Remember DALL-E? Launched in 2021, it was one of the first AI-powered text-to-image generators, serving up a mélange of uncanny faces, mangled letterforms and surreal novelty images. Fun? Sure. Useful? Not so much. Back then, AI felt like a gimmick. We knew it would improve rapidly, true to the spirit of human innovation, but it had a long way to go.
Fast-forward to 2025: AI has grown up. Goodbye, extra fingers and stiff turns of phrase. Hello, photorealism and consistent brand voice. AI tools designed to support how we work are now part of our daily flow. From researching and brainstorming to concepting and proofing, our sidekick helps us work more efficiently. While it still has its flaws — and limits — when used with care, it helps us clear the weeds so we can focus on the big ideas.
Here are the AI tools, in our opinion, that are worth the hype (today).
ChatGPT: The Swiss Army Knife
You know we had to start with the GOAT. Whether we’re sparking ideas, mining insights from data or visualizing a photoshoot, ChatGPT is often our first stop. It’s not just a time-saver — it’s a game-changer.
Senior Advisor Joyce finds it invaluable to sift through data from various research sources. “I can upload results, and given the right prompt, ChatGPT makes short work of finding themes.” She cautions: “I always go back to the raw data myself to look for more nuanced themes and confirm the results, but it’s very helpful to have that first pass.”
Assistant Advisor Travis uses it to learn more about tourism destinations. He, too, warns: “One of the downsides to ChatGPT is that it requires additional research to ensure the information it provides is correct.”
Advisor Alex praises the ever-improving technology. “GPT-5 is much faster and more conversational, which helps establish context.”
Senior Advisor Jen says it delivers on both work and play. “It’s helpful with outlines, research, brainstorming, identifying redundant words, summarizing long documents and refining ideas. I also use it in my personal life, asking where to find promo codes, the best flight deals and travel ideas.”
Principal Bridget finds new ways to use it all the time, both on and off the clock. “I recently uploaded some fabric swatches and photos of my pop-up trailer and prompted ChatGPT to show me remodeling mockups. It helped me visualize my trailer’s potential in minutes.”
Hot take from Senior Art Director Julia: “In my experience, ChatGPT beats MidJourney for image generation.”
Pro tip: If you’re experimenting with a new-to-you AI product, ask ChatGPT to help you write the best prompt for that specific tool. Using AI to use AI? Very meta.
Grammarly: Your Voice, Polished
Even the best writers benefit from a second set of eyes. Grammarly provides just that, flagging typos, grammar slips and clarity issues. The key is knowing when to accept a suggestion and when to stick with your gut.
Jen cites this as her current favorite tool. “In our fast-paced agency life, it helps with spelling, typos and grammar — often clarifying my point. I appreciate that it still sounds like my voice but adds a bit of polish to my writing.”
Travis also finds it useful, though he advises against auto-accepting every suggestion. “It helps me catch mistakes and word things better, but sometimes the recommendations should be disregarded. It doesn’t seem to like flowery language.”
Bridget finds Grammarly equally helpful and annoying on mobile. “I was responding to a calendar invite last week with ‘not in this day’ and it automatically changed it to ‘not in this day and age,’ which was met with a lot of laughter.
Pro tip: Jumping from task to task? Install the desktop app to get Grammarly suggestions across all programs.
Lightroom: Bulk Edits Minus Burnout
Anyone who’s dealt with raw image files knows the slog: thousands of photos that need global adjustments before you even get to the creative part. Lightroom’s AI-powered bulk editing takes that mountain of work and shrinks it down to a hill.
Advisor Cara says the real win is in reclaiming her time, freeing her up for the parts of photo work that require a human eye. “What used to take hours of refinement can now take minutes. Some images work better than others, and it doesn’t always work on the first try, but overall, it cuts down my time spent editing.”
Pro tip: Use bulk editing as a first sweep, not a final product.
Shutterstock: A Visual Springboard
Sometimes a project calls for a custom illustration but doesn’t have the budget for a traditional commission. While we never use AI-generated imagery as-is in a final product — we will always rework, redraw and refine — Shutterstock’s AI generator is a useful tool for building a visual foundation.
Senior Art Director Sean harnesses its power to do a lot with a little. “Traditional drawings were not in the budget for a project I was working on. I used the AI-generated drawings as source, removing backgrounds, recoloring and redrawing sections, to create a nifty, collage-inspired spread.”
Pro tip: Patience is your friend. Art directing an AI may sound like a quick fix, but Sean notes: “It took the generator hundreds of attempts to create accurate representations.”
While no AI tool can replace creativity, strategy or the nuance of human judgment, these ones clear the noise so we can spend more time on what matters: the idea, the design, the story. And if the leap from DALL-E’s nightmare fuel to today’s nearly cover-ready quality has taught us anything, it’s that innovation happens fast. We strive to keep a finger on the pulse of every new breakthrough, so our work (and yours) never falls behind.
Bridget adds, “I’m most excited about how AI can help our clients, from customer service with chatbots to making data-driven decisions with predictive analytics. We’re seeing clients offer personalized recommendations to audiences more seamlessly.”
Curious how we blend human creativity with cutting-edge efficiency? Let’s talk. We’d love to dream big with you.