AI Tools

• Too valuable to ignore

• Changing weekly

• Wonderful - I use them multiple times per day

• Risky - They sometimes make errors

• Privacy Risks - Your data is going to 3rd parties known for privacy violations

• Google

  • Gemini - with many options

  • NotebookLM - for low-error work with your choice of sources

  • Many others - Google AI Products for overview

• OpenAI

  • ChatGPT - with many options

  • Many others - OpenAI products for overview

• Anthropic

  • Claude - with many options

  • Many others - Anthropic Home Page

• Microsoft

  • Copilot - with many options

    • integrated in many MS-365 tools

    • This service often uses tailored AI software from other vendors

• Open Source and Non-US software

  • There are many other good AI tools. We are in a full software race.

What I Am

• A regular AI user 

  • I use it for:

    • Topic Research - Usually Gemini "Thinking" or Deep Research

    • Assistance with Coding problems in such programs as PowerBI, Excel Power Query

    • General queries

    • Policy generation

    • Document summarization

• A Teacher

  • I have now several times taught AI courses for end-users to groups of Seniors

• An AI researcher

  • I follow multiple AI blogs and newsreports

What I Am Not

• An AI developer - except via "Build" tools in Google's AI Studio 

These are my opinions, reached after subscribing to and using Google, Anthropic and Microsoft products. The are not exhaustive, but might be helpful.

• Overall - I am most impressed by Google products, for multiple reasons. I use:

  • NotebookLM for analyzing documents such as contracts and literary works

  • Gemini Canvas for preparing complex documents

  • AI Studio for more complex project

  • Gemini Create Image - for logos, Poster ideas, fun

  • Gemini Gem - for researching subjects with a particular audience and mode.

    • I particularly use this to deal with complex coding issues (as a non-coder).

• Anthropic - I use Claude as a cross-check on Gemini for critical items

  • I also find their conversational output more pleasing

• Microsoft - Copilot is useful for learning MS how-to's for their many products

  • It's very fast, which I sometimes appreciate

• My course for residents of the Philadelphian condominium 12/2025

• My list of AI Resources - 11/2025 (created and maintained via Notion).