For the longest time, I thought AI was a cute little party trick.
“Write me a bed time story for my kids.”
“Was Tony Soprano a good guy?”
It was playful and fun. A nice to have. But definitely not a need to have.
That changed in 2025. I got a taste of its potential via Vibe Coding and then committed to really understanding how it was going to change knowledge work.
So after trying different models, tools and helper apps — here’s my current toolkit.
My "Core AI" toolkit
ChatGPT Pro version ($200/month)
I took the plunge on the expensive version to ensure that I was always using the latest features. Right now I'm pumped to try Operator and GPT 4.5, their newest model.
→ OpenAI
Claude Pro ($20/month)
I generally like Anthropic's Claude for anything that requires emotion and a more human touch. Claude is the perfect companion for my coaching work and writing.
Perplexity (Free version)
I h…
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