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30+ AI tools to save you time & hassle

Free or cheap ways to restore photos, extract info from PDFs, monitor website changes, create wedding invites & more

Laura Foulger
Laura Foulger
19 September 2024

The field of AI has advanced like a digital tsunami in recent years. While it's wise to be wary (watch out for the scams), it's also a powerhouse of potential. It's a (widely) free technology that's not going anywhere, so we want to show you how to benefit from it. If you've already dipped your toes with ChatGPT or the MSE app chatbot, here's what to try next.

We've tested some of the free and cheap AI tools out there that are designed to help you complete everyday tasks more efficiently. Below are those we liked best.

Big thanks to John R. Woodward, Head of Computer Science at University of Loughborough, and Oscar at OpenAI for lending us their expertise.

 

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In this guide

This is the first iteration of this guide. If there are any AI tools you think we should add, let us know via 'X' (Twitter), Facebook or the MSE Forum.

We've focussed on tools that are free or cheap for personal use, or which offer free trials. Don't forget to cancel a free trial if you don't want to be charged for the next billing period.

We've also covered how to use AI safely and free ways to learn more about AI.

AI brings with it a new vocabulary. Here are some terms you might come across.

  • Glossary of AI terms

    • AI: 'Artificial intelligence' is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines.
    • Algorithm: A set of rules a computer uses to perform a task/solve a problem.
    • API: An Application Programming Interface lets different software programs talk to each other and defines how they should interact. Examples of APIs are Google weather snippets and ‘Pay with PayPal’.
    • Big Data: Large sets of information that can be studied to find trends/patterns and trends.
    • Chatbot: A program designed to simulate conversation with humans, usually on websites or apps.
    • Deepfake: Audio, videos or images created by AI which purport to show real people or events. At their most sinister, these can be used to deliberately trick and scam people.
    • Generative AI: A type of AI that creates content (text, images, video, code etc) by finding patterns and then generating its own material with similar characteristics. ChatGPT and DALL-E are powered by generative AI.
    • GPT-3.5: A large language model by OpenAI, commonly encountered in free versions of AI chat applications like ChatGPT.
    • GPT-4: The latest and most capable version of OpenAI's large language model, often found in premium AI services such as ChatGPT Plus.
    • Hallucination: The phenomenon where a large language model (LLM) gives incorrect, irrelevant or nonsensical output.
    • LLM: A 'Large Language Model' is a powerful AI algorithm trained on enormous amounts of text data, which predicts the next word based on what it's seen before. GPT is an example of an LLM. The chatbot ChatGPT is built on GPT. Think of ChatGPT as a robot you're conversing with, while GPT (the LLM) is the knowledgeable master who stands behind the robot, telling it what to say.
    • Machine Learning: A way for computers to 'learn' from experienc, eallowing them to improve at a task over time.
    • Prompt: The input that triggers an AI model's response, e.g, the question or instruction you give it.
    • Prompt Engineering: The crafting of effective prompts in order for AI models to give the best possible answers.

AI tools for making things

  1. Restore old photos

    One of the most interesting functions of AI image generator Hotpot.ai is its free photo restorer. Upload an old photo and it will sharpen and repair it. Hotpot.ai has a separate function for colourising, also free.

    If you want to venture a little way into the uncanny valley, try Deep Nostalgia, which adds subtle animation to your photos. It offers a basic version for free.

    A scratched-up photo found on Shutterstock (left) and the result after we ran it through Hotpot (right)

  2. Create wedding invitations

    Canva logo: blue writing on white background

    Graphic design tool Canva now offers 'Magic Design', an AI design generator, that turns a prompt into graphics, videos, presentations and more. Below are a couple of wedding invitations it created for us. It's free, but you only get 10 credits (10 prompts) in total.

  3. Remove image backgrounds

    Removebg logo, grey and white

    With Kaleido's  Removebg, you can zap away the background from an image in barely more than a second. It's a free website and Android app (not yet available for iOS). Create and download as many 'good' quality images (up to 0.25 megapixels) as you want without signing up, or get one free 'best' quality (up to 50 megapixels) download when you create an account.

    We're fans of Canva's Online Background Remover too, but it only gives one simple free try; after that you'd need to sign up for the Canva Pro 30-day free trial. Don't forget to cancel the trial unless you're up for the £13/month ongoing Canva Pro fee.

    Here's a 'best quality' picture of Eleven with the background removed using Removebg.

  4. Create your own website

    Black Wix logo

    Website builder Wix has been around since 2006, but it now has AI functionality. Sign up for a free account, type your answers to a series of prompts and Wix will generate a website to match your needs.

    There's a free plan that gives access to 900+ customisable templates, but storage is limited and your website will feature Wix ads. Premium plans start at £9/month. Wix sometimes offers promo codes for money off its plans.

    If you want to generate (or correct) code to use on the backend of your site, try one of the free chatbots. ChatGPT and Claude are two that are often recommended on Reddit by coders. Test out any code it gives you before setting live; remember AI can make mistakes.

    • How to select the free option

       When setting up your free website, ignore the 'custom domain' steps (these cost a fee) and skip straight to 'Design Site' (see arrows in screenshot above).

  5. Make posters, story illustrations, greetings cards & other images

    Text-to-image generators take your typed prompt and turn it into an image in mere seconds. They're not immune to mistakes, and they often mess up text within images, but overall they're capable of impressive results.

    Warning.  AI art opens the door to risks of scams and fraud. See how to stay safe.

    You may have heard of the main options, such as DALLE.3 by OpenAI, Midjourney by Midjourney, Stable Diffusion by Stability AI, Adobe Firefly by Adobe and Generative AI by Getty.

    There are tons of free text-to-image generators, such as Dreamlike, Leonardo, Playground and Copilot (these are usually limited to a certain number of credits per day/month). Many of these free versions use the same 'image generative AI models' (the same core systems) as the paid versions above.

    How do AI image generators compare?

    We tried three popular text-to-image generators and compared the results. We looked at Midjourney ($10/month - under £8/month), DALL-E 3 (free via Copilot) and Stable Diffusion XL (free via DreamStudio). 

    The prompt was the same in each instance: a 25-year-old South-East Asian man with a clean-shaven, boyish face and a naive, hopeful but also slightly pitiful expression.

    In all cases, we had the option to keep developing and refining the images, but above are the initial results.

    DALL-E's faces don't look photorealistic. Some Redditors speculate that this could be deliberate to avoid deepfakes. Midjourney seemed to best reflect the nuance of the facial expression I asked for.

    Next we tried a more complicated prompt:  a horse trying to retrieve a coupon from her wallet at the supermarket till and getting frustrated by her cumbersome hooves, while a long line of other animals watch angrily behind her, in the style of a gritty UK TV drama.

    Again we were given four images by each, but the above are our favourites. DALL-E 3 fulfilled the most aspects of the prompt.

    • Save money on image generators – don't go direct

      We were able to find DALL-E 3 and Stable Diffusion XL offered for free on various platforms. Midjourney was the only one which couldn't be found free elsewhere. In our opinion, Midjourney gave some of the most detailed and aesthetically pleasing results.

    • Try out 100s of image generators for free

      There are a few sites which incorporate heaps of image generative AI models in one place, including user-uploaded ones.

      As these sites allow the creation of 'NSFW' art, we won't name them here.

      We spotted Stable Diffusion XL among the available models. Usage isn't limitless but it's decent: we saw one which lets you create 100 images for free daily.

    • How do AI image generators compare in price & restrictions?

      A note: some AI image generators are censored. For example, DALL-E wouldn't allow us to generate images of celebrities, which may be a safeguarding/fraud-fighting measure.

      Image generator Lowest price  Usage limits (1)
      Adobe Firefly Free 25 images a month
      DALL-E Free via Copilot First month: 50 images
      Subsequent months: 15 images
      Leonardo Free 150 images a day
      Midjourney $10 (under £8)/month Approx. 60 images a month
      Playground Free 15 images every three hours
      Stable Diffusion Free via DreamStudio Up to 10 images, then $10+ for more
      StarriAI Free 5 images a day

      Where prices are given in dollars, the GBP cost you'll pay will vary slightly according to the exchange rate. (1) Number of images per day is approximate – most plans give a certain number of 'AI credits' and these usually equate to about a credit an image.

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AI tools to improve meetings

  1. Transcribe audio

    We like Otter.ai for its ability to transcribe audio. It integrates with your video call applications (Google Meet, MS Teams, Zoom and others), records the audio and sends you a transcript. It offers a free basic plan.

    There's also Vizard, which is more basic, but might be preferable if all you want to do is upload a video and generate a transcript. Its basic plan is free too.

    Warning. AI can make mistakes. Double-check your transcripts for errors.

  2. Turn text into audio

    Blue Speechify logo

    On the flip side, it's possible to turn text into audio. Speechify is a good option; it works via desktop, browser extension and app (iOS/Android). Choose a voice (including celebrity options such as Snoop Dogg) and a speed, and your chosen text will be spoken out loud for you.

    Its free version gets you 10 standard reading voices a month. After that, you'd need the Premium version for $11.58 (under £9) a month. There's a three-day free trial for this but you must remember to cancel 24 hours before it ends or you'll be charged for a year.

    If you're looking for alternatives, NaturalReader and TTSMaker work similarly and offer free trials.

  3. Create a presentation

    Website Decktopus allows you to create detailed presentations in response to a text prompt. Its AI features aren't usually free but there is a loophole. The free plan gives you 20 AI credits a month and you need 30 to create an AI-powered presentation. If you refer a friend and they sign up for a free account, you'll each get 30 credits.

    Currently, students can get 50% off any paid plan with code SUPPORTEDUCATION. That makes the Pro plan £7.49/month (normally £14.99/month).

    A simpler alternative is SlidesAI, which offers a Basic (free) plan. There's also Canva, mentioned above.

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AI planning tools

  1. Get organised

    Notion app: a black 'N' inside a black cube

    You're spoilt for choice with organisation tools, but one well worth a try is Notion. Free to use, it's a sort of one-stop shop for carrying out a project, with tools for note-taking, summarising, coming up with ideas and more. Plus it's highly customisable and you can invite other users to join your projects.

    Its AI features include assistance with writing, editing and auto-filling, as well as quick answers to questions about your workspace.

    Notion offers a free version for everyone and a free Plus Plan for students and educators, both of which include a limited number of AI responses. You can increase these by adding 'Notion AI' to your plan for $10 (under £8)/month. 

  2. Create 'to do' lists

    Goblin tools log: a green goblin face, smiling

    Free website  Goblin Tools splits your task into multiple smaller tasks. Type out what you need to do, decide how granular you want the breakdown to be, and it will generate a 'to do' list which you can tick off as you go.

    The Android and iOS apps cost £1.69, but we found the mobile website works perfectly well for on-the-go usage.

  3. Create a travel itinerary

    Layla logo, turquoise

    Some AI tools are aimed at cutting the cost of your holibobs. But make sure to check out MSE's  Travel guides first and foremost.

    Free trip planner Layla is partnered with Skyscanner and Booking.com. Ask it a question and it will ask you follow-ups before designing an itinerary for you. It's available on desktop and as an app ( iOS/ Android). When we checked, it offered 'up to 60% off' accommodation when you booked through Layla.

    The Booking.com app ( iOS/ Android) now features an AI assistant which can recommend places to stay in response to your text prompts. It's free.

    Planning a day out instead? Use ChatGPT to ask for local cinema times. But to make sure you get a good deal, stop by at our  Cinema deals, tips & tricks.

  4. Talk through an idea

    The free tool Pi is really rather charming for this purpose. Choose a voice, then type a message to Pi and it engages with your idea and makes suggestions immediately, speaking them out loud in a naturalistic voice. It's available across website, Instagram, WhatsApp, SMS, Messenger, Discord and Telegram.

  5. Get book & film recommendations

    Readow logo - grey and black

    Get book recommendation from free site Readow. Enter the titles of books you've liked (the more the better) and it will suggest up to 30 you might like to try next. It claims its book database is updated every few weeks. We found it recommended well, coming up with other books we'd already enjoyed or ones that intrigued us. It fell down on children's and YA books, suggesting grown-up books in response. 

    Be aware that it links to each book on Amazon. Rather than automatically buying there, see our Cheap kids' book tricks and Free e-books & audiobooks tricks.

    As for film and TV recommendations – if you have Netflix, you may already be using AI. It uses your viewing data to recommend what to watch next.

AI to help you learn

  1. Research a topic

    Chatbots can provide a thorough start to a research project. Most of the major tech companies have their own, eg, Microsoft's 'Copilot'. But perhaps the most famous is ChatGPT.

    OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT is said to be the fastest growing consumer application in history. It's used weekly, OpenAI claims, by over 100 million people across 185 countries. Anyone can use (without signing up, if preferred) its free version, which uses its LLM (Large Language Model) GPT-3.5. Paid up 'Plus' subscribers can use its very latest LLM, GPT-4, but there are also ways to try it free.

    But ChatGPT's not the only powerful free chatbot. Most of the big tech companies have their own. We've compared the major players below.

    • Compare free chatbots

      We've rounded up the most popular and powerful free AI chatbots below. All of them have paid versions which open up extra features, but here we've concentrated only on the free or cheapest versions. We've included which LLM (large language model) each is based on.

      Chatbot  LLM used Premium free trial available?
      Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) GPT-4 and GPT-4 Turbo during non-peak times. Otherwise, non-disclosed systems Yes – seven days
      ChatGPT GPT-3.5 Yes – seven days
      Claude Constitutional AI Yes
      ChatSonic (Various) Yes
      Gemini (formerly Bard) Gemini Yes – one month
      HuggingChat (Various) Yes
      Mistral AI Mistral Large Yes
      Perplexity GPT-3.5 and others. You can use GPT-4 (five queries every four hours) by toggling 'Copilot' on You get five Perplexity Pro searches every four hours for free. Refer a friend and you both get $10 off a Pro subscription
      Llama BERT and others No – there isn't a premium version

      Correct as of September 2024

      Try out multiple paid chatbots with Poe for £20/month

      If you'd pay for chatbot use anyway, you might like to try out multiple paid chatbots with one subscription, via Poe, which costs £20/month. (It offers a free version, but with a limited number of models, such as some of the above.)

      Unhappy with an AI tool/membership purchase? Know your rights

      See the digital content section of our Consumer rights guide.

      Extend ChatGPT with free browser extensions

      There are ways of expanding the free version of ChatGPT's capability, with extensions such as WebChatGPT, Merlin or Monica. These expand its functionality in different ways, such as by providing links to all sources.

    • 'Engineer' the best prompt

      Here's an important thing about using chatbots: the better your input, the better result it'll give you. Shaping your input for maximum results is known as 'prompt engineering'.

      There are countless listicles online that suggest ways to write the perfect prompt for ChatGPT and other chatbots. Here are some of the most common pointers:

      Write a detailed prompt

      • Action/question words. Focus your prompt with words like 'explain' and 'list', or questions that start 'what' or 'how'.
      • Context. Be as specific as possible about what this output (copy, title, plan etc) is for. Is there a particular audience it's aimed at?
      • Persona. It can help to give the AI a character to play, eg, 'You are an editor in the fiction publishing industry with 20 years' experience.'
      • Examples. Share existing examples similar to what you want the AI to produce.
      • Positive and negative prompts. Include extra details that you'd like the AI to consider. Include things you don't want it to include too.
      • Format. Tell it what form you want the output to take, eg, tables, paragraph of prose, poetry, bullet-point list.

      You can even use something like ChatGPT Prompt Iterator to help it help you create a better prompt.

      Refine the results

      Don't use ChatGPT the way you would a search engine; think of it instead as a conversation. After its first answer, assess and send a follow-up prompt. Keep doing that until the AI has refined its answer to something truly useful.

      Fact check

      Remember that ChatGPT is drawing on a huge pool of data, much of which might not be accurate. Check any facts after your conversation.

      Want more help with prompt engineering? See our Free ways to learn about AI.

    • How to try GPT-4 for free

      GPT-4, GPT-4o and GPT-4 Turbo are the latest LLMs developed by OpenAI. They can do more complex tasks than predecessor GPT-3.5.

      To try them out direct through OpenAI, you'd need to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus for $20/month. Even then, usage is limited. For example, subscribers can ask GPT-4 a maximum of 40 messages every three hours, but OpenAI says this cap is dynamic so will change according to demand.

      We found lots of ways you can skip the price tag and try the latest models for free or cheaply, albeit with more restricted usage.

      Try GPT-4 for free

      Upgrading to OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month, but there are a few ways you can use GPT-4 or GPT-4 Turbo for free, albeit with limitations:

      • Microsoft Copilot (though only during non-peak times, ie, when usage isn't high).
      • Perplexity AI, by toggling 'Copilot' (not related to MS Copilot) on. Usage is limited to five queries every four hours.
      • GPTGO combines GPT-4 and Google search (but has loads of annoying ads).
      • Chatsonic uses GPT-4 and has a free version that limits users to 2,500 words a day. It calls it a 'free trial' but it appears to be ongoing. You don't have to sign up to use it.
      • If you're on community app Discord (it's free), you can use the chatbot Erin. It includes 10 free GPT-4 messages per month.
      • Free browser extensions such as Merlin let you access GPT-4 for free, for a maximum of 30 queries daily. Monica is another; it too limits your GPT-4 queries but doesn't disclose the details.

      Other options include Ora.sh, Hugging Face, Nat.dev and Forefront AI.

      Try free trials – but don't forget to cancel

      Know someone who has ChatGPT Plus? Ask them to send you a referral link which gives you a free trial of the Plus plan.

      Set an alert for a few days before your renewal date and make sure to cancel if you don't want to be charged for renewal.

      Can you share a paid chatbot account with someone else?

      Could you halve the cost of a paid subscription by sharing login details with a friend? Here's what OpenAI's terms say about sharing accounts: "You may not share your account credentials or make your account available to anyone else."

      Whether they'd be able to find out is another matter. We haven't heard whether this is something you can get away with. Let us know.

      The other concern is privacy. Hand over your account to someone else and they'll have control over your account settings and may be able to read your previous conversations too. 

    Warning. Always verify anything you get from a chatbot. They can and frequently do make mistakes. Plus, most have a 'knowledge cut-off date', so don't have information about recent events.

     

  2. Extract info from PDFs

    Students and researchers may find ChatPDF useful – it extracts info from large PDFs such as manuals and essays. Its free version lets you scan two PDFs of up to 120 pages every day. For more than that you'll need to upgrade to ChatPDF Plus for $19.99 (about £15)/month. It claims to works in any language, but it can't read images yet, and tables can sometimes trip it up.

    It's available as a website and an app (iOS/Android).

  3. Summarise a website in flashcards

    Scholarcy logo on purple background

    When you need to learn fast (perhaps you're cramming for an exam), Scholarcy can help. It turns URLs of complex documents into concise summaries, makes lists of references and more.

    Scholarcy is useful and thorough, but we're not sure it's worth the price tag unless you're a full-time student, academic or similar. It offers a free seven-day trial; it's £7.99/month thereafter. Don't forget to cancel your free trial if you don't want to be charged for the following month,

    There's also Wisdolia, which turns webpages, pdfs, slide decks, YouTube videos and more into flash cards. Wisdolia looks pretty but didn't seem to work with some of the data we fed it. But on the plus side it's free (up to 10 flashcards/month).

  4. Summarise a video clip

    Orange and white Eightify logo

    Sometimes you want to cut out all the extra noise and understand the key points of of a YouTube video. Eightify is a free Chrome extension that summarises YouTube videos, available in 40+ languages. As well as summaries, it gives you key video timestamps. 

    It's also available as an app (iOS/Android).

    As with all AI tools, verify the information independently to catch any errors.

  5. Summarise news stories

    News reader app Bulletin ( iOS only) aims to eliminate clickbait and summarise news stories. It's free to download but full access, including the AI features, costs $3.99/month.

  6. Proof your writing

    Pick a free chatbot and engineer the perfect prompt to help you improve your writing. Eg, ask ChatGPT to, 'Proofread the following blog post on [subject], focussing on grammar, punctuation and flow. The target audience is [demographic/s] and the tone should be [friendly/professional/casual/fun/academic]'.

    Quillbot logo: Green over white

    But there are specific tools you can try too. Writing helper Quillbot edits your text by rephrasing, spell-checking, changing the tone and more. Its free and is available as a website, app (iOS/Android) and a Chrome/Mac/Edge/Word extension. We like that you can upload documents, including pdfs.

    If that's not to your liking, try Wordtune or Ellie, which work similarly. Both offer a limited free version with the option to upgrade for a fee.

    You might already be using AI if you use Gmail, as it predicts your words while you type out an email.

  7. Understand complex concepts

    AI chatbots are useful for simplifying information. Use the prompt 'Explain [TOPIC] to me like I'm ten' for an easy-to-understand breakdown of any concept.

    We fed the same prompt into seven of the main free chatbots. In all cases, we asked the same question again and got a differently worded answer, but the results below show the very first response, just to give an idea.

    The prompt: As concisely as possible, explain what MoneySavingExpert is in a way a ten-year-old could understand.

    Here's how Microsoft Copilot answered:

    Which free chatbot is best?

    It's difficult to answer this objectively as they're all a little different but also being developed rapidly. Redditors have thoughts on their favourites. One claims Perplexity is their favourite for research. Another prefers ChatGPT as it "seems to provide me with the most accurate and unbiased information". Another favours Bard, saying it's "sometimes better at solving maths problems, especially with logic explanation".

    I use ChatGPT and am experimenting with Bard, they are useful for applying style guides to lots of different texts.

    ~ MattMattMattUK, MSE Forumite

  8. Generate a quiz

    Fillout logo

    Website  Fillout creates a quiz out of text you paste into it, which can help test you on your learning. Try out the 'How well do you know MoneySavingExpert?' quiz it generated for us.

    For other formats, there's  Quizbot, which makes a quiz out of text, a URL, pdf/Word doc, video or audio file.

    Fillout threw up some misleading questions, and the 5k word limit is restrictive. Yet it's simple to use and wasn't flummoxed by copy+pasted tables. It's free to use, giving unlimited quizzes and collecting a maximum of 1,000 responses.

    Quizbot came up with a few small mistakes and didn't like some of the URLs we inputted, but we liked all the tailored options. It's free for up to 60 questions.

    Warning. Don't rely on any of these tools completely as AI is prone to mistakes. Use it to point you in the right direction, then verify the facts yourself.

  9. Practise a language

    Black OpenAI logo

    There are specialised tools for learning languages, but if you're looking to practise conversation on any subject you choose, ChatGPT does the job nicely.

    Simply ask it to help you practise your French, Spanish, Mandarin, or whatever language you want. It will proceed to hold a typed conversation with you in that language. To get the most out of it, see how to craft the perfect prompt, above.

    Remember that chatbots can get things wrong, so double-check any corrections it gives you.

AI tools for scouring the web

  1. Find photos of yourself online

    Blue and white Pimeyes logo

    Facial recognition search engine Pimeyes aims to find every photo of you on the internet, other than on social media sites. We were impressed by how quick it was – a bunch of photos were unearthed in mere seconds. At £30/month it ain't cheap, but you can get a handful of free goes with limited info before being prompted to pay.

    The free goes don't give you full links to the sources, but they do show the start of the URL, which should help you track them down.

    Worried about uploading a photo of yourself to a website? Pimeyes says its system stores uploaded photos for 30 minutes, then deletes them permanently.

    There's a How to use Pimeyes guide on its website.

  2. Discover where that stranger bought their jacket

    Google Lens logo

    You might already have Google Lens on your mobile phone if you use Google. It's not new, but it has had an AI boost. Use it to snap pictures of items you see while you're out and about, and it will show you where they're available to buy online. It's free.

    Various shopping apps are beginning to incorporate AI into their platforms. Some allow you to ‘snap ‘n’ shop – take a picture of something you see in real life, upload it to an app and find the best price for it. Back in October 2023 we asked our X (formerly Twitter) followers if they'd use this kind of tech: 37% said 'definitely not', while 36% were more amenable to the idea.

  3. Monitor a website for changes

    By setting up an alert to tell you when a particular webpage has changed, you can scoop up returned tickets to sold-out shows, find out when an online store product is back in stock, be first to know when your dream workplace uploads a new job opportunity and more.

    Website monitoring tools were around before the surge in AI (we like the free WebAlert app for Android). But the latest web monitors offer AI functionality. For example, there's Visualping, a website and Chrome extension that adds an AI-powered summary and analysis of the webpage's changes.

    Its free Limited Account lets you monitor up to five pages daily. AI features are only available to Business accounts, but you can test them out with a 14-day free trial (no payment card required).

AI tools to help around the home & garden

  1. Identify a plant

    PlantNet logo: a plant comprised of four green leaves

    Don't know what to call that plant springing up in your garden? There's no shortage of AI-powered plant ID apps that will ID a picture of the specimen. PlantNet is a good bet, free via website or app (iOS/Android).

    Google Lens, also free, is decent too.

    But if a plant ID app's not for you, there's always the good old-fashioned option of asking the green-fingered MSE Forumites. Stick a picture of the plant in question on the Gardening board and one of the regulars is sure to solve the riddle.

    Then see How to turn your flat into a jungle for tips on taking care of your plants.

  2. Find a recipe to fit your ingredients

    Use up the contents of your cupboard or fridge with Let's Foodie, the free personalised recipe generator.

    Another decent option is Dishgen, a free website and app ( iOS/ Android).

    But to really stave off wastage, see our 13 ways to STOP wasting food and drink blog, which includes tips on which foods should be kept in the fridge, ideas for using up stale bread and more.

  3. Get home decor ideas

    For home decor ideas, there's  Reimagine Home. Upload a photo of one of your rooms to the website and it'll suggest new furnishings. You can pick a theme, such as 'bohemian' or 'Scandinavian'. This is a paid application but everyone gets five free credits (one credit = one generated image).

    The changes aren't all that dramatic, but if you're looking to keep your room's layout, it could provide some decent inspiration.

AI tools to help the kids

  1. Help the kids with homework

    Powered by Google AI, the Socratic app (iOS) helps kids with their homework. Scan a problem (it recognises handwriting) and Socratic will come up with videos, images and step-by-steps to help you solve it. Tons of topics are covered, including, Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Environmental Science and Literature.

    It's free and suitable for ages 12+.

    We noticed it's no longer available for Android devices, but we hope it will return.

  2. Generate a bedtime story

    Orange and white ToolBaz logo

    There are heaps of AI story generators that will create a short story for you based on your prompt of a few words or more. The ToolBaz story generator is worth a shot, with its simple interface. It's completely free (but you'll have to put up with a few ads on the page). The stories it generated for us were impressively complex and had a beginning, middle and end. Handy for kids' bedtimes.

AI safety need-to-knows

  • 1. Beware scams

    AI brings with it a slew of new scams since it's able to clone voices, faces and more. A deeply ominous deepfake Martin Lewis materialised in July 2023, advertising an investment opportunity. Remember: Martin doesn't do ads.

    Be wary of anything that seems too good to be true. Arm yourself with the tips in our Stop scams guide.

    That's not Martin Lewis...

  • 2. It's tricky to assess a tool's trustworthiness

    We've found a few databases of AI tools that seem to be fairly helpful. Both G2 and AI Tools Info collate a huge number of tools alongside user reviews.

    However, there doesn't yet seem to be one, central, trusted place for verifying AI software.

    In March 2024 we asked John R. Woodward, Head of Computer Science at University of Loughborough, what's the best way to verify the trustworthiness or usefulness of an AI tool. He said:

    In short there is no best way at the moment. Even experts in artificial intelligence are struggling with the trustworthiness of these AI tools. They are still in their infancy and, while they show promise we do not yet understand the details and therefore how much trust we can put into their outputs. Different AI tools will gradually gain reputation as people place more confidence in them over time.

     

    ~ John R. Woodward, University of Loughborough

    In February 2024, the Government's DSIT told us their stance on discerning an AI tool's trustworthiness:

    There are a number of key values-based principles that should be considered when assessing the trustworthiness of AI systems, including: safety, security and robustness; appropriate transparency and explainability; fairness; accountability and governance; and contestability and redress. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has developed the Introduction to AI Assurance guide, which identifies tools that can be used to measure, evaluate and communicate the trustworthiness of AI systems. 
    DSIT is working closely with regulators to secure cohesion across the landscape, and we are ensuring that innovators can bring new products to market safely and quickly.

    ~ Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

  • 3. Report harmful or inappropriate content

    If you spot anything dodgy when using an AI application, you'll usually be able to report it to the developer. For example, Copilot's FAQs ask that you 'provide feedback or report a concern to Copilot by opening the menu at the top right corner of a response, and then clicking the flag icon. You can also use the feedback button at the bottom right of every Copilot page'.

Free ways to learn about AI

These are some of the resources we found particularly helpful when researching this guide.

Go one step further and check out the free courses available:

See more like this in our Free ways to learn something new blog.

The MSE app on a mobile phone screen

Try the MSE chatbot

In July 2023, we launched the MSE chatbot. You'll find it in the MSE app, alongside our site search bar. It's powered by ChatGPT, and MoneySavingExpert.com is its primary information source. Read more about it in our news story: AI say, AI say, AI say: Martin Lewis & MSE launch revolutionary new ChatGPT money tool

Crucially, be aware that the MSE chatbot can give incorrect answers – always check our guides directly and verify for yourself before you act.

Ask it how to check your council tax band in the style of a southern belle, an explanation of LISAs in the style of a David Lynch script and how to make money online in the form of several haiku.

This moment in time is still a little like the early days of the internet; all sorts of AI possibilities lie ahead of us, but right now the tech's rudimentary compared to where it will be in the near future.

Check back soon for updates.

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