There's a stat worth sitting with: 19% of employees who use AI tools say they haven't saved any time at all.
That's not a small number. Nearly one in five people using these tools regularly feels no different than before.
The problem usually isn't the tool itself. It's that most people never stop to check. They download something, try it a few times, and then it either sticks or fades out without any real evaluation. "Saving time" becomes a vague feeling, not something you can actually point to.
This week: a simple way to figure out whether the AI tools in your life are actually pulling their weight.
🗞️ THIS WEEK IN AI
1. GPT-5.5 is now available to all ChatGPT paid users
OpenAI rolled out its latest model to Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers over the past few weeks. It's faster, more accurate, and handles longer tasks better than the version most people were used to.
Why this matters: If you're paying for ChatGPT, you're likely already using it. The main practical difference is that it handles multi-step tasks better, which means less back-and-forth to get a useful result.
2. Microsoft's AI agents are now live inside Microsoft 365
Microsoft made its Agent 365 tools generally available this month. These agents can automate repetitive tasks directly inside Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams.
Why this matters: If your company runs on Microsoft tools, AI-assisted automation is no longer something you need to set up separately. It's already in the software you're paying for. Worth asking your IT team whether it's been turned on.
3. New research: most of the AI productivity gap comes down to habit, not tools
A new workforce study found that 19% of regular AI users report no time saved at all. But according to Gartner, employees who are proficient with AI across multiple use cases are twice as likely to be highly productive as those who aren't.
Why this matters: The tools aren't magic on their own. The difference between people who benefit and people who don't usually comes down to whether they've built a real habit, not whether they signed up for the right product.
🛠️ THIS WEEK'S TRICK
The 3-Question Test: Is This AI Tool Actually Worth Keeping?
Most people have no system for evaluating their tools. They either use them or they don't. Here's a simple way to decide.
Step 1: Pick one tool
Don't try to evaluate everything at once. Pick the one tool you think should be saving you time but you're not totally sure about.
Step 2: Run it through this prompt
I've been using [tool name] for [how long]. I mainly use it for [task].
Help me evaluate it honestly:
1. What's the most specific thing it has actually done faster or better than I could alone?
2. Is there a task I do regularly where I'm NOT using it, but probably should be?
3. What would I lose if I stopped using it tomorrow?
Based on my answers, tell me: is this tool earning its place in my workflow?Fill in your honest answers as you go. The conversation that follows will usually tell you something useful.
Step 3: Make a call
After the conversation: keep it and use it more intentionally, change how you're using it, or cut it.
What this works best for:
Tools you pay for but use inconsistently
Tools you signed up for in a "I should try this" moment
Any AI tool you'd struggle to explain the value of to someone else
The hardest question is usually #3. If you can't name what you'd lose, that's your answer.
🔧 TOOL OF THE WEEK
Otter.ai — otter.ai
Otter records and transcribes your meetings automatically, then creates a summary with action items when the call ends. It connects to Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
This issue is about knowing whether AI tools are worth your time. Otter is one of the few where the math is obvious. If you have four meetings a week and spend 10 minutes after each one writing notes, that's 40 minutes you get back.
Price: Free for up to 300 minutes/month. Pro is $16.99/month.
Best for: Anyone who takes notes during or after meetings
Worth trying? Yes. The free tier is generous enough to know within a week whether it's useful to you.
💡 PROMPT OF THE WEEK
Use this before you commit to adding a new AI tool to your workflow.
I'm considering using [tool name] for [specific task].
Right now I handle this by [how you do it today]. It takes me about [time estimate].
Help me think through:
- What would this tool actually change about my current process?
- What's a realistic first test I could run in 30 minutes or less?
- What would "this is working" look like after two weeks?Tip: be specific about how you handle the task today. The more honest your input, the more useful the output.
👋 THAT'S A WRAP
If you're not sure whether your AI tools are helping, that's worth paying attention to. Most people don't evaluate, they just accumulate. And accumulating tools doesn't make work easier. It just adds more things to manage.
Pick one tool this week and run the 3-question test. You might find it's doing more than you realized. Or you might finally give yourself permission to delete it.
If this one made you think of a tool you've been meaning to cut or use better, forward it to someone else who might be in the same situation.
See you next Friday.