Most generative AI tools miss the point of what makes the technology useful.

Sure, you can use tools ChatGPT to generate reams of humanlike text, but the results will probably be pretty dull. Getting AI to convey novel ideas instead of generic filler can quickly become frustrating.

It’s no surprise, then, that the most useful generative AI tools are less fixated on churning out new text, and instead helping people make sense of what’s already out there. While it’s early days, here are some promising examples:

NEWS MINIMALIST

This daily newsletter and website reads through 1,000 news stories per day using GPT-4, then assigns them a “significance” score based on factors such as how many people the story affects and how likely it is to trigger more news events. Only stories with a score of eight or higher make the newsletter, which includes brief summaries and links to the source material. That means the length of each issue depends on how many important things happened. (Sometimes it’s just an item or two.)

News Minimalist’s daily newsletter is free, with an optional $10 per month subscription for customized feeds.

ARTIFACT

This news reader app from the founders of Instagram applies a light AI touch to its news feed, writing alternate headlines for those that its readers deem to be clickbait. Users can also click a button at the top of each story to generate a three-sentence summary, so you can decide whether it’s worth diving in further.

Artifact is currently free for iOS and Android.

PLEXAMP

While the setup’s a hassle, Plexamp’s “Sonic Sage” feature can create music playlists with far more nuance than your average Spotify genre search. Type a natural-sounding request—such as “Classic rock from the 70s, no Stairway to Heaven, nothing by the Eagles”—and Plexamp will provide a list of tracks along with a one-sentence rationale for each pick.

Using this feature requires subscriptions to Plex Pass ($5 per month) and Tidal ($11 per month), and AI searches cost about one tenth of a cent using an OpenAI API key.

REELGOOD CUE

Even without AI, Reelgood’s mobile app already helps users figure out what to watch across dozens of streaming services. Its new AI tool, called Cue, assists with the final decision, explaining why the user might enjoy something based on their past viewing habits. It’s a bit rudimentary, but shows how generative AI could help nudge people past the point of indecisiveness.

Reelgood is free to use, with Cue currently available for the iPhone.

AUDIOPEN

Like an assistant that can summarize your dictations, AudioPen records and transcribes audio notes, then cleans them up into a concise, written summary. It’s remarkably great at preserving your key ideas and presenting them in paragraph form, free of any ums, likes, or other filler.

AudioPen is free to use, with an optional $60 per year subscription for longer recordings and other extra features.

OPINIONATE.IO

This website might be the most efficient way hear both sides of any argument. Just type in a debate-worthy topic—like “We should have a wealth tax for billionaires” or “AI artwork shouldn’t be eligible for copyright”—and you’ll get multiple rounds of back-and-forth from opposing viewpoints.

Opinionate.io allows one free debate per day, with pay-as-you-go options for more.

CLOCKWISE

The ability to schedule calendar events with natural language has been around for years—just ask Siri, for instance—but Clockwise is taking it a step further. Using GPT-4, Clockwise AI will account for all team members’ schedules and the context of recent Slack discussions when handling meeting requests. It will also be able to move meetings around if a more urgent scheduling need arises. (These features, which Clockwise announced in May, are in private beta testing now.)

The AI features will be part of Clockwise’s existing paid plans, but exact pricing hasn’t been revealed.

DUOLINGO MAX

While Duolingo is known for its structured language lessons, it’s using GPT-4 to break out into unstructured territory. Its new Duolingo Max subscription lets users role-play with the app’s virtual characters in other languages and get constructive criticism along the way. The subscription also enables an “Explain My Answer” feature, where users can ask questions and follow-ups when they’re struggling with a concept. Duolingo is rolling these features out to a limited number of users, starting with its iOS app.

Access to Duolingo Max costs $30 per month or $168 per year.

OTTER CHAT

This generative AI tool from Otter can help bail you out if you’re late to a meeting. Using what Otter calls a “large spoken language model,” Otter Chat can transcribe meetings in real time and answer questions about what’s already been discussed without bothering everyone else. It can also suggest action items or create summaries before the meeting is even over.

Otter Chat is available with all plans, including Otter’s free tier.

YOUTUBE SUMMARIZERS

Since the launch of ChatGPT, countless apps have leaned on it to transcribe and summarize YouTube videos, so you can get the gist without having to watch the whole thing.

The best example is summarize.tech, which lets you plug in any YouTube link to get a multi-paragraph subscription with timestamps. It’s free for up to three videos per day, or $10 per month for up to 200 videos per month. For quicker access to summaries, Eightify is a browser extension that offers one-click summaries directly from the YouTube website.

CHATGPT PLUG-INS

The elephant in the room, ChatGPT recently launched a plugin store that lets users interact directly with other apps and services. For instance, you can look up delivery options from DoorDash, get restaurant reservation links from OpenTable, get book recommendations from Bookworm, and more.

It’s clearly a work in progress—in most cases, you’d still be better off just navigating to the website in question—but there are times where natural language comes in handy. If you’re getting TV recommendations from Likewise, for instance, you can name a few different shows that you like, or ask to exclude certain ones from the list.

These plug-ins require a ChatGPT Plus subscription at $20 per month, and while it’s not worth the cost in its current state, it’s worth keeping an eye on.