AI has become a normal part of the internet, but most people still only use a small number of AI tools. There are plenty of useful platforms that can help with research, images, voiceovers, presentations and everyday creative work.
I decided to look beyond the usual AI chatbots and put together five tools that are worth knowing about. They are all useful for different reasons, so the right one really depends on what you are trying to do.
1. Perplexity AI – A Different Way to Search
If you spend a lot of time searching Google for answers, Perplexity is worth trying.
Instead of simply giving you a page of search results, Perplexity is designed to research a question and provide an answer with sources that you can check. It can also handle follow-up questions, which makes it useful when you are trying to understand a topic rather than just find one quick fact.
For example, you could ask it to compare two products, explain a complicated topic in simple language, or find recent information about a subject.
One thing I particularly like about this type of search is that you can actually check where the information came from. Perplexity says its answers are grounded in web sources and include citations.
Best for: Research, finding information and checking sources.
2. Leonardo AI – Create Images From an Idea
You don’t need to be a professional designer to create interesting images anymore.
Leonardo AI lets you create images from text prompts and also work with existing images. You can use it for illustrations, concept art, product visuals, social media graphics and many other creative projects.
What makes it more interesting than a basic image generator is the amount of control available. Leonardo offers tools for image-to-image creation, editing, background removal, upscaling and keeping visual styles more consistent.
For someone running a website or social media page, this can be especially useful because you can create visuals around your own article topics instead of relying entirely on generic stock images.
Best for: AI images, creative projects, thumbnails and visual content.
3. ElevenLabs – Turn Text Into Realistic Speech
Sometimes you have the information for a video but don’t want to record your own voice.
That’s where ElevenLabs can be useful. Its text-to-speech technology turns written text into spoken audio, with different voices and styles available.
This can be useful for YouTube videos, explainers, presentations, podcasts and other projects where you need narration.
ElevenLabs says its current text-to-speech technology supports 32 languages and is designed to produce speech with natural pacing, intonation and emotional expression.
The important thing is to choose a voice that actually fits your content. A good voice can make a simple explanation much easier to listen to, while the wrong one can make even a good video feel unnatural.
Best for: Voiceovers, video narration, podcasts and spoken content.
4. Gamma – Make Presentations Without Starting From Scratch
Creating a presentation from a blank screen can take longer than people expect. You have to think about the structure, write the content and then spend time making everything look decent.
Gamma takes a different approach. You can start with an idea, prompt or existing material and use AI to help structure it into a presentation or document.
Gamma currently supports presentations, documents and websites, and its tools can also help with layouts and visual elements. You can then edit the result yourself instead of accepting the first version exactly as it is.
That’s probably the biggest advantage: you don’t have to treat the AI output as the finished product. It gives you a starting point that you can change and improve.
Best for: Presentations, documents, reports and simple web projects.
5. Canva AI – More Than Just Templates
Most people know Canva as a design platform, but its AI features have made it much more useful for everyday content creation.
Canva’s AI tools can help with designs, images, writing, editing and video-related tasks. For example, Magic Design can suggest layouts based on your idea or the content you provide, while other AI features can help edit images or create visual content.
This can be handy if you regularly create Facebook posts, YouTube thumbnails, presentations or graphics for a website. Instead of opening several different programs for small jobs, you can do a lot of the work in one place.
Some AI features and usage limits depend on the Canva plan, so it’s worth checking what is available on the plan you are using.
Best for: Social media graphics, thumbnails, presentations and quick visual content.
Which One Should You Try First?
That depends on what you actually need.
If you mainly want to research a topic, start with Perplexity.
If you need images, Leonardo AI is worth exploring.
For voiceovers, ElevenLabs is the obvious one to test.
If you regularly make presentations or documents, Gamma can save you a lot of time.
And if you need a mixture of design, images, social posts and editing, Canva AI is a useful all-round option.
The bigger point is that you don’t need to use every AI tool you come across. Find one that solves a problem you actually have, learn how it works, and then decide whether it deserves a permanent place in your workflow.
AI tools are changing quickly, so features and pricing can change over time. Before relying on any particular feature, it is worth checking the tool’s official website for the latest information.