The Top 21 AI Tools I Actually Use (and Why They Haven’t Replaced Me Yet)
We all knew the day would come when marketers started casually saying things like, “I’ll just have AI clean it up.” What most of us didn’t expect was how emotional that sentence would feel. Because while AI has saved me hundreds of hours, it’s also forced me to define what parts of my creative process I’ll never outsource.
The secret to using AI without losing your voice?
Treat it like your team — not your twin.
These are the 21 AI tools that have genuinely earned their place in my workflow — not because they’re trendy, but because they make my storytelling sharper, my strategy smarter, and yes, still human.
1. ChatGPT — My Brainstorm Partner That Doesn’t Judge
My go-to for breaking through creative fog.
I use it to build outlines, rewrite clunky headlines, and draft starter paragraphs.
ChatGPT never gets the last word — it’s my collaborator, not my ghostwriter.
2. Jasper — The Strategic Copy Machine
When I need ad copy or nurture sequences fast, Jasper’s marketing DNA shines. It’s trained on conversion-friendly frameworks that help campaigns stay sharp — not robotic.
3. GrammarlyGO — My Tone Coach
GrammarlyGO doesn’t just fix grammar; it adjusts tone. It’s like having an editor who knows when I’m tired, rushed, or over-formal — and gently steers me back toward my natural rhythm.
4. Notion AI — My Digital Brain Organizer
This is where chaos becomes strategy. I use Notion AI to summarize brainstorms, extract key points, and turn endless meeting notes into clean, actionable ideas.
5. Canva Magic Studio — My Visual Flow Partner
Designing without friction. Magic Write drafts copy for layouts, Magic Edit fixes photos, and Magic Resize saves hours of manual formatting. Canva’s AI makes creative consistency effortless. While I don’t yet trust its AI to build creative from scratch for me, I do appreciate its built-in assistive AI and use it with my team. For more tools like Canva, check out this article.
6. Remini — The Quiet Visual Polisher
Remini sharpens the small things that matter. It restores clarity, cleans lighting, and rescues vintage or low-quality images — without stripping away authenticity.
7. Descript — The Audio-Video Lifesaver
If you’ve ever edited video the old way, Descript feels revolutionary. Edit audio by editing text. Delete filler words automatically. Create clean reels and captions in minutes.
8. TurboScribe — The Transcription Superpower
Fast, clean, and scarily accurate. I use TurboScribe to transcribe interviews, podcasts, and video scripts. It’s my secret weapon for repurposing spoken ideas into written content.
9. Otter.ai — The Meeting Memory Keeper
Otter records and transcribes in real time — which means I can focus on conversations instead of frantic note-taking. Later, it’s all searchable, quotable, and ready to drop into drafts.
10. Perplexity — The Smarter Search Engine
Perplexity summarizes credible sources clearly — no clickbait, no fluff. I use it for industry trends, competitive analysis, and quick learning.
11. ElevenLabs — My Words, With a Voice
ElevenLabs generates eerily human voiceovers for videos, podcasts, and social clips. It helps me hear how my writing feels out loud — and makes repurposing content beautifully simple.
12. Fireflies.ai — The Conversational Archivist
Fireflies records, transcribes, and organizes every meeting — and even tags keywords and action items automatically.
13. Copy.ai — The Brainstorm Assistant
When I need idea volume — not polish — Copy.ai is my go-to. It’s perfect for generating multiple tagline variations, campaign angles, or social caption starters.
14. Mixo.io — For Fast Landing Page Prototyping
When I want to test messaging before looping in developers, Mixo builds beautiful one-page sites from a short prompt.
15. Beautiful.ai — For Smarter Presentations
Beautiful.ai applies real design logic to every slide so layouts stay on brand — even when you’re in a hurry. I use it for visual storytelling when PowerPoint feels like punishment.
16. Murf.ai — My Professional Voice Studio
Murf converts text into studio-quality narration — perfect for webinars, voiceovers, and brand videos when I’m short on recording time.
17. Lumen5 — Turn Blogs into Videos
Lumen5 repurposes written content into branded videos automatically — complete with visuals, captions, and music.
18. Reclaim.ai — The Time Protector
Reclaim automatically blocks time in my calendar for focus, writing, and creative work. It predicts when I’ll need mental space — and saves my sanity.
19. Surfer SEO — For Smart Optimization
Surfer helps me marry creativity with search intent. It suggests structure, keywords, and tone so content ranks without sounding robotic. I heavily supplement Surfer SEO’s recs with SEMRush.
20. Synthesia — My Video Storytelling Shortcut
Synthesia creates realistic AI videos with virtual presenters. It’s perfect for explainer videos or internal updates that don’t need full production.
21. Miro AI — The Strategy Co-Pilot
Every marketer needs a space where chaos turns into clarity. I use Miro AI for mapping campaigns, brainstorming brand narratives, and visualizing customer journeys.
What I Don’t Use AI For
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Writing anything emotional or vulnerable.
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Social storytelling meant to feel lived-in.
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Strategy that depends on empathy or instinct.
AI enhances efficiency — not authenticity.
The Bottom Line
AI hasn’t replaced me. It’s refined me.
It helps me focus on the part of marketing I actually love — telling stories that make people stop scrolling and start feeling.
Because the future of marketing isn’t AI-powered.
It’s AI-partnered.
– Marji J. Sherman
