From the book · AI for Now and the Future
The AI Tools and Tactics I'm Using Right Now
AI changes faster than any book can print. This page is where I keep the most current tools and tactics I'm actually using to build Velocity in real businesses. Check back often. It changes monthly.
Last updated: June 2026Start here
How to think about AI
Use AI for efficiency, not as a replacement for thinking.
If you outsource your critical thinking, your brain turns to mush. You bring the judgment. AI brings the speed.
Have a clear goal before you prompt.
When you let AI control the outcome, you get AI slop. When you know exactly what you want, AI amplifies your work.
Pick one.
There are hundreds of AI tools. Don't try to implement ten things this week. Pick one tool from this page and actually put it to work.
What I run every day
My daily stack
Claude
My heavy lifter
All my serious work: drafting SOPs, analyzing meeting transcripts, building team briefs, and writing. I run Claude Fable 5, which is the same underlying model as Anthropic's Mythos with extra guardrails. I use Projects to keep deep context for things like LinkedIn content and individual clients, and I've connected it to Google Drive so it has a private library of everything we've created.
Claude Cowork
My desktop agent
It works across everything on my computer, from analyzing iMessage threads to financial planning. If the work lives in files and apps instead of a chat box, Cowork handles it.
Gemini
Image creation and research
All my image generation and most of my research. We run on Google Workspace, so Gemini natively sees my email, files, and meetings. If you live in Google like we do, start here.
Alfred, my Townie
My AI executive assistant
Alfred is the assistant I named on Town. Together with Google Workspace Studio, he does everything my old setup used to do: a pre-brief 30 minutes before every leadership meeting with full client context, client win tracking across email and Basecamp all month, and triage of recurring email like receipts and cold outreach. He replaced 2 to 3 hours of human prep per meeting.
ChatGPT
Financial review
ChatGPT was the first AI tool to integrate with Plaid, the same bank-syncing system QuickBooks uses. On a paid account, I get private financial analysis of cash flow and aging receivables straight from my actual bank data.
Hello Frank
My AI CFO
Frank connects directly to bank accounts and answers the questions a founder actually asks: available cash, AR/AP, burn, runway. Automating CFO-level review like this saves us $2,000 to $3,000 a month.
Wispr Flow
Dictation everywhere
One hotkey and I'm dictating into any app, perfectly formatted. I talk my prompts instead of typing them, which makes every other tool on this list faster. If you only adopt one thing from this page, make it this one.
Plaud
Conversation capture
A pill-sized recorder that transcribes in-person conversations and auto-creates follow-up task lists for everyone in the meeting. Zapier ties it into Google Drive so transcripts become SOPs without me touching anything.
Zapier
The glue
Connects everything above to everything else. Plaud to Drive, Drive to Gemini, wins to monthly reports.
Replit
Building real apps
I've shipped working software without writing code, including the site you're on right now.
Perplexity
Cited research
Fast answers with sources when I need to verify something before it goes in front of a client.
ElevenLabs
AI voice
Voiceovers and audio content without booking a recording session.
Gamma
Presentations
First-draft decks in minutes instead of hours.
On my radar
Worth watching
NotebookLM
Turn your documents into a research assistant, or even a podcast.
Manus
Agentic AI that completes multi-step tasks on its own. One of our clients used it to turn a contract into a working SOP.
Lovable
Another no-code AI app builder worth a look.
n8n
Zapier's power-user cousin for complex automations.
Grok
Strong for real-time information tied to X.
From my client workshops
Tactics that actually work
- 1
The Green / Yellow / Red rule.
Before you let an AI agent touch anything, classify the work. Green: AI handles it fully. Yellow: AI drafts, a human approves. Red: humans only. We learned this the hard way when an automation sent a sensitive email early. Set the boundaries first.
- 2
Write SOPs twice.
When we document a process, Claude produces two versions: a 1 to 2 page version a human will actually read, and a comprehensive version an AI agent can execute. Documented processes also raise your business valuation.
- 3
Train your AI on you.
Go into settings and give Claude or Gemini condensed instructions on your tone, your style, and what you hate in AI output. Then ask the AI what it's noticed you like and dislike. This kills generic AI slop.
- 4
Use Projects for context.
One project per client or per recurring job, loaded with your best examples and instructions, so every new chat starts smart instead of starting over.
- 5
Pay for your AI.
Paid accounts on Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini keep your data private and unlock the full models. It's still dramatically cheaper than the executive assistant work it replaces. If you're in a regulated industry like legal or finance, read the privacy policy of every tool before you load client data.
Inside the framework
Want to see AI working inside the Velocity Framework? The Messaging & Proof Checklist in the Toolbox includes an AI cleanup feature that polishes your messaging using the principles straight from the book.
Put one tool to work
Browse the full Toolbox or get the book that started it all.