The AI industry has a dirty little secret.
It doesn’t make money when you master a handful of great tools.
It makes money when you keep chasing the next shiny object.
Every day there’s another AI app promising to revolutionize your business. Every week someone tells you this one’s different.
Most aren’t.
I’ve spent enough time and money testing AI tools that I should probably qualify for hazard pay. Some have become indispensable. Others quietly renewed for another year while I wasn’t looking.
Those got fired.
My AI Starting Six
Descript
If I could only keep one video tool, it’d be Descript.
It was the first AI-powered app that genuinely changed how I worked. Editing video by editing text still feels like cheating.
Now, I don’t love everything they’ve added. Underlord still has moments where it feels like the eager intern who rearranges your office because he thought it looked better.
Still, Descript saves me hours every week. That’s what earns a permanent spot.
Try Descript:
https://get.descript.com/omupfhvpes7p
Gamma
PowerPoint had a good run.
Gamma is where I build presentation decks, workshop slides, client proposals, landing pages, and even simple websites. Most people think it’s just a presentation tool.
They’re leaving money on the table.
If you’re still wrestling with PowerPoint or paying for separate landing page software, Gamma deserves a serious look.
Try Gamma:
https://try.gamma.app/0df6jfxthz9n
Gemini Notebook
Yes, I still call it NotebookLM.
Google can rename it every six months if they want. I’m still using it to analyze transcripts, repurpose content, summarize meetings, and interrogate my own ideas before I publish them.
It’s like having a research assistant who doesn’t complain when you dump 300 pages of PDFs on their desk. (
Use case: I put this article into Notebook and then have it create the video below!
HeyGen
Video avatars have finally crossed into “actually useful.”
Training videos.
Multilingual content.
Quick updates.
No, obviously I wouldn’t replace every on-camera video with an avatar. People still buy from people.
Used strategically, though, HeyGen is a huge time saver.
Substack
People still think Substack is a newsletter platform.
It’s become a publishing platform.
Articles.
Podcasts.
Video.
Notes.
Community.
Paid memberships.
Email.
I’m replacing multiple subscriptions with one platform that keeps getting better.
Lovable
This one’s dangerous.
Not because it’s bad.
Because you’ll suddenly realize you can build your own AI apps instead of wishing somebody else would.
I’ve built calculators, business tools, client resources, and internal apps I would’ve paid developers thousands to create just a year ago.
Try it out free at: https://lovable.dev/invite/IGAADHI
The Ones That Got Cut
Magica (Galaxy.ai)
My issue isn’t even the software.
It’s the billing.
Nothing annoys me faster than companies quietly renewing annual subscriptions without so much as a heads-up.
Don’t make your business model depend on customers forgetting they’re paying you.
That’s not loyalty.
That’s amnesia.
Leadpages
Leadpages served me well.
Then Gamma showed up.
Today I can build pages faster, cheaper, and with less frustration.
Sometimes the upgrade isn’t buying something new.
It’s realizing something you already own has caught up.
Thinkific
Solid platform.
Wrong economics for my business.
Every subscription should answer one question:
Is this making me more money than it costs?
If not...
Buh-bye.
Here’s the Mistake I See Every Day
Someone buys another AI tool because it promises to summarize documents.
ChatGPT already does that.
Or research.
Perplexity already does that.
Or brainstorming.
Claude already does that.
Or content analysis.
Gemini already does that.
Too many AI companies are simply wrapping ChatGPT in a prettier interface and charging you another monthly subscription.
Don’t pay twice for the same capability.
Before You Buy Another AI Tool
Ask yourself:
Can ChatGPT already do this?
Can Claude already do this?
Can Gemini already do this?
Can Perplexity already do this?
Will this actually save me enough time to justify another monthly bill?
If the answer is “my existing tools can already handle it”...
Close the sales page.
Your credit card deserves a break.
I’d rather have six great AI tools I use every day than sixty collecting digital dust.
Quality beats quantity.
Every single time.
Lou Bortone helps experts, authors, speakers, and business owners become impossible to ignore in the age of AI using the strategic combination of AI and video. A former Hollywood television marketing executive known as The Video Godfather, Lou is the creator of the AI Today newsletter and podcast, where he shares practical, no-BS strategies for getting seen, building trust, and staying relevant as AI reshapes the way people discover expertise.
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