Everyday AI Podcast: Top AI Tools and Releases of 2025

Host: Jordan Wilson
Date: January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this highly anticipated annual episode, host Jordan Wilson dives deep into the most impactful and popular AI tools and releases of 2025, focusing on practical applications for everyday business leaders and professionals. Rather than a best-of list, this detailed rundown highlights the most widely used new tools, features, and model updates released specifically in 2025, aiming to help listeners cut through the AI noise and zero in on what's actually driving results in real work.

Jordan candidly breaks down each tool's strengths, standout features, and ideal use cases, providing personal insights from hands-on experience. For those eager to stay ahead of the AI curve (whether seasoned users or curious newcomers), this episode offers a roadmap to the year's critical advancements.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why This Episode Matters

• Popular Demand: Jordan acknowledges audience pressure to deliver this rundown, reflecting the heightened interest in actionable AI advice.
• Annual List Criteria: Only features, updates, or entirely new tools launched in 2025 are considered.
• Audience: Targeted at non-technical business leaders and everyday users (with nods to technical/coding advances).

2. Honorable Mentions & Methodology (04:40)

• Noteworthy innovations that narrowly missed the top 25, such as:
  • 11 Labs Conversational AI 2.0
  • Google Flow
  • Notion 3.0 Agents
  • Gemini's =AI function in Google Sheets
  • Claude Code on Web
  • ChatGPT Agent Mode (not in top 25, surprisingly)
• Full interactive, sortable list (~50+ tools) available by reposting Jordan's LinkedIn post.

3. The Top 25 AI Tools & Releases of 2025

Structured in alphabetical order at first, with Jordan providing a succinct breakdown of each as he works toward live tier rankings (S/A/B/C/D). Below is a condensed summary of the core tools discussed, functions, and notable opinions.

S-Tier (Best of the Best, Game Changers)

• NotebookLM Studio Updates (Incl. Nano Banana Pro, Video/Slides, Custom Studio Reports)

  • “Tool of the Year again...because of these 2025 updates, it is on the same [level] as Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude...If this was by another company...everyone would know about it.” (61:18)
  • Key Points: Grounded (only utilizes user-provided data), endless document/video/report generation, now with Nano Banana visuals, unlimited customization.
  • Use Case: Document summarization, internal research at enterprise scale, creative generation.
  • [Ep 652]

• Gemini 3 Pro

  • “The biggest, the baddest, technically the number one model in the world...multimodal by default, understands the physics in video.” (32:10)
  • Use Case: Complex, multimodal analysis; document/video/image parsing; enterprise intelligence.
  • [Ep 656 - w/ Logan Kilpatrick]

• GPT 5.2 Pro (OpenAI)

  • “This is good...literally solved some physics problems that humans couldn’t solve...Human expert-level performance on complex tasks.” (38:34)
  • Reminder: “Do not use the default version...it is the 24th best model in the world.”
  • Use Case: Complex reasoning, modeling, professional-grade outputs.

• Nano Banana Pro (Image Model, Google Gemini)

  • “No one can tell [it's AI] anymore...even as a photographer, I can't tell. Text rendering finally solved, reasons about images.” (53:09)
  • Use Case: Marketing assets with text, product/digital mockups, creative infographics.

• Claude Opus 4.5 (Anthropic)

  • “Anthropic’s most intelligent model...first to exceed the 80% on the SWE-benchmark. It operates graphical user interfaces like a human.” (13:43)
  • Use Case: Desktop automation, orchestrating agents, complex multi-step workflows.
  • [Ep 662]

• Claude Code

  • “It is so good...going viral because people realize it can be used for non-coding tasks, too.” (11:01)
  • Use Case: Terminal-based coding, refactoring, debugging, even for non-coding automation.

A-Tier (Essential, Hugely Impactful for Work)

• Gemini Canvas Mode

  • “...using it all day, every day...interactive workspace for creating/editing code, docs in real time. Renders live code, infographics, quizzes.” (34:19, [Ep 554])

• VO 3.1 (Google Video Generation)

  • First to offer native, synchronized audio with true understanding of physics and 4K video (“Bonkers.”)
  • Use Case: Marketing, social video, educational content without postproduction audio work.

• GPT Image 1.5 (OpenAI)

  • “On LM Arena text-to-image, actually better than Nano Banana for some use cases.”
  • Use Case: Marketers, comms professionals, advertisers.

B-Tier (Highly Useful, Accessible, But Not Revolutionary)

• Gemini 3 Flash

  • “State-of-the-art model...fast, cost-effective, probably one of the most used worldwide.” (28:00)
  • Use Case: Everyday AI tasks, free Google users.

• Perplexity Comet (Agentic Browser)

  • “Usually the best for most use cases and the fastest (vs. ChatGPT Atlas).” (56:23)
  • Use Case: Research, price comparison, data collection.

• ChatGPT Atlas (OpenAI’s Agentic Browser)

  • “Syncs to your ChatGPT data and vice versa...browser agent that can navigate the web for you.” (07:45)
  • Use Case: Data-connected browsing, QA, agentic automation.

• Sora 2 (OpenAI’s Video + Audio Gen model)

  • “You can upload your character...it will do/say anything...unlocks so many creative use cases.”
  • Use Case: Short form, social content, marketing.

• Microsoft 365 Copilot Agent Modes

  • “AI assistant embedded throughout 365...autonomous agent capabilities...completes multi-step tasks across Office apps.” (46:12)
  • Use Case: Workflow automation for Office Suite users.
  • [Ep 621]

C-Tier (Solid, Good for Niche/Specific Use)

• Replit Agent 3

  • “Browser-based agent builds, deploys, hosts apps entirely in the cloud...non-technical folks can go straight to deployed app.” (59:22)

• Cursor 2.0

  • “Composer and multi-agents...abilities for multiple agents to tackle the same problem and pick the best result.”

• Lovable

  • “Ideal for non-technical founders, builds full-stack web apps from plain English prompts, now boasts backend/auth/agent mode.”

• DeepSeek v3.2 R1

  • “Open-source, Chinese; in some benchmarks, top 10 globally...cheap, transparent chain-of-thought, but NOT recommended in US due to national security concerns.”
  • [Ep 460]

• Manus

  • “General purpose super-agent; first big-name to deliver work products from goal descriptions. Recently acquired by Meta, hit $100M ARR in 8 months.” (42:41)
  • [Ep 613 - Fantastic for companies wishing they had an assistant]

D-Tier (Useful for Specific Cases, Not Overall Game-changers)

• Suno V5 (Music Generation)

  • “Probably better than 99% of musicians... music it creates is bangers!”
  • [Ep 207: Interview with CEO]

• ChatGPT Pulse

  • “Proactive AI that delivers personalized briefs...I don’t like it that much...for heavy power-users, manual scheduled agents are better.” (43:23)

• Runway Gen 4.5

  • “Professional video tool...act out facial/body motion for AI...bonkers feature for creative professionals.”

• Canva Visual Suite 2.0

  • “...Just because Canva has so many users...mainly for content stacking and quick fixes, not major creation or coding.”

• GenSpark

  • “Multi-agent workspace, connects all your data to a ‘team’ of AI specialists. Different from cursor/Anthropic agent tools.”

Additional Noteworthy Tools & Updates

• Agent/Coding Tools: Claude Cowork, Notion 3.0, Google Opal, Codex (just missed list).
• Google’s dominance: 2025 was the year Google ‘crushed’ with Gemini family and NotebookLM.
• Emergence of Proactive/Agentic AI: Big leap toward “AI that does things for you before you ask” (ex: ChatGPT Pulse).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the challenge of ranking so many tools:
  “Just because something’s a D, right, that doesn’t mean it’s bad! That means it still beat out hundreds—no, thousands—of other extremely capable AI tools.” (64:08)

• On the future of work:
  “I don’t think these are things humans are going to be doing...agents are going to be navigating terminals, GUIs, web for us. Most people will be overseeing/orchestrating those agents.” (15:08)

• On deep research AI:
  “If you’re not running multiple deep research runs, whether in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude...you are 100% gonna be behind. Fire-and-forget research, but personalized and individualized.” (10:04)

• On image models’ realism:
  “Nano Banana Pro...no one can tell. Even if you’re an AI expert, or a photographer, no one can tell the difference anymore.” (53:22)

• On proactive AI:
  “Pulse is proactive daily briefing—ChatGPT researches overnight and delivers a personalized morning update. I don’t like it, but for everyone else, I think it’s great.” (43:44)

• On NotebookLM’s momentum:
  “...the ability to create unlimited Deep Dive podcasts, customizable studio reports, powered by Nano Banana images and slides, my gosh. Almost as good as ChatGPT or Claude.” (61:18)

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |----------------|------------------------------------------------------| | 00:17 | Intro, methodology, audience, why this matters | | 04:40 | Honorable mentions, selection rules | | 07:45–66:20 | Top 25 AI tools – feature breakdowns & live ranking | | 11:01 | Claude Code: terminal-based code agent | | 13:43 | Claude Opus 4.5: AI autonomy + GUIs | | 15:08 | Agents doing work for humans, future of work | | 28:00 | Gemini 3 Flash: Google’s state-of-art free access | | 32:10 | Gemini 3 Pro: #1 global model, what it unlocks | | 34:19 | Gemini Canvas Mode: interactive real-time workspace | | 38:34 | OpenAI GPT 5.2 Pro: “human-expert” performance | | 42:41 | Manus: Meta acquisition, agent for busy pros | | 43:23 | ChatGPT Pulse: Proactive briefings, flaws/benefits | | 46:12 | MS 365 Copilot agent modes: workflow revolution | | 53:09 | Nano Banana Pro: image indistinguishable from reality | | 56:23 | Perplexity Comet: agentic browser for research | | 59:22 | Replit Agent 3: no-local-app deployment | | 61:18 | Notebook LM Studio updates: “tool of the year” again | | 66:20–69:10 | Outro, Start Here series teaser, call to action |

Closing Thoughts

Jordan’s ultimate advice:

• Focus on the few tools moving the needle, not the hundreds of distracting options.
• NotebookLM, Gemini 3 Pro, top models from OpenAI and Anthropic dominate for a reason—learn how to leverage just one or two fully.
• The rise in agentic, proactive AI means the nature of work is changing. Overseeing intelligent systems is rapidly becoming a core professional skill.
• For a full sortable/interactive master list (50+), repost his LinkedIn summary and reach out.

Final Note:
For newcomers or those feeling lost in the flood of AI options, look out for the upcoming “Start Here Series”—a foundational roadmap for mastering today’s most important AI tools and concepts.

Listen to hands-on demos and deeper dives for each tool at:
Youreverydayai.com and the referenced podcast episode numbers.