Tools and Platforms

All exercises in this playbook work with any AI chat tool. You don't need a specific platform — use whatever you're comfortable with. This page lists options by category for reference. 
 AI Chat Tools 
 These are the tools you'll use for most exercises. Any one of them is sufficient. 
 
 
 
 Tool 
 Best For 
 Notes 
 
 
 
 
 ChatGPT (OpenAI) 
 General-purpose exercises, wide model selection 
 Free tier available. GPT-4o recommended for more complex exercises. 
 
 
 Claude (Anthropic) 
 Long-form analysis, nuanced reasoning 
 Strong at synthesis and following complex instructions. 
 
 
 Gemini (Google) 
 Integration with Google Workspace, multimodal tasks 
 Good for exercises involving documents or data in Google ecosystem. 
 
 
 Copilot (Microsoft) 
 Integration with Microsoft 365 
 Useful if your workflow lives in Outlook, Word, and Teams. 
 
 
 
 Agent Frameworks 
 Referenced in the advanced Agent Collaboration exercises. Not required for any exercise — the playbook teaches agent thinking through manual prompting first. 
 
 
 
 Framework 
 What It Does 
 When to Explore 
 
 
 
 
 CrewAI 
 Python framework for orchestrating multiple AI agents with defined roles 
 After completing AC-Advanced-01 — when you want to automate the handoffs you did manually 
 
 
 AutoGen (Microsoft) 
 Framework for building multi-agent conversations 
 When you want agents that can talk to each other without manual copy-pasting 
 
 
 LangGraph (LangChain) 
 Framework for building stateful agent workflows with graph-based logic 
 When you need complex conditional logic in your agent pipelines 
 
 
 
 Automation Tools 
 Relevant to the Workflow Automation pillar, especially at the advanced level. 
 
 
 
 Tool 
 What It Does 
 When to Explore 
 
 
 
 
 n8n 
 Open-source workflow automation with AI integration nodes 
 After completing WA-Advanced-01 — when you want to automate your prompt chains 
 
 
 Make (formerly Integromat) 
 Visual workflow builder with AI steps 
 Good for non-technical users who want to automate without code 
 
 
 Zapier 
 Simple automation connectors between apps, with AI actions 
 Best for straightforward automations: trigger → AI step → action 
 
 
 
 Productivity Integrations 
 Tools that embed AI into existing workflows. 
 
 
 
 Tool 
 What It Does 
 
 
 
 
 Notion AI 
 AI writing and analysis built into Notion workspace 
 
 
 Obsidian + Smart Connections 
 AI-powered linking and search within an Obsidian vault 
 
 
 Raycast AI 
 Quick AI access from any application on macOS 
 
 
 Google Workspace AI 
 AI features embedded in Docs, Sheets, Gmail