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Let’s face it: Everyone’s heard of ChatGPT and Midjourney, but what about the AI gems quietly making work and life easier behind the scenes? There’s a whole world of AI tools out there for different purposes, whether you want to level up your career or just keep your personal life from imploding.
Here are five underrated, ultra-handy AI tools you probably haven’t seen in the headlines — plus how to put each one to work without breaking a sweat.
xTiles: Best for planning and visualizing your ideas
Imagine you’re organizing your social media posts, planning a wedding, or just trying to keep your priorities straight — there is an AI tool you don’t want to overlook. xTiles lets you visually arrange your notes, checklists, files, and even images on a free-form board so you can see the details and the big picture at once.
If you’re a visual learner, this AI project management app is basically a second brain with better handwriting. You can drag, drop, copy, paste, and customize templates until your plans look exactly the way you want.
Switch between work and personal calendars, kanban boards, and table views, or collaborate with your friend group in real-time to finally make that trip out of the group chat.
SaneBox: Best for decluttering your overflowing inbox
A cluttered inbox can be draining. If you’re tired of wading through a swamp of unread and disorganized emails, SaneBox is here to throw you a lifeline.
This AI-powered email management tool uses smart algorithms to magically sort your messages into neat folders based on importance. It’s perfect for busy professionals who want to spend less time sorting and more time doing, SaneBox also nudges you to follow up on those critical emails you forgot about. It’s like having a personal assistant who never calls in sick.
NotebookLM: Best for researching for school, work, or personal projects
Need to sift through mountains of research for a report, thesis, or business plan? NotebookLM, powered by Google, is your AI assistant. Just upload your sources and let it summarize, answer questions, and even create audio overviews.
This AI-powered research and writing powerhouse comes with document analysis, question answering, idea generation, and even podcast creation. If you’re feeling buried under information, Notebook LM can dig you out faster than you can say “deadline.”
BeeDone: Best for gamifying your daily tasks
If you’re struggling to stay motivated with daily chores or work tasks, BeeDone adds a spark of motivation by turning your to-do list into a rewarding, game-like experience. This AI-powered gamified daily planner helps you maximize your productivity through gamification and AI assistance.
Try its flexible habit tracker, reward system, and gamified daily routine — all designed to make even the most boring chores feel a little more fun.Whether you’re competing against your own high score yesterday, BeeDone makes staying on track feel less like a slog.
Gamma.app: Best for creating attractive presentations effortlessly
Got a last-minute presentation or need to build a pitch deck, stat? Gamma.app takes your rough ideas and spins them into polished slides in minutes.
This AI-powered PowerPoint generator helps you deliver a presentation complete with suggested layouts and visuals just from a simple prompt. You can also explore an extensive template collection you can customize for whatever industry you’re working in, or maybe you just want to design a presentation for a game night.
Bottom line: Don’t limit yourself to the usual AI tools
Sure ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are impressive, but there are numerous underrated yet equally powerful tools you can explore. AI is a rapidly growing field, and there’s a smart solution that can help simplify your life.
These hidden gems are designed to solve real world-headaches — from organizing your thoughts and decluttering your inbox to tackling research, gamifying goals, or creating presentations that look like you actually slept last night.
Give these AI tools a try and see just how much more productive and more enjoyable your work and personal life can be when you look beyond the mainstream.
Explore eWeek’s in-depth look at Gemini vs. ChatGPT to see how the AI heavyweights compare and which one might be your next digital sidekick.