Top AI Tools and Features of 2024

Top AI tools of 2024, OpenAI reveals 2025 AI wishlist, Microsoft Copilot PCs set to launch, Russia caught using AI for US election interference and more!

Author

Everyday AI
January 02, 2025

Outsmart The Future

Sup y’all! 👋 

Welcome to 2025 and Happy (belated) New Year shorties 

Today’s show was a fun one, and technically thousands of hours in the making. Make sure to check it out. 

(Oh, and if you share today’s LinkedIn or Twitter posts, I’ll share with you our ‘Honorary Tools’ list… or those that JUST missed the cut of being a Top AI tool of 2024.) 

Also, hit me with a reply to this email and let me know what your goals are this year when it comes to using AI to grow your company and your career. 

✌️
Jordan

(Let’s connect on LinkedIn. Just tell me you’re from the newsletter because my mom taught me to ignore strangers unless they have good candy.) 

Today in Everyday AI
9 minute read

🎙 Daily Podcast Episode: With so many AI tools released in 2024, how can you separate the good from the bad? Don’t worry. We decided to rank the top AI tools and features of 2024. Give it a listen.

🕵️‍♂️ Fresh Finds: NVIDIA Blackwell could generate $200B in 2025, Microsoft to make contact center push and Apple settles Siri lawsuit. Read on for Fresh Finds.

🗞 Byte Sized Daily AI News: OpenAI reveals 2025 AI wishlist, Microsoft Copilot PCs set to launch, and Russia caught using AI for US election interference. For that and more, read on for Byte Sized News.

🚀 AI In 5: We’re diving into ChatGPT Projects to show you how it works and a few secret hacks to maximize its usage. See it here

🧠 Learn & Leveraging AI: We break down and rank the top AI tools of 2024 so you know which ones to use to grow your business or career. Keep reading for that!

↩️ Don’t miss out: Did you miss our last newsletter? We talked about Google AI 2024 recap, xAI releasing Grok Web, NVIDIA and Microsoft looking to lead 2025 and Alibaba slashing AI prices to compete. Check it here!

Top AI Tools and Features of 2024 🏆

Just in the past 3 weeks, we've seen enough AI releases for like 3 years.

But what AI features and tech tools are actually worth using?

Join the conversation and ask Jordan questions on AI here.

Also on the pod today:

• Top AI Tools and Features Discussion ✨
• In-depth Discussion of Specific Tools 🗣
• AI Industry Overview 🏢

It’ll be worth your 1 hour and 17 minutes:

Listen on our site:

Click to listen

Subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast platform

Listen on:

Here’s our favorite AI finds from across the web:

New AI Tool Spotlight – Quick Mock turns any LinkedIn job listing into a mock interview, Unideck creates personalized dashboards and portals and Brand API helps build features that use customer brand data automatically.

NVIDIA – NVIDIA’s Blackwell could help grow its 2025 revenue to $200 billion.

Microsoft – Microsoft may be making a big contact center push in 2025.

Apple - Apple has settled a Siri lawsuit from 2019 for $95 million.

Meta - Meta FAIR has unveiled new research around memory layers at scale.

AI Models – Deepseek now has Artifacts, which can create landing pages.

AI Startup – AI startup Apheris is rethinking the AI data bottleneck in life science with federated computing.

1. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Reveals 2025 Wishlist for AI Development 🗒

In a recent tweet, OpenAI's Sam Altman shared an intriguing wishlist for the company's focus in 2025, highlighting key themes such as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), improved ChatGPT features, and more personalized user experiences. While AGI tops the list, many improvements aim at enhancing everyday usability, including longer context and a "grown up mode" for ChatGPT.

With evolving competition in AI tools like Sora and Gemini, the pressure is on for OpenAI to not only innovate but also to maintain its leading edge in the rapidly changing landscape of artificial intelligence.

2. Microsoft's Copilot Plus Mini PCs Set to Launch 🖥

As CES approaches, anticipation builds around the debut of mini PCs equipped with Microsoft's Copilot Plus features, which promise to enhance productivity with AI tools like Recall and Click To Do. Asus has taken the lead, unveiling its NUC 14 Pro AI, complete with a dedicated Copilot button, just as Geekom prepares to showcase its own Copilot-compatible models powered by AMD and Qualcomm processors.

This shift toward compact, AI-driven desktops could challenge Apple's latest offerings and reshape how professionals utilize technology in their workspaces.

3. OpenAI's Media Manager Delayed, Creators Left in Limbo 🤷

OpenAI's promising Media Manager tool, designed to help creators manage how their works are used in AI training, remains stuck in development nearly eight months after its announcement. Insiders suggest that the initiative was never a top priority within the company, raising doubts about its future effectiveness amidst ongoing legal battles over copyright infringement from artists and content creators.

Despite claims of a revolutionary approach to intellectual property rights, experts warn that the tool may place undue responsibility on creators while failing to address the complexities of digital content usage.

4. AI-Powered Disinformation Uncovered in 2024 U.S. Election 🚨

The Treasury Department has unveiled that a Moscow-based nonprofit, linked to Russia's intelligence division, utilized AI technology to spread disinformation during the recent presidential election, employing a network of U.S. websites designed to mimic legitimate news sources. This operation, supported financially by the GRU, included the creation of deepfake videos targeting a vice presidential candidate and the use of generative AI to rapidly produce misleading content.

As misinformation campaigns evolve with technology, this incident underscores the urgency for individuals and businesses alike to scrutinize their sources and remain vigilant against deceptive narratives online.

5. Russia and China Forge AI Alliance 🤝

Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government and state-owned Sberbank to enhance technology partnerships with China. This collaboration aims to leverage China's technological resources to overcome restrictions that have hampered Russia's AI development, particularly in acquiring essential microchips and GPUs.

As Sberbank leads this initiative, the establishment of a new AI Alliance Network with BRICS nations signals a strategic pivot towards deepening ties with emerging economies, which could reshape the global tech landscape.

ChatGPT Projects – Secret ways to use o1 and GPTs and a quick review

OpenAI recently released its new Projects feature!

We’re diving in to show you how it works, when you should use it, and a few secret hacks that we haven’t seen anywhere else.

🦾How You Can Leverage:

Did you try thousands of AI tools and features in 2024? 

We did. 

And if you’ve felt straight up overwhelmed but also AI FOMO at the same time, then today’s show is for you. 

Note — Top does not mean the best. 

Instead, we broke down what’s been grabbing the headlines and attention. 

Also, we only tackled new LLM updates and AI tools that were released in 2024. 

1. Apple Intelligence

Apple finally joined the AI party! And brought... features we had 3-4 years ago.

Sure, it's got edge AI and security on lockdown. But groundbreaking? Revolutionary? 

yawns in ChatGPT

At least Siri can now use GPT-4 for the hard stuff? 

Tier: D

2. Advanced Voice Mode (ChatGPT)

THIS. IS. THE. FUTURE.

Talk to AI while showing it your broken IKEA furniture? Check.

Get real-time visual help with that thing you can't figure out? Check.

Actually useful in daily life? Double check.

The bugs are gone, the features are fire, and this is how we'll all be using AI tomorrow.

Tier: S

We reviewed advanced voice mode in depth here.

3. ChatGPT Canvas

The sleeper hit of 2024. 

Remember how clunky it was going back and forth with ChatGPT? Canvas said "No more!"

Inline editing + AI collaboration = chef's kiss

Think Google Docs meets AI assistant, and you're getting warm.

Everyone's gonna copy this. Because it's just. that. good.

Tier: A

Check out our episode on Canvas

4. Canva Magic Studio

Magic Edit, Magic Animate, Magic Everything!

Takes your "I need this in Photoshop" tasks down from hours to seconds. But in 2024's AI landscape? 

It's neat. It works. It's useful.

But revolutionary? Not quite.

Tier: D

5. ChatGPT Search

Oh boy. Where do we start?

Sure, the UI is pretty. Yes, it brings in rich snippets. But try having an actual back-and-forth conversation about your search results and...

watches as ChatGPT gets stuck in an infinite loop

Great concept, messy execution.

Yet, still undoubtedly a top AI feature of 2024. 

Tier: D

We compared the top AI models and their search capabilities.

6. Claude Artifacts 

The Swiss Army knife of code rendering.

Python? Rendered.

HTML? Rendered.

Your entire website mockup? RENDERED.

It's so good, we're literally using it to make this tier list. Soooooo good. 

Tier: A

7. Claude Computer Use

First to the agent party! But fashionably... early and clunky? 

Props for being first, but it's janky and needs a PhD in patience to use.

Docker required? In 2024? 

sad developer noises

Tier: D

8. Cursor AI

The coding assistant that went viral before it was cool.

Not the first, not the best, but hit that sweet spot of "good enough" at just the right time.

Build a web app without coding knowledge? Sure!

Is it the BEST way? Well...

Tier: C

9. Eleven Labs Conversational Agents

Text-to-speech gets a brain upgrade!

Visual flows ✓

Knowledge base integration ✓

Multiple agent routing ✓

Solid features, but in 2024's AI arms race? Just... fine.

Tier: C

10. Gemini 2.0

Google woke up and chose VIOLENCE in the middle of OpenAI’s 12 Days of Shipmas.

Topped ChatBot Arena rankings ✓

Crushed benchmarks ✓

Made everyone forget about their messy 2023 ✓

The quiet kid in class finally showed up with straight A's and slick AF. 

Tier: A

11. Google Deep Research

The research beast that puts Perplexity to shame.

Crawls 200-300 sources in minutes? CHECK.

Has Google's entire web cache? DOUBLE CHECK.

Perfect outputs? Well...

If only it was more steerable and less... paragraph-happy.

Tier: A

12. HeyGen V3 Avatars

Text-to-emotion-to-face? 

The new king of AI avatars just dropped the mic.

Real-time translation, emotion tweaking, and outputs that make you go "wait, that's AI?"

Tier: B

13. Meta Llama 3.2

The "open-ish" model that could.

Not fully open source, but open enough to matter.

Small and medium versions shine.

Big version? Still waiting...

Tier: B 

14. Midjourney V6.1

The OG image generator got FLEXIBLE.

More control, better consistency, and character creation that actually... works?

Still leading the pack, but the competition's getting HOT.

Tier: B 

15. Microsoft Copilot Studio Autonomous Agents

NO. CODE. AUTONOMOUS. AGENTS.

drops mic

picks mic back up

Build agents that actually DO things in your Microsoft ecosystem without writing a single line of code?

This isn't just good. This is "redefine your business" good.

Tier: S

Check out our dedicated episode on Copilot Agents.

16. Microsoft Copilot Vision

See everything on supported websites - even stuff you can't see!

The catch? "Supported websites" list is shorter than my patience for bad AI.

When it works? Amazing.

But that "when" is doing A LOT of heavy lifting.

Tier: C

17. Notebook LM

NO-CODE RAG THAT ACTUALLY WORKS.

50 MILLION WORDS.

AI PODCAST HOSTS.

JOIN LIVE FEATURE.

Companies paid MILLIONS for worse versions of this last year.

Now it's basically free.

This isn't just a tool. It's a revolution in how we process information.

Tier: S

We recently reviewed NotebookLM’s latest update.

18. OpenAI's O1 Pro

The first public reasoning model just... gets it.

Yes, it's $200/month.

Yes, it's worth every penny.

Forget benchmarks. This thing THINKS.

Tier: S

19. Runway V3

The creative studio that happens to use AI.

Not the best outputs, but the most flexible video platform right now.

Like having a mini production studio in your pocket.

When art meets AI, Runway leads the dance.

Tier: B

20. Sora

The hype train finally arrived at the station!

Nine months late, but who's counting?

Physics? Never heard of her.

Everything else? Pretty darn impressive.

Tier: B

We gave a first look at Sora after its official release.

21. Stream Real Time (Google)

Talk to Gemini live! Share your screen! Show it things!

If only it were as good as Advanced Voice Mode...

If only it weren't buried in Google AI Studio...

If only...

Tier: D

22. Suno V4

Sometimes better than real music.

Always mind-blowingly good.

Write a song about ANYTHING.

Make it sound AMAZING.

Spotify, you seeing this?

Tier: B

23. VO2

Google said "Hold my AI beer" and dropped this MONSTER.

Better than Sora.

Better than Runway.

Better than EVERYTHING.

If only we could actually use it...

Tier: A

24. Zapier Agents

7,000 service connections + ChatGPT interface = Marketing automation heaven.

Natural language automation building? YES.

Price tag that makes you sweat? Also yes.

Powerful but... we expected more.

Tier: D

….. And the “Winner is” 

Our favorite AI tool/update of the year = NotebookLM

And our audience’s favorite tool of the year (tallied by their votes) = NotebookLM. 

Now This …

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