This ChatGPT-powered utility is my favorite new AI joke-writing tool

Generative AI is everywhere, whether it’s used as a cornerstone of a service, used to build apps, or employed to boost functionality within them. But with so many new products appearing all the time, which ones are worth checking out?

We’re here to help with a new regular series covering the best and freshest AI apps and services that you should know about.

Look, AI tools don’t have to be all-powerful digital beings that plot the downfall of the human race. Many of them are innocuous utilities that aim to make our lives just a little easier. One of those tools that I’ve started integrating into my daily routine is MagickPen.

As its name might suggest, MagickPen is an AI-powered writing assistant that’s powered by ChatGPT. However, unlike its underpinnings, MagickPen simplifies the process of creating short pieces of content.

It offers a template for almost every type of written content. Some of my favorites include a Settlement generator (I can’t think of anything worse than manually penning a letter to a bank), a joke creator with questionable funny bones, a habit planner, a Dockerfile creator, and various email templates. So much utility!

MagickPen offers up 10 free credits per day and doesn’t require users to create an account — a big bonus in the world of AI tools. Of course, if you want to unlock more, you’ll need to create an account and fork out for Advanced credits.

Notably, MagickPen doesn’t have its own app. To access it on Android, I use Hermit — my favorite Android app for turning web pages into apps.

Other new AI apps and services you should know!

There are plenty of other great new AI apps and services out there, including:

Norton launched its new AI Android browser earlier this year. Called Neo, it purports to focus on user security while offering the usual AI browser fare. So what does this include exactly?

After entering my name, the browser then presents an input field front and center where you can issue various prompts. Of course, you can also use it as a traditional browser by inputting a URL into the prompt field. This feels a little unnatural, though. And rather annoyingly, asking Neo to open a web page currently falls short. I quite like its succinct responses. It doesn’t waffle like Gemini or present overly complicated outlines like ChatGPT.

The browser is free to try at present, and I expect it to get much better in the coming months.

Milanote is one of the more unique AI tools on the internet. You can download it to your macOS or Windows device, but I prefer to utilize its talents online.

It’s essentially a pinboard that can be used in myriad ways, from a fluid weekly planner to a moodboard creator for a home project to a broader project management tool. I’m surprised by just how well it works as a planner, especially thanks to its modular nested board design.

For newcomers, getting started is an absolute breeze. You will need an account, but once you undergo the brief onboarding process, you’re met with a blank canvas — quite literally. To add something to that canvas, be it a new board, to-do list, link, or note, you simply drag it from the left-hand toolbar to the board. It’s wonderfully simple.

Milanote is free to use, granted you create an account, as I mentioned. The free plan limits you to 100 items, which is not generous at all, given how quickly and easily you can add content to projects.

In the last edition of this series, I detailed an AI travel companion called Mindtrip. This week, I’ve discovered yet another contender in this niche, and I’m enamored by its simplicity.

Plantrip might not have the most exciting title, and it may sound like a tool for destroying flora, but it’s one of the more straightforward, no-nonsense trip planning tools I’ve used online.

Input a destination, the time of travel, and the duration of the stay, and the tool will output a reasonably sensible itinerary. My tests involved pretty vague details. The prompt “Drakensberg. Next month. Four days” yielded a mix of adventurous travel and local fare, including a trip up the Sani Pass, hiking the Tugela Gorge, and plenty of foody stops.

I certainly wouldn’t use it to plan a trip from A to B, especially not one that involves various bookings, stopovers, and multiple regions, but I’ll keep Plantrip in my pocket for highlighting interesting options for future road trips.