A Fun, Relaxing Guide to Your Own Obsolescence: What AI Tools You Should Learn Before They Take Over Your Job

So, you’ve fi nally realized that AI isn’t just for tech dudes, CEOs, and the odd YouTuber who wants to “revolutionize your workfl ow.” That’s great! Welcome to the AI arms race, where a new tool comes out every day, everyone freaks out, and you pretend to know what “machine learning” means while secretly Google it for the 30th time.
You don’t have to write an algorithm or make a robot that gets your coffee. (But really, where’s the app for that?) You should know which AI tools are worth crashing your browser for and which ones are just there to steal your information and make bad cat pictures.
If you want to live, do well, or at least not get replaced by a software update in 2025, you should learn these AI tools.

1.ChatGPT, also known as “Your New Coworker Who Knows Everything and Never Takes a Lunch Break”

First, let’s talk about the most obvious one: ChatGPT, the AI internet’s unoffi cial mayor.
You’ve previously used it to write an SMS, a CV, or an email late at night asking for help seeming smart. But you’re missing out if you don’t know how to use ChatGPT the right way. It’s not just a fancy version of Google. It’s a personal assistant, a copywriter, a therapist, and a chaos maker all in one.
What you need to know: How to get it to do what you want (also known as how to talk to robots like a cult leader).
You can choose between a corporate drone or a social media goblin to have it write in a certain tone.
How to check its lies again, as it’s sure of itself and sometimes crazy.
ChatGPT is great for:
Writing emails that you don’t want to.
Summarizing meetings you didn’t attend.
Pretending that you came up with 32 new ideas for content.
You can also get more powers like enhanced thinking and “AI memory” if you use ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4). Your robot friend now recalls your trauma and work patterns, which means you’re in a codependent relationship with software.
If your employer uses it too, try using different words for “initiative” and “synergy.” They’ll

2. Midjourney and DALL·E:

For People Who Want to Yell “Enhance!” But Can’t Draw Like It’s like CSI
Okay, visual artists, quit pretending that you still enjoy spending six hours on Photoshop layers. It’s 2025, and drawing is out. Prompting is now.
Enter Midjourney and DALL·E, the top two AI image generators right now. They’re like ChatGPT for pictures, but moodier and a little scary.
With Midjourney, you can make a high-resolution work of art out of “a raccoon in a business suit giving a PowerPoint about cryptocurrency.” DALL·E (OpenAI’s baby) can change images while they are being made, take things out, and appear like it is judging you.
Why you should learn them:
Because “I made it with AI” is now art.
Because every freelancer on Instagram uses them, and you can’t afford to lag behind.
There are times when you just want to witness “a realistic Corgi driving a Tesla through space” without having to explain why.
Marketers, designers, and people who put things off can make images faster than you can remark, “Wait, that’s not a real human hand.”
Learn how to make prompts that don’t scare people as a bonus talent.
What you should work on:
Writing thorough prompts (really, don’t just say “make something pretty”).
Editing AI-generated pictures with human changes to make them feel less haunted.
Trying out all the styles, including cinematic, vaporwave, or sad corporate realism.
You won’t be a designer after this, but you’ll appear like one, which is half the battle.

3. Notion AI:

Because You Need Help Acting You have things under control in your life.
If your mind is full of 37 open tabs and a Google Doc with half-fi nished ideas, Notion AI might be able to help you.
For years, Notion has been the productivity tool of choice for folks who love making lists but loathe actually accomplishing anything on them. Now it has AI that can compose meeting notes, manage your day, or nicely remind you that you’re behind on your deadlines.
Why you should learn it:
It can turn your mess into “organized thoughts.”
It can write good project summaries, even for ridiculous ideas like “making a podcast about squirrels.”
You can talk like a CEO without having to do anything.
“Summarize this,” “Brainstorm ideas,” and “Turn this mess into structure” are some commands you should learn how to use. Out of nowhere, you’re not simply getting through your work; you’re in a phony productivity montage.
Instead of debilitating remorse, a robot murmurs words of encouragement to you.
If you use Notion AI for long enough, you’ll wind up telling your pals about it like it’s your therapist: “It’s been reminding me to drink water and making me work harder.”

4. Runway ML:

Editing video shouldn’t make you want to die.
If you’ve ever sobbed while exporting from Premiere Pro, this is for you. Runway ML is the AI-powered video editor that claims, “Don’t worry, we’ll fi x it in post,” and then really does.
Runway can edit videos using AI, remove scenes, monitor motion, and even make videos from text. This means that all you need is a lousy prompt to make a Netfl ix program.
If you want to know this,
You’re a video maker who is sick of having to sync sound by hand.
You have yelled, “I JUST WANT THE BACKGROUND GONE.”
You want to claim, “I’m in post-production,” but you don’t have any Adobe subscriptions.
What to do with:
The “erase object” tool is like Photoshop’s clone tool, but it has a brain.
The new text-to-video feature is like magic.
Auto color correcting for when your lighting was just “hope and a prayer.”
It’s free to start, pleasant to play with, and makes you feel like a visual effects magician who only had $5 and a dream.
Editing like a pro from your couch? This is the height of late-stage capitalism, to be honest.

5. Poe, Perplexity, and Other AI Helpers You Didn’t Know You Needed

Did you think ChatGPT was the only text-based AI tool that was worth your time? Adorable. There are fresh, sassier kids on the block, including Poe, Perplexity AI, and a dozen other startups that are still being built in basements.
Perplexity is like Google, but instead of giving you 18-year-old Reddit discussions, it genuinely answers your questions. It also lists sources, so you can seem smart without having to click on any links.
Poe (by Quora) is like a digital banquet for people who love chaos and overthink things. It enables you access numerous AI models all in one spot, such ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more.

If you want to stop switching between tabs and start acting like a “multimodal creator” or whatever LinkedIn calls it these days, you should learn these.
Why they important: because every business is working on “The Next ChatGPT,” and one of them might truly matter someday. You might as well learn to get along with them before they become your boss.
Choose your favorite AI the same way you choose your coffee: too specifi c and a little snobby.

6. Bonus Round:

The AI That You Don’t Think Is Great But Will Brag About Later
Once you know how to use the large AI tools, there are a few little ones that will make your work (and personality) a little better:
Krisp.ai gets rid of background noise so your boss can’t hear you munching chips during meetings.
Otter.ai automatically transcribes meetings so you can “review them later” (you won’t).
Gamma: Makes your overfl owing notes into elegant presentations only to show that you achieved anything.
Soundful makes music that you can use without paying royalties, so you can show off your skills as a “digital composer.”
Do you really need these tools? Not sure. But they’ll make you look smarter than everyone else, which is what we’re all after, let’s be honest.
You may merely say “AI” and walk away dramatically when someone asks, “How did you make that?”

7.The Big Picture (and the Breakdown of Existence)

It’s not about “keeping up with technology” to learn AI tools. It’s a survival instinct. You don’t want to be the one that sends PDFs by email while your competitors use a single emoji prompt to make dynamic workfl ows.
Every specialty now has its own AI assistant, whether it’s for writing, art, video, or productivity. Sometimes it’s smart, sometimes it’s suicidal, but it’s always faster than you. And while everyone is freaking out about “robots taking jobs,” what’s the wise thing to do? Before the robots form a union, learn how to use them.
You won’t be able to ask ChatGPT for help with work in the future. You will report to it.

You did it! You made it to the end! That suggests that either (a) you really want to learn how to use AI technologies or (b) you’re putting off something crucial.
You don’t have to know everything, to be honest. Choose a few AI tools, mess around with them, and use them without guilt. Be the disorder that the algorithm is afraid of.
It’s time to shut this tab and become the tech-savvy cyborg you were always intended to be.