Tools · AI
June 20267 min read

These 10 AI tools are changing the way professionals work.

Idriss Laouali Abdou

Idriss Laouali Abdou

Co-founder Karatou Academy · Senior PM, 10+ years of experience.

Everyone knows ChatGPT.

But ChatGPT is just the starting point. Here's what's next.

These 10 tools represent what AI can really do today, not in a lab, in your actual professional life.

These are the tools I demo in in-person training. If you know zero of them, you're in the right place.

Want to get trained on applied AI at work?

Join the Karatou Academy waitlist, launching 2026.

Join the waitlist →

🤖 Autonomous agents

These tools don't wait for your instructions. You give them a goal. They act.

01

OpenClaw

Works via WhatsApp

You send it a message on WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord. It writes code, drafts emails, searches the web, and runs complex tasks, straight from the app you already use.

It's the most accessible tool for non-technical professionals: no interface to learn, no app to install. You chat, it acts.

Perfect for:
Professionals who want an AI assistant without changing their habits
Price:
Freemium, free basic access
openclaw.ai
02

Manus

Autonomous agent

The AI agent that went viral worldwide in 2026. You give it a complex goal, write a report, analyze a market, prepare a presentation, and it runs it alone, step by step, without supervision.

It uses tools like a human would: it browses the web, reads documents, writes code, delivers results. The difference with ChatGPT: it doesn't suggest. It does.

Perfect for:
Researchers, consultants, managers with repetitive analytical tasks
Price:
Limited free access, waitlist
manus.ai
03

Hermes

Multi-agent

When a task is too complex for a single agent, Hermes orchestrates several in parallel. One agent searches, another analyzes, another writes, another checks. While you work on something else.

It's the next step after Manus, for advanced professional workflows.

Perfect for:
Teams that want to automate complete end-to-end processes
Price:
See site for pricing
hermes.ai

🎬 Video & AI Avatar

You no longer need a camera or a production crew.

04

Heygen

30 languages

You film yourself once, for a few minutes. Heygen clones your avatar, your face, your expressions, your style, and makes it speak in 30 different languages with perfect lip sync.

Result: your trainings, presentations and marketing content exist in Arabic, English, Spanish, without reshooting a single video.

Perfect for:
Trainers, consultants, content creators who want to reach an international audience
Price:
From $24/month, free trial available
heygen.com
05

Higgsfield

Cinema-grade video

You describe a scene in a few words. Higgsfield generates a cinema-quality video in seconds. Realistic camera movements, professional lighting, consistent characters.

What used to require a production crew and a budget of thousands of euros now happens from your phone.

Perfect for:
Content creators, marketers, communication agencies
Price:
Freemium, free credits to start
higgsfield.ai

🎙️ AI Voice

06

ElevenLabs

The global standard

ElevenLabs has become the global reference for AI voice cloning. You upload 1 minute of your voice. It clones it with a precision that fools even close friends.

Concrete use cases: narrating your trainings without recording, creating multilingual podcasts, dubbing your videos in other languages, generating professional voiceovers for your presentations.

Over 1,000 voices available if you don't want to clone your own. Support for 29 languages including French, Arabic and Wolof.

Perfect for:
Trainers, podcasters, content creators, marketing teams
Price:
Free up to 10,000 characters/month, Pro plans from $5/month
try.elevenlabs.io

*By using this link you support Karatou Academy at no extra cost to you.

🔍 Research & Content

07

NotebookLM

By Google · Free

NotebookLM is the most underrated research tool of 2026. You upload any document, annual report, academic paper, contract, book, and you can question it as if talking to someone who memorized it entirely.

Its most powerful feature: Audio Overview. It turns any document into a 10-15 minute podcast with two voices debating the content. Ideal for learning while commuting.

Perfect for:
Students, researchers, professionals who handle a lot of documents
Price:
Completely free
notebooklm.google.com
08

Perplexity

Verified sources

Perplexity is the natural replacement for Google for professionals who need reliable, verifiable answers.

Unlike ChatGPT which can hallucinate, Perplexity systematically cites its sources with links. You see exactly where each piece of information comes from. It has real-time web access, so no outdated data.

Perfect for:
Anyone doing monitoring, research or analysis
Price:
Free, Pro at $20/month for heavy use
perplexity.ai
09

Gamma

Presentations in 2 min

You describe your topic in a few sentences. Gamma generates a complete presentation, structure, slides, design, images, in under 2 minutes.

The result is clean, professional and fully editable. You go from idea to final presentation without ever opening PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Perfect for:
Consultants, trainers, managers who regularly build presentations
Price:
Free up to 400 AI credits, Pro at $10/month
gamma.app

📋 Meetings & Productivity

10

Otter.ai

Saves 1h/day

Otter.ai automatically transcribes all your meetings in real time, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams.

At the end of each meeting, you get: the full transcript, a bullet-point summary, decisions made and follow-up actions with owners. Zero note-taking. Zero forgetting. The report is ready before the meeting even ends.

Perfect for:
Managers, consultants, distributed teams who have lots of meetings
Price:
Free up to 300 min/month, Pro at $16.99/month
otter.ai

74%

of professionals don't yet use these tools regularly (Gallup 2026)

52 min

saved per day on average thanks to AI tools (McKinsey)

+56%

in salary for workers who master AI (LinkedIn 2026)

Want to learn how to use these tools at work?

Karatou Academy opens registration in July. A video on each tool is coming in the next few weeks, subscribe so you don't miss out.

*AI can hallucinate. Always test outputs before using them in a professional context.
Sources: Gallup Workplace AI Report 2026 · McKinsey Global Institute · LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026 · World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs 2025.