AI Tools We’re Excited About: September 2024
What caught our attention this month.
1. OpenAI o1 (Strawberry)
OpenAI’s new reasoning model thinks before it answers. Chain-of-thought reasoning built in.
Why it matters: Dramatically better at math, logic, and complex problem-solving. The model “thinks” for 10-60 seconds before responding.
Downside: Slower and more expensive. Not for quick queries.
Our take: Use o1 for hard problems. Stick with GPT-4 for everything else.
2. Cursor IDE
VS Code fork with AI deeply integrated. Not a plugin—a complete AI-first code editor.
Standout features:
- Multi-file editing in one command
- Codebase-aware suggestions
- Chat that knows your whole project
Our take: If you code daily, try it for a week. Many developers aren’t going back.
3. NotebookLM Audio Overviews
Google’s NotebookLM now generates podcast-style discussions of your documents.
How it works: Upload documents → AI creates a natural conversation between two hosts explaining the content.
Why it’s wild: The voices sound remarkably human. The conversation feels natural.
Our take: Great for learning complex material. Turn papers into podcasts.
4. Ideogram 2.0
Text in images, finally solved.
The breakthrough: Accurate text rendering in AI images. Logos, signs, posters—it gets the text right.
Our take: If you need text in AI images (and couldn’t use Midjourney because of text issues), Ideogram is the answer.
5. Runway Act-One
Motion capture without the dots. Just your webcam.
How it works: Record yourself → AI transfers expressions and movements to a generated character.
Use cases: Animation, virtual avatars, content creation.
Our take: The barrier to animation just dropped significantly.
Updates Worth Noting
ChatGPT Voice Mode (Advanced)
Now in wider release. Real-time conversation with GPT-4. More natural than before.
Claude Artifacts
Create interactive content directly in Claude. Charts, mini-apps, visualizations.
Midjourney Web Beta
Finally leaving Discord. Web interface in beta testing.
Trend of the Month: AI Reasoning
The race is on for AI that thinks. OpenAI’s o1, rumors of Google’s similar work, and various chain-of-thought approaches.
Models that “think” longer produce better answers for complex problems. Expect more of this.
What We’re Watching
- Video generation: Runway Gen-3, Pika 1.5, Kling competing hard
- Agent frameworks: More tools for autonomous AI agents
- On-device AI: Apple Intelligence rollout, Pixel AI features
Quick Recommendations
| Need | Try |
|---|---|
| Hard math/logic problems | OpenAI o1 |
| Coding productivity | Cursor |
| Text in images | Ideogram |
| Learning content | NotebookLM |
| Daily AI use | Still ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro |
Looking Ahead
October might be big. OpenAI’s DevDay, Google’s usual fall announcements, and various product launches lined up.
The pace isn’t slowing down.
Another month of AI progress. We’ll keep testing so you know what’s worth your time.