AI

Finding good AI tools isn’t the problem. Even the free version of ChatGPT can do a lot. The real frustration is that if you want good results for generating copy, creating images, transcribing text and doing a myriad of other AI tasks, you often need a whole pile of subscriptions, and those costs add up. The alternative is to get an all-in-one tool that brings top AI models together in one interface. Enter 1minAI.

The major benefits of 1minAI are organizational and financial. It gives you access to ChatGPT, Gemini Pro, Llama, Mistral AI and more. So you get all your AI tools in one place, and you don’t need to pay for a subscription to each one separately. For a limited time, you can get a lifetime sub to 1minAI for just $24.97.

Switching to an AI speech-to-text tool could be the best productivity shift you make. VoiceType AI is a desktop-based dictation tool that turns your spoken words into clear, well-formatted text with 99.7% accuracy.

Most people type at around 40 words per minute. But VoiceType AI captures speech at up to 360 words per minute, giving you a serious productivity boost without sacrificing quality. And right now, it costs just $24.99 for a lifetime subscription (regularly $154).

Apple is reportedly exploring a new category of wearable hardware: an AirTag-sized AI pin designed to clip onto clothing and function hands-free without a screen.

After mostly sitting on the sidelines for years, Apple is apparently jumping into the AI game in a big way.

Forget the old, nearly useless Siri — Apple reportedly plans to upgrade the iPhone’s voice assistant into an AI-powered chatbot with iOS 27. Users will supposedly be able to converse with the new Siri, not just give it orders.

If true, this will let Apple compete directly against Android and Windows computers with built-in AI chatbots.

AI writing tools work wonders, but AI detectors can flag your content if it leans too heavily on robo-prose. If you want your AI writing to be undetectable, you must edit all that content yourself, but it takes time to add the human touch. Sometimes, there just isn’t room in the schedule, but that’s OK. There’s a robot for that, too. You can use an AI humanizer like Undetectable Humanizer.

The Undetectable Humanizer transforms your AI-generated text into natural, human-like prose to help it bypass AI detection systems. This tool is a great get for writers, content creators and business owners who need to save as much time as they can when creating engaging content. A lifetime subscription to this effective AI humanizer’s pro plan is on sale now for $139.99 (regularly $2,880).

New security research repository Firehound uncovered widespread data leaks affecting millions of iPhone users who downloaded AI-powered apps from the App Store.

If you’ve downloaded AI apps lately, as millions of others have, you might want to check to see if they made Firehound’s list.

Pansophy is a secure personal AI assistant that runs on your Mac (or other computer). Once installed, Pansophy acts like a constant companion that can help with writing, coding, research, planning and everyday problem-solving.

You can ask it to draft emails, clean up text, brainstorm marketing ideas, outline projects or walk through tricky concepts. It feels similar to chatting with a cloud-based model, only everything happens on your CPU.  It’s a fully local AI assistant that runs without accounts, subscriptions or cloud processing.

And right now, you can get a lifetime subscription to Pansophy for just $79 (regularly $199).

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: It’s finally official — Siri is getting a long-awaited AI brain transplant, courtesy of Google Gemini.

We discuss the pros and cons of the deal, but more importantly, we express our sincere hope that Siri will actually work in the future.

Also on the Cult of Mac podcast:

• The soon-to-launch Apple Creator Studio software bundle seems like an unbelievable deal — especially if you’re a student or teacher.
• OpenAI’s first piece of Jony Ive-designed hardware sounds like a legit head-scratcher. Can it really compete with AirPods? It’s anybody’s guess, but we’re not big fans of betting against the former Apple design god. Lots of unanswered questions remain, but hey, at least now we know what an egg stone is!
• And finally, Griffin wraps up the show with a hands-on demo of a 3D-printed mockup of the rumored folding iPhone. If the leaked specs prove true, this device is going to be a strange one. We’ve got plenty of questions (and not a few concerns).

Listen to this week’s episode of the Cult of Mac podcast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video stream, embedded below.

The fact that Google Gemini will power the revamped Siri is drawing criticism from people convinced that Apple should have developed its own AI in-house to bring the voice assistant up to speed.

Some of the critics seem to think Apple always made its own software before now. Therefore they regard the deal with Google as a major policy shift — and a sign of weakness that would horrify Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

No. Just … no. These critics will be shocked to learn that many Apple products are built on top of tech developed outside the company … and often, it was Steve Jobs who did it!

Update: Anker renamed the Soundcore Work AI Voice Recorder reviewed below as Soundcore Work AI Note Taker to more directly reflect the main use of the product, the company said Tuesday. Its listings tend to put it down now as “note taker/voice recorder.” Soundcore also noted the problem I had with Find My functionality should be fixed now on production units. 

Original review: In an ecosystem where seamless integration matters most, the new Soundcore voice recorder and note taker arrives with a compelling proposition for Apple users. As this Soundcore Work AI Note Taker review finds, the coin-sized device promises to transform how iPhone and Mac users capture, transcribe and organize voice recordings.

After examining its features through an Apple-centric lens, here’s what you need to know about whether this $159.99 recorder deserves a spot in your productivity arsenal.

ChatPlayground AI gives you easy access to more than 40 of the top AI models across 25 apps, all in one place — and all for one low price. It includes big names like ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Llama, Perplexity and Gemini, and it lets you send one prompt to multiple AIs simultaneously.

That means you can compare results to find the right AI tool for the job at hand, without jumping from one AI app to another. If you’re a heavy AI user, it will save you time as well as money.

Normally $619, a lifetime subscription to ChatPlayground AI’s Unlimited plan is on sale now for only $79.

AI image generator Imagiyo lets you create all kinds of images — even NSFW ones. That’s how unbounded this new AI tool is.

It doesn’t matter if you’re designing for a business, crafting unique artwork, or just exploring the creative potential of AI, this powerful tool puts complete control at your fingertips. No subscriptions, no watermarks, no limits — just a simple, intuitive platform that transforms text prompts into stunning, high-quality visuals.

Right now, you can get lifetime access to Imagiyo for just $19.97 (down from $345). With this deal, the AI generator will let you create up to 250 images per month (including NSFW ones), in any resolution you choose. Unlike other AI image generators that lock features behind expensive monthly plans, this deal allows you to create professional-quality artwork (including for commercial use) without recurring fees.

If you ever endured a long lecture or an hours-long all-hands meeting, you know this to be true: There’s no way you can jot down every single word your professor or colleague utters. Rather than scramble and stress about missing certain parts of a presentation, you could add an AI note taker like My Notes AI to your productivity tool kit.

This AI-powered note transcription and summarization app works with your iPhone, iPad and Mac to help you catch every single word. Think of it as your very own personal assistant! You can snag a lifetime subscription to My Notes AI for just $27.97 (regularly $299) with code NOTE. That’s the best price you’ll find online.

With the wealth of AI tools available, the problem isn’t finding one that will get the job done. The real issue is finding the best fit for your budget. You might be able to find independent AI tools like ChatGPT or Dall-E for generating copy, creating logos, building stories and more, but AI MagicX does it all under one subscription, and you only have to pay for it once. That makes it a perfect suite of AI tools for business.

This robust AI platform includes tools for designing logos, generating art, creating chatbots, writing articles and creating stories. There’s even a document editor. And for a limited time, you can get a lifetime subscription on sale for just $59.97 (regularly $972).

In 2025 an unprecedented talent exodus decimated Apple’s leadership ranks, with Meta Platforms emerging as the primary beneficiary of the iPhone maker’s retention struggles. The social media giant has successfully lured away four high-profile executives from Apple’s artificial intelligence and design divisions, raising serious questions about the Cupertino company’s competitive position in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Find out more about the top executives left Apple for Meta below.

Organize your week the fast and easy way with Smart Calendars AI, an app that works like your personal scheduling assistant. It works on iPhone, iPad and Mac and makes it simple to plan out your personal agenda.

This isn’t just another planner app. It’s an AI-powered assistant that thinks the way you do — capturing ideas, interpreting context and turning them into organized plans without the mental gymnastics.

And right now, you can bag a three-year subscription to Smart Calendars AI for just $29.99.

From wild concept art to polished edits, Google Gemini’s Nano Banana Pro image creation and editing tool can spin up impressive visuals from a single prompt on your iPhone.

The featured image of this article itself serves as an amazing example of Nano Banana Pro’s capabilities. And it also showcases just how far behind Apple is in the AI race. (Sorry, Image Playground.)

If you’re itching to use Google’s Nano Banana Pro on your iPhone, this guide will show you how.

Apple rolled out updated App Review Guidelines Thursday that require developers to explicitly disclose when they’re sharing your personal information with third-party artificial intelligence services — and get your permission first.

AI prompt engineering tool PromptBuilder helps you create, optimize and manage prompts for all the major AI tools. It works with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini and more to make sure you get the results you envision.

If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes rewriting the same ChatGPT prompt hoping for better output, you already know how frustrating prompt crafting can be. But with a one-time payment of just $199 (MSRP $1,764), this lifetime subscription to PromptBuilder’s Unlimited Plan can make that pain go away.

Apple’s long-delayed AI-powered Siri upgrade remains on track for a 2026 debut, CEO Tim Cook said Thursday. That offers some reassurance to users after multiple setbacks pushed the originally planned 2024 release back by more than a year.

So, what can we expect from a smarter Siri voice assistant when it finally arrives? 

Going hands-on with the new ChatGPT Atlas browser for Mac makes it crystal clear that Safari risks becoming irrelevant. Our browsing habits are evolving fast, and Apple’s browser just isn’t keeping up

For years, Safari has been my go-to browser on the Mac due to its speed and power efficiency. But with Apple falling behind in the artificial intelligence wars, and a new breed of AI-boosted browsers coming on strong, that could change. I went hands-on with ChatGPT Atlas to see what the future of internet browsing looks like.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: After OpenAI’s Sora app races to the top of the App Store charts, it’s time to consider how fantastic and terrifying it really is.

The iPhone-only app produces startlingly photorealistic videos of wacky things like Pikachu as a World War II soldier and iJustine wrestling an elephant. Will we ever be able to believe our eyes again?

Also on The CultCast:

• Former Apple design chief Jony Ive and his new BFFs at OpenAI reportedly run into some serious problems as they work to create an AI device to take on the iPhone.
• iOS 26 lets you screen iPhone calls even more efficiently than before. Griffin shows us how it the upgraded features work.
• A switcher lands a great deal on a MacBook Air, then goes all in on the Apple ecosystem. Talk about the halo effect!
• And finally, the latest iOS 26.1 beta brings some interesting new features — Griffin tells us all about them.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video version, embedded below.

OpenAI’s efforts to create and sell an “AI companion” device reportedly have serious obstacles to overcome. These are existential, including how the company can find enough computing resources to enable the artificial intelligence devices to function.

That’s good news for Apple, as there have been predictions that products designed specifically for AI might someday take the place of the iPhone and other smartphones.

OpenAI introduced the Sora iPhone app Tuesday, and by Friday, it had already hit the No. 1 spot on Apple’s Top Free Apps list. The secret of the new AI video app’s appeal? It’s a lot of fun, letting users create hilarious short videos with a simple text description.

Watch some of the hilarious (and amazing) videos people have already created, there go make your own.

Google’s new Pixel 10 lineup shows just how much fun (and just how useful) AI can be on a phone. If Apple really wants the iPhone 17 lineup to shine, it should steal a few pages from Google’s playbook.

The iPhone 17 needs more than impressive new hardware to stand out from the crowd. It needs new AI features to make an impact, especially with the Pixel 10 raising the bar.