Which core LLMs we use and why

Today, we are launching How I AI, a new weekly show dropping straight into your How I Work feed every Monday. Over the past few years, I’ve become deeply interested in AI – not because I’m a tech geek, but because I’ve seen what happens when the right tools are used in the right way. You get time back. You think more clearly. And the work itself gets better. 

I’m joined by Neo Aplin, who heads up inventium.ai, our AI training arm at Inventium. Neo spends his days testing tools, platforms and models so the rest of us don’t have to.  

In today’s show, Neo and I walk through the 13 AI tools we use every day.  

We cover: 

• How Neo and I use different large language models for different kinds of thinking, writing and research 

• Why Gemini has become my go-to for deep research 

• How I capture meetings without recordings using Granola 

• Privacy-first alternatives for note-taking and meetings 

• Using Consensus to explore science-backed answers and academic research 

• Why Perplexity is brilliant for product research and comparisons 

• The podcast app I rely on to save ideas without breaking my listening flow 

• How Wisprflow has replaced most of my typing 

• Using NotebookLM to learn faster from long YouTube videos 

• Turning spoken thoughts into journal entries with Letterly 

• Running AI models locally for privacy, security and offline work 

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium’s AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams. 

And here are links to all the tools we spoke about: 

1. ChatGPT – best for thinking things through, research, and talking out rough ideas.
2. Claude – the go-to when writing or editing and wanting something that actually sounds human.
3. Gemini – strongest for deep research, especially when comparing results across tools.
4. Microsoft Copilot – an AI EA inside Microsoft, working across emails, files, and documents.
5. Granola – frictionless meeting notes that quietly capture transcripts and build smarter notes.
6. Hyprnote – a privacy-first, local alternative to Granola that runs on your own computer.
7. Otter – meeting transcripts with speaker labels, useful for in-person conversations.
8. Consensus – science-backed answers pulled directly from academic research.
9. Perplexity – ideal for product research, comparisons, reviews, and smarter shopping.
10. Snipd – a podcast player that saves key moments with one tap, without breaking flow.
11. Wispr Flow – fast, intelligent dictation that formats and corrects as you speak.
12. NotebookLM – turns long YouTube videos into quick, searchable insights.
13. Letterly – voice-based journalling that turns spoken thoughts into clean written entries. 

My latest book The Health Habit is out now. You can order a copy here: https://www.amantha.com/the-health-habit/ 

Connect with me on the socials: 
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha-imber.ck.page/subscribe 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au 

Credits: 
Host: Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin 
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.