This post is part of Lifehacker’s “Living With AI” series: We investigate the current state of AI, walk through how it can be useful (and how it can’t), and evaluate where this revolutionary tech is heading next. Read more here.
Artificial intelligence tools are the talk of the tech town right now, and there are a ton of apps hitting mobile stores either designed entirely around AI, or at least implementing the new tech in a major way. Unsurprisingly, considering the noise around this emerging tech, many of these apps are garbage, designed at best to take your money, or, at worst, to install malware on your device.
But at least some of these new apps use AI in ways that are actually useful. Some are simply generative AI apps, like ChatGPT, while others are existing apps that have smartly added AI functionality. Whatever the case, these AI apps are worth your time and attention, and each stands as an example of how AI can positively impact our day-to-day lives.
ChatGPT
How can you talk about apps using GPT without talking about ChatGPT? Now a household name, ChatGPT is an essential service for anyone looking to explore what AI can do. If you have an iPhone, you can download ChatGPT for free and take advantage of text generation powered by GPT-3.5 right now.
ChatGPT wasn’t always an app. OpenAI only recently offered those of us on iPhone the ability to chat away in an app interface. Before that, ChatGPT existed only on the web, at which point every “ChatGPT” app on the App Store and Play Store was a fake to be avoided at all costs. Unfortunately, there’s still no Android version of the app, so those on Google’s OS should stick to the ChatGPT web app for now
Bing
If you don’t have an iPhone or are looking for a mobile AI search experience, give Bing a shot. Bing might always live in Google’s shadow, but adding GPT-4 integration to the search engine was a smart move. (Microsoft is a big investor in OpenAI.) With it, you can search the web with AI-assisted results, chat with Bing, access an AI art generator, among other GPT-powered perks.
Lensa
Lensa made waves late last year because of its “Magic Avatars.” Upload 10 to 20 pictures of yourself, and the app uses AI to create an otherworldly composite of your likeness.
But Lensa, active since 2018, is more than an AI avatar generator. It’s a photo editor first and foremost, one that has adopted AI tools to help make image editing easier. There are tools like “Magic Retouch,” which aims to retouch a subject’s face without any user input; “Smart Eraser,” which, like Google’s tool of the same name, intelligently removes unwanted or intrusive objects from your photos; as well as other tools that can do things like separate your subject from the background and automatically sync music to a collection of videos.
Of course, you can use the manual editing tools to adjust each image to your liking. But take advantage Lensa’s free version (or the seven-day free trial for “Unlimited Access”) to see how well a machine can edit your photos. (Unlimited Access costs $49.99 for a year, and Magic Avatars will run you $3.99 for 50 images.)
Duolingo
Duolingo existed as a language learning app long before most of us had heard the term “large language model.” The company launched its iPhone app way back in 2012, and has empowered users to learn new languages a little every day ever since.
Now, Duolingo is embracing the AI revolution with a new subscription option called Duolingo Max, which uses GPT-4 to power two new features, Explain My Answer and Roleplay. Explain My Answer lets you chat with Duolingo through AI to learn why you didn’t get something right (or why you did, if you guessed). While that additional context sounds useful, Roleplay may be even better, as it lets you chat with an AI bot in your chosen language in guided simulations, complete with tips to help you on your learning journey.
Introducing Duolingo Max
ELSA
If it’s just English you’re hoping to learn, you can’t go wrong with ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant). Recognized as one of the best digital tutors out there, ELSA uses AI to help with all aspects of learning English, including providing live feedback on pronunciation and analyzing your current fluency. You’ll receive clear guides on how certain words and sounds are pronounced, with both text explainers and video tutorials.
Socratic
Unlike many apps powered by OpenAI’s GPT model, Socratic is actually built on Google AI, leveraging that tech to provide help with high school- and college-level homework. Ask Socratic anything related to your homework via your smartphone’s camera or microphone, and the AI will answer accordingly. Math problems are broken down step-by-step, while science questions are answered with graphics and detailed text. The app claims to be compatible with courses like algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, earth and environmental studies, U.S. and world history, and literature.
And, while most of the apps on this list are free to download, Socratic is 100% free. There’s no optional subscription or pay wall: Everything is available free of charge. (Except for, of course, your data.)
Woebot
Woebot is an AI-powered digital life coach. Think ChatGPT, but specifically for getting your feelings out. You tell Woebot everything going on in your life, from stress and anxiety to relationship problems, and the bot walks you through ways to improve your situation. Woebot’s developers say this foundation is built on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but is careful not to call Woebot a therapist; if you feel you are struggling, you should still seek professional help. Woebot is simply a fun experiment, and can be a useful outlet when you feel you can’t confide in friends and family.
Woebot isn’t anything new, either: The New York Times wrote a profile on the AI helper back in 2021, amid the pandemic, but it’s origins lie in 2017. Today, AI is everywhere, giving Woebot another chance to prove its worth. (The clever name alone is worth giving it a shot.)
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is one of the best solutions for automatically transcribing audio. OtterPilot, as Otter calls its tool, can turn both in-person and virtual meetings into easy-to-follow text transcripts complete with speaker identification and timestamps. Your transcription will look more like a Slack thread than a simple text-based record of your meeting, and that’s a good thing. You can use Otter.ai on the web, or download the app on your iPhone or Android device.
Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes started way back in 2015 with a great goal: The app allows blind and low-vision people to connect with a sighted Be My Eyes user over a video call to help with any daily challenges they may be facing. Now the company is integrating GPT-4 to help users solve these problems without needing to call a sighted user first. With the Virtual Volunteer tool, users can snap a picture of their problem, and, through AI, Be My Eyes can identify what’s going on and attempt to assist.
For example, you could take a picture of your refrigerator and ask Be My Eyes what ingredients you have, and what you might make for dinner. If the bot can’t help, you’ll still be able to contact a sighted volunteer via video chat. Virtual Volunteer is still in beta, but you can sign up to test it through the Be My Eyes app, so long as you are blind or low-vision.
Spectre
Spectre comes to us from the developers behind Halide, a popular professional camera app. That team took their knowledge of mobile photography and combined it with AI to help make shooting long exposures easier on iPhone. And easy it is: Point your iPhone at your subject, choose an exposure time, then shoot. As long as you keep your iPhone steady enough, the AI will go to work. Over the course of the exposure, it can essentially remove crowds and objects from a shot, create long streaks of light, or soften the exposure of moving water.
The free version of the app limits you to three-second exposures only, but that’s enough to give you a sense of how the app works. If you like it and want to take anywhere from five to 30-second exposures, you’ll need to upgrade to Spectre Pro for $4.99.
Spectre — Brilliant Long Exposures
Boring Report: News by AI
Remember when the news was boring? I’m talking the black and white, monotone reporting that would send you scrambling to change the channel. Sure, the news today is gripping, but for all the wrong reasons: Engagement is money, and stoking anger and fear engage people most of all.
Boring Report aims to make the news a little more bland, to the benefit of those consuming it. The app uses AI to strip the sensationalism out of headlines and articles and present a story with as much straightforward objectivity as possible. It’s available as an app on iPhone, but you can access the website on Android.
Of course, AI doesn’t always get it right, and with misinformation as rampant as it is these days, it’s worth taking these altered stories with a grain of salt. That’s why it’s worth checking out the original article from within the context of the AI summary, which Boring Report conveniently offers as a feature. Sadly, Boring Report can’t change the fact that the world is a pretty messed up right now. Even AI can’t wish away climate change or an infuriating decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.
