How I AI with Dr Amantha Imber and Neo Aplin

How I AI: 3 signs it's time to start a new chat thread

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 20:00:00 +0000

You've put in the work on your prompts. You know how to give AI the right context, set the right tone, ask the right questions. But then, mid-conversation, something shifts. The AI starts making things up, forgetting what you told it five minutes ago, contradicting itself.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack what is actually happening when AI gets unreliable mid-conversation, including how to read the warning signs that tell you it is time to close a thread and start fresh.

In this episode of How I AI, a special series within How I Work, Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

Why AI gets unreliable mid-conversation, and what's actually going on

What the 60% rule is and why it matters

Which file types quietly eat through your context window

The warning signs that it's time to close a thread and start fresh

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/) and via inventium.ai (https://inventium.ai), where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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.substack.com/

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The prompting mistake almost everyone makes

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 20:00:00 +0000

How much of your week goes into fixing what AI just handed you? Not writing from scratch, just cleaning up, correcting, and nudging a draft that looked fine for about ten seconds before you actually needed it to work.

That endless back and forth has a name. We call it slop fixing, and there is research suggesting it is quietly eating close to a full day of our working week.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I get into why this happens and the two very different ways of working with AI that decide whether it does. You will hear the difference between gunslinging and architecting, what a proper brief actually sounds like, and how to have a conversation with AI before you ask it to build anything. By the end, you will be getting version one at 90 percent instead of 20.

What you'll learn:

What actually separates AI slop from work that lands

The difference between gunslinging and architecting with AI

What a proper brief for AI actually sounds like

How to have a real conversation with AI before asking it to build anything

Why version one can land at 90 percent instead of 20

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Do these 2 things if you're worried about AI and the environment

Sun, 09 Aug 2026 20:00:00 +0000

There is a quiet guilt a lot of people carry every time they open ChatGPT. Somewhere between the headlines about data centres and the vague sense that AI is somehow worse for the planet than everything else we do without a second thought, it becomes easier to just feel bad than to actually work out whether that guilt is warranted.

Nobody hands you the comparison points. Is a heavy day of prompting worse than a night of Netflix? Worse than a round of golf? Nobody says.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I go looking for the real figures. You will hear how an hour of heavy AI use stacks up against an hour of Netflix, why American golf courses use far more water than AI data centres, and the two things you can personally do that make a genuine difference, including one that has nothing to do with AI at all.

What you'll learn:

How an hour of heavy AI use actually compares to an hour of Netflix

Why golf courses use more water than AI data centres, and why nobody is calling to ban golf

What separates the environmental cost of training AI from simply using it

What governments, companies and individuals can each actually do about AI's environmental impact

The one everyday habit that beats cutting your AI use altogether

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: What you should never paste into AI

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Before you paste that customer list, that blood test result or that contract into your favourite AI tool, it's worth pausing for a second. Whatever you hand over doesn't just disappear after you get your answer. It sits somewhere, and depending on the tool and the settings, it might be doing more than just answering your question.

Most people have never actually checked what happens to their data once it goes in or thought about the difference between what's fine to share and what's better redacted first.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I work through what's actually safe to give AI and what's better left out. We cover how to check your settings so free tools aren't training on your data, how to de-identify sensitive things like health results and contracts, the rules that change once you're at work, and the one question to ask yourself before you upload anything.

What you'll learn:

How to know if AI is quietly training on the data you give it, and how to switch that off

The one question to ask before you upload anything to AI

Why work and home should be treated completely differently when it comes to AI

What to redact from contracts, spreadsheets and client files before sharing them

Where the line sits between using AI as a sounding board and relying on it too much

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Agents, Projects, and Skills (oh my!): A no-fluff guide on when to use each one

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0000

The AI world has has done a spectacularly bad job of naming things. Agents, GPTs, gems, notebooks, projects, skills - you'll find a completely different word for what is essentially the same kind of tool. Agents in one place, GPTs in another, gems somewhere else. Different names, similar ideas - and no handbook to tell you that.

But the tools themselves are not that complicated. Once you know what each one is built to do, knowing which to reach for becomes straightforward.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I cut through the jargon and map out what Agents, Projects, and Skills actually are, how they differ from each other, and which one to reach for depending on what you need to do.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

Why agents, GPTs, and gems are the same kind of thing (just with different names)

When a project is the right choice over an agent

What makes a skill different from a long prompt

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The three questions to ask before picking an AI platform

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0000

You see another article. "This platform just changed everything." And suddenly, the AI platform you've been using for months feels completely inadequate. You wonder if you're behind. You wonder if you should switch again.

Neo and I have had this conversation more times than we can count, and it's one of the questions we get asked constantly at Inventium AI. Which of the four major AI platforms, Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, should you actually be using?

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through the three questions you should ask yourself before committing to any platform, then go through each one in turn to unpack where it shines and where it falls short. By the end, you will have a clear enough picture to make a call, or at least know which one to try next.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

The three questions to ask before committing to any AI platform

Why your data's location could rule out certain options entirely

Which platform actually plugs into your daily work apps

How pricing models are shifting in ways that could blindside your budget

What to weigh before moving your whole company over

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Cowork explained in 10 Minutes

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0000

You've probably seen Cowork mentioned inside Claude, or perhaps you clocked the headlines when Microsoft folded it into Copilot a couple of weeks ago. Either way, the question people keep asking is simple: how is this actually different from just chatting with Claude?

The answer comes down to files, time and money - three things that change quite dramatically once you move from chat to Cowork.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack exactly what Cowork can do that regular chat can't, how to know which one to reach for, and what the new Microsoft version means if you're a Copilot user.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

What actually changes when Claude can touch files on your own computer

The simple test for deciding between Chat and Cowork for any task

How Cowork differs from Claude Code, and who each one is really built for

Three lesser known Cowork features worth exploring

What Microsoft's version of Cowork does differently, and what it costs

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out now. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: What is tokenomics, and why should you care

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 20:00:00 +0000

If your organisation has moved its AI licenses onto a per-use plan, every single chat thread your team sends is now adding to a bill. Some companies are already burning through their entire IT budget for AI within the first couple of months of the year, and most staff have no idea their usage is costing anything at all.

It doesn't have to be a mystery. There are simple habits, from which model you default to, to what time of day you send your first message, that change how far your usage actually stretches.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack tokenomics, the economics of how you actually use your AI. We get into how usage limits work across the major platforms, why the timing of your first chat each day matters more than you'd think, and what changes once you move from a personal plan to an enterprise one.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

What tokenomics actually means and why it's suddenly everywhere

How Claude's usage window works differently to ChatGPT and Copilot

The simple morning habit that changes how far your usage window stretches

Why enterprise billing is shifting, and what that means for your team's budget

What managers should be doing before token usage gets out of hand

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Which AI model should I use for which task?

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 20:00:00 +0000

If you've ever stared at a model picker and wondered whether to click Flash, Sonnet, Opus, Instant, or Think Deeper, you are not alone. These naming conventions are genuinely confusing, and most people just pick something and hope it works. The stakes are higher than they might seem, though. Token misuse has left some companies with eye-watering AI bills, including one case where a single employee ran up a $500,000 tab in a month.

The good news is that there is a simple mental model that cuts through all the noise, and once you have it, choosing the right model for any task takes seconds.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through the four major AI platforms, Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot, and break down exactly which model to use and when. We also get into tokens, usage limits, and why matching the model to the task matters far more than most people realise.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

Why ignoring model numbers and reading the small print instead saves a lot of confusion

What Fable and Mythos are, and why you can't use them right now

How token usage works and why the right model choice protects your access

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: 8 tasks you should never do manually again

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 20:00:00 +0000

**Join the AI Agent Bootcamp here: https://www.inventium.ai/learnvirtually-agents**

You have access to AI. You probably use it a fair bit. And yet there's a good chance you're still manually scrubbing through meeting transcripts, tabbing between LinkedIn and Google News before every sales call, and spending 20 minutes writing an executive summary for a paper you just finished writing.

That gap between having AI and actually letting it take things off your plate is where a lot of time quietly disappears.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through eight tasks that knowledge workers should never have to do manually again, and what it actually looks like to hand them off to agents.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn in this episde:

Which meeting-related tasks are the easiest to hand off to an agent

How to build a pre-meeting briefing agent for sales and business development

Why editing and proofreading agents need very specific instructions to protect your voice

Where inbox agents are most useful, and what they can and can't do for you

How to think about agents when comparing options before a purchase decision

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The agent that Neo uses every single day

Sun, 31 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

**Join the AI Agent Bootcamp here: https://www.inventium.ai/learnvirtually-agents**

You type a research question into your AI tool, get back a perfectly serviceable answer, and still feel like something's missing. The output isn't wrong, exactly. It just didn't quite hit the mark. The culprit, more often than not, is the prompt you started with.

The good news: there's a smarter way to approach this, and it doesn't involve becoming a prompt engineering expert.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through the agent Neo reaches for more than any other he has built: the Research Prompt Builder. We get into how it works, when to use it with a thinking model instead of deep research, and how pairing it with NotebookLM can get you genuinely well-briefed in a fraction of the usual time.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work, where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn in this episode:

Why your research prompt matters more than the tool you use

How Neo's Research Prompt Builder actually works before any research begins

When a thinking model is a better choice than deep research

How to go from a raw research output to a proper briefing using NotebookLM

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

And here are links we promised:

Download the Research Prompt Builder agent here: https://amantha-imber.kit.com/41cec7c48c

NotebookLM (notebooklm.google.com) - Google's learning tool that lets you upload up to 50 sources and generate a podcast episode, ask questions, and get cited answers from your own documents.

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The three agents every knowledge worker should have

Sun, 24 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

**Join the AI Agent Bootcamp here: https://www.inventium.ai/learnvirtually-agents**

You sit down to research something for work, open a few tabs, type a vague query into AI, and get back something that feels… fine. Technically an answer. Not quite useful. Meanwhile, that report you've been working on probably needs another set of eyes, but getting real feedback takes time you don't have, so you send it anyway and hope for the best.

There's a better way. In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through three agents we think every knowledge worker genuinely needs, including two we're giving away for free.

How I AI, a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn in this episode:

Why a basic AI research query often isn't enough, and what to do instead

What a critical thinking agent actually checks for, and when it earns its place

What a cross-functional advisory board agent is, and who it's built for

How long it really takes to build agents that work reliably

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

Here are links to the free agents mentioned in this episode:

Research agent: https://amantha-imber.kit.com/41cec7c48c

Critical Thinking agent: https://amantha-imber.kit.com/51dd2a9719
Join the AI Agent Bootcamp to access the Advisory Board agent

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: How to build a knowledge agent that answers every 101 question - so you don't have to

Sun, 17 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

**Join the AI Agent Bootcamp here: https://www.inventium.ai/learnvirtually-agents**

There's a question you've answered a hundred times before. You know the one. Someone pings you, you stop what you're doing, dig through a document or two, and type out the same response you've typed a dozen times this month. It doesn't feel catastrophic in the moment, but across a week it quietly eats hours.

A knowledge agent is built for exactly this problem. It holds the information so you don't have to be the one constantly retrieving it.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack what a knowledge agent is, how it works, and how to build one that actually saves you time, whether you're fielding questions solo or trying to help a whole team self-serve.

How I AI is a special series within How I Work where Neo and I explore how high performers are using AI at work to boost productivity, make better decisions and reduce overwhelm.

What you'll learn:

What a knowledge agent actually is and how it differs from other agents

The kinds of questions and roles that benefit most from one

How to share a knowledge agent across a team without creating problems

What makes knowledge good (or bad) for an agent to work from

The three things you need to set up a knowledge agent properly

Practical AI tools for productivity and focus

Real-world AI workflows used by high performers

How to use AI at work without burning out

Smart shortcuts for managing time and mental load

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Agents explained in 10 minutes (no jargon, no hype)

Sun, 10 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

**Join the AI Agent Bootcamp here: https://www.inventium.ai/learnvirtually-agents**

The word "agents" is everywhere right now. It shows up in product updates, LinkedIn posts, and conversations at work, and yet for a lot of people, it still doesn't quite click. What actually is an agent? Is it the same as agentic AI? And does any of this actually matter for the way you work?

If you've been nodding along while quietly unsure, you're in good company. The AI industry has done a genuinely poor job of naming things, and it's created a lot of unnecessary confusion.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I cut through the jargon and get into what agents actually are, how they differ from agentic AI, and where both individuals and teams can start using them right now.

What you’ll learn:

Why the terminology around AI tools is so confusing, and the key distinction between "agents" and "agentic AI" that actually matters in practice.

What an agent is versus what agentic AI is

How individuals can use agents for tasks they repeat regularly

How teams can use agents to standardise outputs like reports, reduce the burden of repetitive questions, and let people self-service answers using a knowledge agent

What the best starting question is to know if a problem can be solved by an agent

Connect with Neo Aplin on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/neoaplin/) and via inventium.ai, where he leads Inventium's AI training and upskilling work with organisations and teams.

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Why most AI rollouts fail (and how to make sure yours doesn't)

Sun, 03 May 2026 20:00:00 +0000

You've bought the licenses. You've made the announcement. And a few months later, you're staring at a workforce either ignoring the tools entirely or churning out AI-generated fluff that nobody's reading. The ROI? Nowhere to be found.

The problem isn't AI. It's how organisations are rolling it out.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I share a recording from a live webinar we ran on why AI rollouts fail and what it actually takes to set yours up for success. We cover the most common mistakes we're seeing on the ground, the research that should change how you think about training, and the question every leadership team needs to answer before spending another dollar on licenses.

Neo and I cover:

Why an unclear AI strategy at the leadership level creates confusion across teams, with some departments using the tools freely and others too uncertain to try.

The leadership credibility problem: when CEOs and senior leaders don't use AI themselves, the rest of the organisation takes it as a signal that they shouldn't either.

Why buying licenses without training can actually reduce productivity, producing a flood of low-quality, AI-generated work that slows people down rather than speeding them up.

The surprising finding from HBR research that the average time saving from AI is just 2.5%, and why vanity metrics like daily logins and token usage tell you almost nothing about real value.

The agent proliferation trap: why having everyone in your organisation building agents independently leads to duplicated, inconsistent, and unowned tools that create more confusion than clarity.

The cultural barrier of AI fear, and why people won't genuinely adopt a tool they believe is there to replace them.

AI brain fry, a distinct form of cognitive fatigue caused by constant context-switching and vigilance when managing multiple AI tasks simultaneously.

Why training to tasks rather than features is what actually shifts behaviour, and the research-backed minimum dose of five hours of hands-on training required to see any meaningful benefit.

The case for training close to license rollout to prevent bad habits forming before people know how to use the tools well.

A three-stage framework for AI adoption: access, literacy, and leverage (individual then organisational), with literacy positioned as an ongoing capability rather than a one-off event.

Why planning where time savings will actually go matters as much as achieving them, otherwise people simply fill the space with more work.

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M

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

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

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: What AI capability really looks like in high-performing teams

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Your organisation hit its AI adoption target. Eighty percent of staff have a licence, onboarding is done, and the usage dashboard looks great. So why does the work feel the same, or worse? Hitting an adoption target and actually getting value from AI are two completely different things, and most organisations are confusing one for the other.

The truth is that a team using AI badly can actually perform worse than one not using it at all. Buried in mediocre output, drowning in documents nobody reads, and no closer to a better result for their customers.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I dig into what actually separates high-performing AI-augmented teams from the average ones, and why so many organisations are measuring the wrong things.

Neo and I cover:

Why adoption metrics are almost always vanity metrics, and what to measure instead.
The difference between AI literacy and AI leverage, and why teams need both but rarely get past the first.
How poor AI training can actually make teams less productive.
Why slotting AI into an existing process is only ever an interim step, and what it looks like to genuinely re-engineer workflows.
The role of AI champions within functional teams, and why workflow architecture is a distinct and critical skill most people do not yet have.

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)

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The #1 mistake people make with AI

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Every time you open a new AI chat, you're starting from scratch. You type out the background, explain your role, describe the project. Then you do it again tomorrow. And the day after.

There's a better way, and it takes about 15 minutes over a cup of coffee.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through the briefing document - a single context file that gives AI everything it needs to understand your world before you've typed a single word.

Neo and I cover:

Why context now matters more than a well-crafted prompt, and why even a clever prompt without background will give you a great average response rather than something targeted
What a briefing document is and why recreating that context in every new chat leads to lazy, generic results
How to use AI's advanced voice mode to interview you about your job so the briefing document gets built conversationally, not typed from scratch
The exact interview prompt we give Inventium AI workshop participants
Real examples from Neo's setup, including documents for Inventium's products and services, his AI programs, and a current client project
Real examples from Amantha's setup, including documents for managing her team, the How I Work and How I AI podcasts, and her upcoming book
Two ways to store and deploy briefing documents

The prompt for creating a briefing document:

“Run a short, adaptive interview that captures only what matters about my role, context, stakeholders, and how I work, then produce a single structured briefing that covers all information.

Be efficient, inquisitive rather than prescriptive, and tailor the depth and questions to my role and signals.”

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)

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Why you need to talk, not type, to your AI

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

You are almost certainly doing most of your computer work the slow way.

Think about the last time you sat down to write an email, rename a file, or work through a tricky problem at your desk. Chances are, your fingers went straight to the keyboard. And you are not alone — when Neo and I ask audiences how much of their computer time is spent typing versus talking, almost everyone is close to 100% typing.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I make the case for voice as a core part of your workflow, not just a novelty. We cover when talking beats typing, how the different voice modes in your AI tools actually work, and the specific software we both rely on day to day.

Neo and I cover:

Why talking is faster than typing for most people
The science behind why voice unlocks better ideas
When talking is clearly better
When typing still wins
The difference between dictation mode and advanced voice mode in tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini, and which to use for different purposes.
wisprflow.ai, Amantha's go-to dictation software
Other dictation tools worth knowing about
How to combine voice and typing in a one-two punch

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)

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Our #1 favourite AI tool for meetings

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

There is a moment most people have had in a meeting: the AI bot joins before your guest does, someone has to awkwardly ask if recording is okay, and the whole dynamic shifts. It is enough friction that most people just give up and go back to scribbling notes by hand.

There is a better way, and it does not involve anyone knowing a bot is even in the room.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I do a deep dive into Granola.ai, the meeting transcription tool that has become non-negotiable for both of us at Inventium. We get into how it works differently to most recording tools, how we handle the privacy conversation with external guests, and why having every internal meeting captured has actually made us better at our jobs.

Neo and I cover:

Why most AI meeting recorders create more friction than they solve, and why recording is still not the default for most people's meetings.
How Granola transcribes meetings in the background without joining as a participant, recording no audio or video, making it far less intrusive than most tools.
The way Granola combines your own real-time notes with its transcript, using what you type as a signal for what mattered most in the conversation.
Why at Inventium, every internal meeting including one-on-ones is captured in Granola by default, and what that means for psychological safety and team culture.
The simple line Amantha's EA includes in every external meeting invite to let guests know Granola is running.
A free, open-source alternative called Hyprnote (hyprnote.app) for those who are budget-constrained or unable to install Granola.

Here are the tools mentioned in this episode:

Granola.ai — AI meeting transcription tool that runs in the background without joining as a meeting participant. Integrates with Google and Microsoft.
Hyprnote (hyprnote.app) — open-source alternative to Granola, available on Mac and Windows.

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)

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Stop writing like a robot - ban these AI words and phrases

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Download Inventium.ai's anti-AI slop prompt here: https://amantha-imber.kit.com/d5f746bd3e

You can always tell when something's been written by AI. The LinkedIn post that opens with "in today's fast-paced world." The article that ends with "it's not about X, it's about Y." Technically fine, but somehow hollow. Like it was written by nobody in particular.

The frustrating part is that this can happen even when you're doing the real thinking. You write the ideas, hand it to AI for a cleanup, and it flattens your voice, packs it with em-dashes, and strips out everything that sounded like you.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I get into the specific instructions you can give AI to keep your writing sounding human, and share some of the most overused AI words and phrases worth banning from your prompts entirely.

Neo and I cover:

Why sounding like AI is a credibility problem, even when you've done the actual thinking and are only using AI to refine and edit your work.
The single most important instruction to give AI when asking it to clean up your writing.
Why em-dashes are so hard to eliminate from AI output, and the specific phrasing (including pasting in the actual dash character) that gives you the best chance of getting rid of them.
Using a ninth-grade reading level as a brief to keep language plain, accessible, and free of jargon.
Why it's fine to let AI start a sentence with "and" or "but" occasionally, and which stiff transition words (like "additionally" and "moreover") to ban outright.
What "corrective antithesis" is, why AI overuses it, and how to cut it down with a simple instruction and example in your prompt.
Amantha's process for building a mega anti-AI slop prompt.
How to build your own personal banned-words list, so AI stops using words that don't sound like you.

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)

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

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: How we have automated AI to summarise industry news, trends, and other updates – every single week

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

That wall of industry newsletters in your inbox isn’t a reading list. It’s a stress list.

You tell yourself you’ll get to them later. You don’t. And the pile keeps growing.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I explore how to use AI as a structured research assistant. Not just to summarise articles, but to filter signal from noise, prioritise what’s actually relevant to you, and automatically deliver regular briefings so you don’t even have to remember to run the search.

Neo and I cover:

How to give AI the right context so it knows exactly what “new” means to you

Why vague prompts produce vague research – and how to fix that

How to define trusted sources and instruct AI where to search

Structuring your report so it highlights impact, availability and practical relevance

How to ask AI to prioritise credible sources over hype

Setting up scheduled searches in ChatGPT using “schedule this” so reports run weekly or daily

How scheduling works in Copilot and what to know about current limits

Creating sections like quick hits, watch lists and hype watch to make reports easier to scan

Why you should always request links so you can verify and dive deeper

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: How to use AI to prioritise when everything feels urgent

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

When your to-do list feels endless and everything seems equally urgent, it’s hard to know where to start. The overwhelm doesn’t usually come from one big task. It comes from trying to hold meetings, emails, projects and life admin in your head all at once.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through practical ways to use AI to help you prioritise when your week feels out of control. Not by magically deleting tasks, but by giving you a clearer structure for deciding what actually matters today.

We share two different approaches – one if your AI isn’t connected to your calendar, and one if it is.

Neo and I cover:

How to use AI for a structured brain dump so everything on your plate is visible in one place

Getting AI to interview you to separate urgent from important, and clarify what really needs attention

Asking AI to estimate how long tasks will take so you can time box more realistically

Using AI to identify the single task that’s causing the most stress – and tackling that first

Why context matters – and how tools like Claude Projects or Copilot Notebooks can help AI understand your work

Using AI to prepare for meetings, cross-reference tasks, and spot work that hasn’t been scheduled

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The one question every leader should ask about AI

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Rolling out Copilot or ChatGPT and hoping productivity magically improves rarely works. In fact, for many leaders, it creates more confusion, more noise and, in some cases, more work.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I unpack the single most important question leaders should be asking about AI adoption: how can I help my people be ready for AI? Because bringing AI into your organisation isn’t primarily a technology decision. It’s a people one.

We talk through why simply handing out paid licenses without building capability often backfires, how poor AI use can actually reduce productivity, and the practical steps leaders need to get right from day one.

Neo and I cover:

Why AI adoption fails when leaders treat it as a software rollout instead of a change process

How to clearly articulate the why so people don’t assume AI equals job replacement

Using AI to reduce administrivia and free people up for more meaningful work

Why “it’s intuitive” is a dangerous assumption when it comes to capability building

How untrained use can create AI slop, longer emails and organisational “Chinese whispers”

How searchable knowledge can unlock real productivity gains, and how poor permissions can create real risk

Why training change leads or team leads is critical to embedding AI into real workflows

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: The AI critique system we use to improve our work

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Download Inventium.ai’s custom GPT instructions to create your own Personal AI Reviewer Buddy here: https://amantha-imber.kit.com/51dd2a9719

Producing high volumes of work isn’t the hard part anymore. Producing high quality is.

In this How I AI episode, Neo and I walk through how to use AI as a rigorous reviewer of your work – not to replace your judgment, but to sharpen it. We go beyond a basic “please review this” prompt and share a structured way to pressure test emails, documents, slide decks and analysis before they leave your desk.

Neo shares the exact system he uses, which he’s nicknamed Charles – a GPT designed to critique work properly, diagnose weaknesses and suggest stronger alternatives. And yes, we’re giving you Charles (via the link above!).

Neo and I cover:

How to write a simple but powerful critique prompt that goes beyond surface-level polishing

What to ask AI to check for, including inaccuracies, weak support, bias, gaps, impracticality and verbosity

How to customise your review criteria for specific roles, policies or stakeholders

The quality gates Neo uses, including factual accuracy, logical soundness, completeness, relevance, clarity, structure, safety and practicality

How AI can improve its own output if you’ve used it to draft something in the first place

Why you should never treat a first AI response as gospel

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 if you’re ready to move beyond basic prompts and start using AI as a genuine thinking partner, check out inventium.ai. We help individuals, teams and organisations turn GenAI into a real work superpower – saving 10+ hours a week and staying future ready.

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: How to use AI to find a new job

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Job hunting can feel like a full-time job in itself. Scrolling listings, second-guessing roles, and trying to stand out in a sea of applications. In this How I AI episode, we walk through how AI can quietly take some of that invisible work off your plate without doing the thinking for you.

We talk through how AI can support you at each stage of the job search. From spotting roles that never make it onto LinkedIn or Seek, to getting a clearer picture of what a company is really like, and making sense of job ads that feel fuzzy or overcomplicated.

We also cover how to use AI to strengthen your cover letter and CV without losing your own voice, and how it can help you prepare for interviews by practicing questions and refining your answers.

Neo and I discuss

How scheduled AI searches can monitor company job pages and surface hidden roles

Using AI to research companies through annual reports, industry context, and social chatter

What AI can and cannot realistically find on platforms like Reddit and Glassdoor

How to use AI to decode job ads and understand what the role actually looks like day to day

Why the strongest cover letters still start with your own words

Using AI to critique and tailor your CV without rewriting your experience

How AI can help you prepare for interviews by generating questions and giving feedback

Practising interview answers using voice or dictation mode for extra confidence

Download the Job Application Pro GPT:

https://amantha-imber.kit.com/09db426fdd

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: We let AI prep us for a doctors appointment

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Doctor and specialist appointments are expensive, time-limited, and often overwhelming. It’s easy to walk in underprepared and walk out wishing you’d asked better questions or understood more of what was said.

We talk through how we use AI to prepare for doctor and specialist appointments so the time is spent on diagnosis and solutions, not rambling explanations or missed details. We cover how to use AI to get your medical story clear and concise, make sense of test results before an appointment, and walk in with smarter questions.

We also talk about privacy considerations and the tools we use to record and transcribe appointments so nothing important gets lost.

Neo and I discuss

How to use AI to turn a rambling health story into a short, clear summary for your doctor

Using voice and dictation tools to “talk it out” with AI before an appointment

Asking AI to interview you and identify gaps in your medical story

Making sense of blood test results and medical terms before you see the doctor

Why AI should help you understand results, not diagnose you

Using AI to prepare better, more targeted questions for your appointment

Privacy tips for using AI with medical information, including de-identifying data

Recording appointments so you don’t miss critical information

Tools we use to record, transcribe, and review doctor consultations

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: How to use AI to save money shopping

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Shopping should be simple. But for most of us, it’s turned into tabs open everywhere, conflicting reviews, and that lingering doubt that you’ve either missed a better option or paid more than you needed to.

We walk through how we actually use AI tools when we’re buying something, from working out what problem we’re trying to solve, to comparing products without getting lost in specs and opinions.

We also dig into some of the most frustrating parts of shopping, like finding the best price, checking historical lows, tracking price drops, and hunting down discount codes without trawling scammy websites.

Neo and I discuss:

How AI helps at the very start of the buying journey by clarifying what problem you’re actually trying to solve

Using AI to compare products side by side, including features, pricing and versions

Why AI is especially useful for complex purchases like electronics and appliances

The differences between Perplexity, Google AI mode and ChatGPT when researching products

How to use AI to find the best price and check historical price lows

Setting up scheduled prompts to monitor prices and alert you when they drop

Using AI to search for discount codes without trawling scammy or spammy websites

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: Tame your inbox with these 5 AI hacks

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Coming back from a few days off work should feel refreshing. Instead, it often means opening your inbox to 200 unread emails and not knowing where to start. In this How I AI episode, we look at how AI can help you get oriented faster by scanning, sorting, and summarising what’s landed while you were away.

If email is a constant source of friction in your workday, this conversation will help you approach it more strategically. We talk through practical ways to use AI to triage your inbox quickly, catch up on long email threads, and create daily or weekly digests that surface what actually needs your attention.

We also cover how to use AI to write better replies in your own voice, reflect the communication style of the person you’re replying to, and schedule meetings directly from an email thread using Microsoft Copilot.

Neo and I discuss:

Which AI tools can access your inbox and what that depends on

Using AI to summarise unread emails after time away

Creating tables that show what matters, what needs action, and what can wait

How to generate daily or weekly inbox digests automatically

Catching up on long email threads with clients, projects, or teams

Using sent items to identify emails you still need to respond to

Writing better replies by analysing your own writing style

Reflecting someone else’s communication style to get better responses

Scheduling meetings directly from email threads using Microsoft Copilot

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

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)

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
Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How I AI: 13 AI tools we use every single day

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000

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:

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

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.