skills in the spheres of learning, reasoning, self-correction, and creativity. Eleven of the most useful examples of these in today’s world are described below, all partially or completely free:

Lumen5 – video creator

Top quality video creation is no longer an exclusive forte for rich, sophisticated studios and professionals. With Lumen5 AI tool, anyone can create such videos simply by entering a descriptive text and choosing from tons of templates and format options. The AI generates complete video sequence with images that are based on the text provided. The tool offers a wide selection of images and videos to help make the final product as great as desired. Videos can be generated for social media, websites, as well as other purposes.

DALL·E 2 – image creator

This is an open AI platform that creates realistic images and art from descriptive text given in any natural language. This AI combines attributes, styles, and concepts to create original and realistic images in accordance with what the descriptive text says. The images generated can be used for social media posts, blog posts, etc. Some say they can even be exhibited as art.

Tome – presentation creator

As the name suggests, this is a presentation tool that helps to create top-notch engaging presentations quickly and with little or no experience. Its features include customizable templates, multimedia integration, and interactive elements. Another key feature is its ability to analyze the content of a user’s presentation and suggest elements or ways to make it better.

Durable – website builder

This AI-powered tool does not only allow users to build professional websites without any expert knowledge or experience, but it can also do it in as little as 30 seconds. Yes, you heard that right! Its range of features include customizable layouts, drag-and-drop interface, mobile responsiveness, and others that can help the websites to be more intuitive and accessible.

BrowseAI – website data extractor

Website analytics may seem daunting to most people, but with BrowseAI, anyone can generate more leads for any website. This is especially perfect for small businesses as it can help to identify their potential customers by creating detailed customer profiles, including preferences, demographics, behaviors and characteristic traits. With this, marketing and other business decisions can be more data-driven, setting the business up for improved sales and general performance.

Looka – brand/logo creator

This is an AI-powered design tool that can help individuals and businesses create logos and other brand identities. It uses inputs such as business names, industry, and design preferences, with its features including customizable color schemes, logo variations, and font selection. This does not only help to save money, but it also saves times as the platform can design logos in a matter of minutes.

Notion.ai – business workspace

This one is designed to help teams work smarter by the use of advanced insights and analytics that can optimize workflow and decision-making processes. It also easily links to most popular software programs. Some of its major features are sentiment analysis, predictive analytics, and customer engagement tracking. Especially in this age of hybrid and remote working, Notion.ai can help businesses streamline their workflow, gain deeper insights into their customers, and make data-driven decisions.

Canva – graphic design creator

Without any extensive experience in the field of art and/or graphics design, anyone can create quality visual material using Canva, the user-friendly design platform. It is stocked with over 420,000 images and video templates, and a wide range of typefaces that incorporate customizable themes and backdrops. While there are paid plans to use Canva, the free version still guarantees access to most of this platform’s features and stocks. It can be used to create content ranging from social media posts, presentations, resumes, and video material.

Copy.ai – copywriter

This has been widely referred to as a revolutionary writing tool that transforms content creation. It generates compelling and engaging content in just minutes, and can be used for blog posts, email subject lines, social media posts, product descriptions, as well as other written content. It allows users to customize tone, style, and length of content. Its output is especially great due to its advanced writing algorithms that ensures human-like text, ensuring that audiences are engaged with requisite resonance.

GFP-GAN – photo restorator

Do you have any old pictures that have missing details in them, this state-of-the-art AI tool will restore them within seconds, while also maintaining high accuracy as well as quality. Even when working with low-quality images, the tool has proven to be exceptional in the way it fills in missing details with incredible realism. This can help anyone to restore their old images quickly and efficiently, making the preservation of precious memories more seamless than ever before.

ChatGPT – natural language chatbot

This list would be incomplete with ChatGPT, the AI language model that became a rave sensation in Q1 of 2023 after its release in November 2022. It is designed to stimulate human conversation and has the ability to respond to queries raging from simple questions to complex discussions. This makes it a very useful research tool that can also be used to improve knowledge, communication, and productivity. It can be integrated into websites, social media, and messaging apps, making it one of the most flexible AI tools out there.