This text is republished with permission from Marvel Instruments, a e-newsletter that helps you uncover probably the most helpful websites and apps. Subscribe here.
Typing isn’t all the time the easiest way to get your ideas down. Typically speaking via an concept results in higher readability. New AI instruments can reliably remodel these spoken ideas into clear, organized textual content.
I’ve spent months experimenting with voice AI instruments—first on my telephone, and now on my laptop computer. They’ve been serving to me pull concepts from my mind onto paper. The instruments beneath have turn into essential to my workflow.
Why voice AI beats conventional transcription
Conventional transcription merely converts speech to textual content. Trendy voice AI does way more:
- Prompt transformation: Converse naturally and get a refined draft, define, or abstract
- Good cleanup: AI removes filler phrases and provides correct punctuation
- Format flexibility: Convert speech into varied codecs like bullet lists or structured paperwork
- Context consciousness: AI understands context and organizes your ideas logically. As a result of it’s grounded in your personal phrases, it doesn’t hallucinate.
5 methods I like utilizing voice AI
Listed here are some situations the place voice AI is especially invaluable:
1. Journal entries
As an alternative of watching a clean web page, I converse my ideas at day’s finish. The AI transforms my stream of consciousness into organized reflections.
2. Assembly follow-ups
After an in-person assembly, I open my voice AI app, hit report, and speak via key factors whereas they’re nonetheless contemporary. I don’t fear in regards to the construction of my sentences or about pausing as I feel. The AI waits for me and summarizes my rambling.
3. Presentation planning
Talking via presentation concepts helps me work out my narrative stream. The AI helps me manage my ideas right into a structured define. I can speak via a number of potential variations, then evaluate them on display later.
4. Guide notes
To protect insights from one thing I’m studying, I activate a voice AI app and flip via the pages or scroll via the textual content to remind myself out loud about intriguing passages or concepts. I then save the structured observe the AI creates.
I like with the ability to look again on the textual content whereas dictating the observe. And the modifying a part of my mind interferes much less after I’m speaking than after I’m typing.
5. Each day planning
Beginning my day by verbally mapping out my priorities helps me assume via what’s forward extra successfully than typing out a listing.
Voice AI apps to attempt
Letterly
- Straightforward to make use of: Simply press the app’s large button. As much as quarter-hour per recording.
- Cross-platform: Document or entry your previous text-from-voice throughout routinely synchronized desktop, internet, and cell apps.
- Good format detection: The magic remodel possibility can routinely reformat your phrases, turning lists into bullets or structuring e mail drafts for fast copy-and-pasting into different apps.
- Customizable outputs: Rework recordings into LinkedIn posts, podcast or video scripts, structured paperwork, or your personal customized codecs.
- Iterative refinement: Strive totally different transformations of the identical recording till you get precisely what you want.
- A number of languages: Document in any of 90 languages, or report in a single language and have the app translate your textual content into one other.
- Offline and screen-off choices: Document wherever, even with out Web entry. Strive utilizing background mode with out your display on. I usually report with my AirPods whereas strolling with my telephone in my pocket.
- Founder’s tip: “Don’t confuse it with dictation,” says Letterly’s founder and CEO Anton Lebedev. “You don’t have to pronounce the right textual content you need to write. As an alternative, assume out loud, converse slowly, rapidly, and even chaotically. AI will perceive you. Consider it like a writing assistant you’re telling what to write down. The assistant can perceive you and work out tips on how to rewrite the textual content.”
- Letterly Pricing: $80/12 months after a free trial
Oasis
- Multi-purpose output: Get your recording reworked concurrently into varied codecs—from a memo or define to a weblog publish or TED speak.
- Make customized templates: Create and title quick prompts that mirror your most well-liked types or codecs. These turn into a part of your customized immediate library for reworking future recordings. I made one for my journal entries.
- Internet accessibility: Like Letterly and Audiopen, you’ll be able to entry your recordings and reworked textual content via a browser on any gadget.
- Oasis pricing: $5/month or $50/12 months for sufficient credit for a whole bunch of month-to-month makes use of.
AudioPen
- Customise rewrite size: Customise the size setting should you’d favor summaries of your transcribed recordings to be shorter or longer. Create and entry them in your telephone or on any gadget via your browser.
- Shareable audio notes: Ship particular person audio observe hyperlinks to colleagues or collaborators. Or ship then to different apps with a Zapier integration.
- Versatile group: Mix a number of audio notes or their summaries into bigger collections. You possibly can seek for previous notes or organize them in folders.
- Wealthy template choice: Select from varied transformation templates.
- AudioPen pricing: $99/12 months or $159/two years after a free trial.
Backside Line
Begin with Letterly if you would like simplicity and reliability. Contemplate Oasis if you would like a barely cheaper possibility or have to concurrently entry a number of format variations of the identical content material. AudioPen is helpful if you wish to customise the size of your voice summaries or if sharing or combining audio notes is vital to your workflow.
The place to make use of voice AI
Voice AI shines when typing isn’t sensible or if you need to assume freely with out your arms on a keyboard. Listed here are conditions the place you’ll be able to attempt it:
At dwelling
- Cozy chair: Seize e-book notes with out interrupting your studying rhythm.
- Kitchen: Doc recipe changes or cooking notes whereas your arms are busy with elements.
- Bedside: Document late-night musings with out disrupting your wind-down routine with a vivid display.
- Backyard: Log landscaping concepts or random ideas whereas your arms are soiled.
On the transfer
- Strolling: Seize challenge concepts and inspiration throughout your day by day stroll.
- Commute: Draft emails and plan your day whereas on the subway or bus.
- Automotive: Document ideas safely after parking however earlier than you overlook an vital concept.
At work
- Quiet house: Create reflective journal entries whereas looking the window.
- Convention: Seize insights between classes to keep away from being overwhelmed if you get dwelling.
- Physician’s workplace: Document appointment particulars and follow-up steps whereas the information is contemporary.
Lively time
- Open air: Draft journal entries or artistic concepts whereas surrounded by nature
- Train: Define shows or brainstorm on the treadmill
- Procuring: Create lists or remind your self about merchandise
Voice AI in your laptop computer
I used to rely solely on cell voice AI apps, however these days I’ve been counting on laptop computer voice AI apps. These are much less targeted on reworking textual content and extra on placing your spoken textual content in your clipboard so you’ll be able to paste into any software you’re utilizing. It really works with Google Docs, Phrase, e mail, or no matter else you’re utilizing. I exploit these on my laptop computer as a result of it’s faster and simpler for me to speak than to sort. Listed here are three price making an attempt:
Circulate
- Fast to begin: When you’ve put in the software program, simply maintain down the operate key to begin recording in any of 100+ languages. Your recording will get immediately transcribed and the cleaned-up textual content is copied to your clipboard.
- Works wherever in your pc: Paste transcribed textual content straight into any software—e mail, paperwork, or messaging apps.
- Reduces display and hand fatigue: Document whereas wanting away out of your display to scale back eye pressure and provides your arms a break.
- Flow pricing: Free for as much as 2,000 phrases/week; $12/month billed yearly for limitless phrases and further options. $8/month for students and educators.
TalkTastic
- Easy transcription: Made by the staff that created the Oasis cell app, TalkTastic is designed to be less complicated. As an alternative of remodeling your speech into varied textual content varieties, it simply places a cleaned-up model of what you say onto your clipboard to stick into any app.
- Good textual content transformation: You possibly can optionally set it to research your display context to supply reworked variations of your textual content.
- Free: Whereas in beta, there’s no value for TalkTastic.
MacWhisper
- Superior transcription: Use this free software program to transcribe on-line conferences, podcasts, or dwell dictation. You possibly can even add information to transcribe.
- Pay as soon as for professional options: Allow YouTube transcriptions, batch uploads, translation, and high AI mannequin utilization with a one-time buy.
- MacWhisper pricing: Free for primary utilization; about $60 for professional improve; 20% low cost with this link. Journalists, college students, or non-profits can e mail support@macwhisper.com for 50% off.
Different methods to make use of your voice to profit from AI
- ChatGPT has a robust voice mode in its cell and desktop apps. Relatively than typing out AI queries, you’ll be able to have a dialog with an AI bot. Right here’s why that’s so useful.
- Perplexity’s cell app voice AI mode is terrific. I ask it a collection of questions, like an oracle. It beats Google on lots of my queries. The AI understands what I’m asking, then gathers and summarizes a useful response. Citations within the app guarantee I can test on its information sources.
- Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot have recently-upgraded cell voice modes. Converse with human-sounding AI bots with out thumb typing.
- Open-source options abound.
This text is republished with permission from Marvel Instruments, a e-newsletter that helps you uncover probably the most helpful websites and apps. Subscribe here.