Everyone is speaking about AI. However how are folks really utilizing new automation instruments, and what worth are they getting out of them?
That was our query to attendees on the AI2 Incubator’s annual BBQ social gathering on Thursday, hosted on the AI Home at Seattle’s Pier 70 as a part of Seattle Tech Week.
Techies shared a few of their favourite AI instruments and the way they’re utilizing them. Learn on to study extra. Solutions have been edited for brevity and readability.
Joe Heitzeberg, founding father of AI Tinkerers
Favourite instruments: Granola and Amp
Use case: “Granola simply works very well. It mechanically joins conferences. I can use it for something the place I need to take notes. It’s unobtrusive. And the opposite one is Amp. It’s a coding software I’ve been utilizing for two-and-a-half weeks — objectively, it’s higher than Claude Code. It simply does a greater job of taking my directions and determining the right way to fulfill my aims in a method that’s suitable with my code base.”
Mamtha Banerjee, managing director at JPMorgan Chase
Favourite software: Perplexity Comet
Use case: “It’s not that I’m utilizing it lots. However it’s very attention-grabbing the way it adjustments what you consider a browser — it’s nearly like an working system.”
Gayathri (G3) Venkataraman, CEO at Dodda AI
Favourite software: Perplexity, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot
Use case: “I exploit them lots for just about all of the duties I’ve to do. I provide you with plans and ask them to let me know if I’m masking every little thing or lacking something — I’m utilizing it as a complete completeness software. I’m additionally utilizing them for journey planning and for retail and different issues I would like to purchase at house.”
Beth Kolko, funding companion at Pioneer Fund
Favourite software: Claude
Use case: “I simply did a bunch of touring and I used Claude to assist me slim down plans. I requested it to inform me the historical past of a spot and the place I ought to go. Professionally, I exploit it as a result of I do lots of writing and talking for my profession. I’ll add issues I’ve already written on completely different matters and get it to do some synthesis work.”
Ti Zhao, companion at Pack Ventures
Favourite software: Claude
Use case: “I exploit it for every little thing — to plan my exercises, plan my meal plans. It provides me recipe concepts and concepts to throw a cocktail party or entertain kids. It primarily solves the blank-page downside for me. I don’t belief every little thing it tells me however it may well generate a listing of concepts and I can work off of it actually simply.”
Joe Golden, founder and CEO at Paper2Audio
Favourite software: Google Gemini Flash 2.0; OpenAI o3
Use case: “Our firm makes it so you may take heed to analysis papers. We don’t want advanced pondering or reasoning, or agentic mode. So Gemini Flash 2.0 is quick and low cost. It could possibly additionally parse pictures effectively sufficient and cheaply. One other software I’ve been utilizing is o3. A member of the family was lately recognized with most cancers. It’s unbelievable for medical analysis. It’s actually invaluable for stepping into a brand new area of analysis.”
Darian Parrish, founder and CEO at PwrOn
Favourite software: Poe
Use case: “Poe permits you to entry all of the fashions. That’s the best worth chatbot. And I exploit lots of the coding instruments — Windsurf, Lovable, Cursor, Replit. I’ve estimated I’m round 30 instances sooner at software program creation.”
Markiesha Patrice, startup group lead at Nebius
Favourite software: Descript
Use case: “I do lots of video content material and modifying, so Descript makes it quite simple for me. It’s saving time and it’s additionally ease of use. If you happen to’re not somebody who’s tremendous technical or educated, there’s not a lot additional data that it’s a must to have with the intention to go into the platform and use it.”
Gregory Kennedy, chief vibe marketer at Vibe Your SaaS
Favourite software: Claude, Canva
Use case: “As a writing assistant, Claude might be the perfect one. It really works for me like an intern, the place it may well get began with an thought. I exploit it extra like a very superior model of Grammarly. And I feel Canva doesn’t get lots of love, and their AI instruments are fairly good. I do lots of visuals and graphics for advertising. The instruments are actually highly effective for shifting backgrounds, manipulating issues, no matter you want. It’s actually quick and simple.”
Elizabeth Russo, CEO at adyn
Favourite software: Claude
Use case: “Largely to assist as a writing assistant, primarily for emails to potential companions and traders. It could possibly generally unlock author’s block or assist me recover from procrastination of beginning one thing. Even when it provides me a foul draft, I really feel motivated that I can do higher and repair it.”
Xuchen Yao, co-founder and CEO at Seasalt.ai
Favourite software: Warp
Use case: “I exploit it for vibe coding. I simply open up a terminal and inform it the directions. I exploit it to translate blogs into 20 completely different languages to make our firm extra worldwide. I additionally use it to do code critiques.”
Robert Mao, architect at AIGNE
Favourite software: AIGNE
Use case: “Lots of people are doing vibe coding, however for me, as a developer, I really get pleasure from coding. However I actually hate writing design paperwork and person paperwork. And so we’re constructing a vibe doc software for builders. All you do is feed in your design thought draft and the AI turns it right into a full doc. Or when you already wrote the code, it makes an excellent cool design doc.”
