Powered by AI - 4 tools that can make a difference

I f we believe the hype, a myriad of world-altering AI developments should be coming any second now.

But they haven’t arrived just yet. So while we wait, I’ve been thinking about the tools that are making an impact in marketing and communications, right now.

From how we organise our notes to creating background music, here’s a short list of AI services that are changing how we work – with the internet’s perennial caveat: all views are my own.

NotebookLM

If there’s one thing you should check out after reading this piece, it’s Google’s NotebookLM. I was first introduced to it when Spotify created a fake conversation about my 2024 listening habits. It felt like the Uncanny Valley for voices. Two non-people chatting and joking about my overconsumption of Olivia Rodrigo and Djo. I had to find out if I could make my own AI podcast – and I could, very easily.

Whether it’s an unread report or an extensive briefing document, upload it into the system. NotebookLM will then generate a conversation based on the data it reads. As a podcast fan, I’ve found the tool extraordinarily useful. Tricky documents or extensive notes can be converted into audio form, perfect for when you’re on the go or if you’ve spent too long staring at a screen. 

Claude Sonnet 4

Chatbots are often influenced by individual preferences and expectations, and it’s certainly worth trialling a range to see which works best for you. 

"I’ve had arguments with Copilot after it told me that hallucinated links that don’t actually exist were just 'placeholder URLs'"

Gus Williams Account Executive

For example, I’ve had arguments with Copilot after it told me that hallucinated links that don’t actually exist were just “placeholder URLs”. ChatGPT too. It once ended a query by saying  “- searching -”, having not searched at all. All I needed was a “no, I don’t have that information – sorry”. 

Anthropic’s Claude is, however, one of the better chatbots. As a research tool, it provides a comprehensive, detailed response. Tone is a large part of the experience too. Claude provides clarity on how it is searching as well as conducting secondary searches in the same request. 

Veo 3

Another tool from Google, the Veo 3 Video Generator, opens a window into how far AI has come. It has been dubbed as ‘something you’ve never seen before’, creating high-quality videos from text or image prompts. 

This tool has many uses – but for marketers it could be a great fit for creating b-roll and background video, as well as trialling content ideas. If you haven’t already, take a look at the quality of Veo 3’s videos – it’s worth watching just to see quite how impressive it is. 

One caveat, however – it is a significant investment at $250 a month. 

Canva’s AI tools

For marketers and social media managers, Canva is an essential tool and its AI features are becoming increasingly useful. 

While we usually avoid using AI image generation at Fourth Day, Canva’s AI image creation tool, exemplified by the image at the top of this blog, is certainly useful when it comes to playing with an existing photo. It’s quick and easy to fix gaps and create placeholders to test ideas. Beyond internal use, AI images are being used across a number of tech trade publications, as a quick-to-make solution that content doesn’t require stock photo licensing. 

The company’s music generation tool is also worth noting – particularly handy for adding background tracks to accompany footage, avoiding the headache of finding the right royalty-free music. The caveat is the music is somewhat generic and lacks the polished quality that you often get with human-made music.