Your Curated AI Starting Kit

Tom has spent years consuming AI content so you don't have to wade through the noise. Everything here is personally vetted, accessible, and chosen specifically with non-technical professionals in mind.

Jump to: ๐ŸŽง Podcasts โ–ถ๏ธ YouTube ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ AI Tools ๐ŸŽ“ Courses ๐Ÿ“š Books ๐Ÿค Communities
โ–ถ๏ธ

YouTube Channels

Visual learners, this is your section. These channels make AI genuinely fascinating.

๐Ÿ”ต 3Blue1Brown

Grant Sanderson makes the mathematics behind AI visually stunning and conceptually clear. His neural network series is possibly the best explanation ever made for non-experts.

Visual ยท Conceptual Watch โ†’
๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿ”ฌ Andrej Karpathy

Former Tesla AI Director and OpenAI founding member. Karpathy explains how large language models actually work with unusual clarity. More technical, but worth the stretch.

Technical ยท Expert Watch โ†’
๐Ÿ“„ Two Minute Papers

Kรกroly Zsolnai-Fehรฉr summarizes cutting-edge AI research in two minutes each. Endlessly exciting, endlessly encouraging โ€” proof that AI progress is awe-inspiring.

โญ Tom's Pick Watch โ†’
๐Ÿง Wes Roth

Wes Roth covers the latest AI news and breakthroughs in plain, accessible language. Great for staying current without needing a technical background.

AI News & AnalysisWatch โ†’
โšกMatthew Berman

Hands-on demos and reviews of the latest AI tools and models. If you want to see what new AI can actually do before you try it, Matthew Berman shows you.

Tool Demos & ReviewsWatch โ†’
๐ŸŽ“The MIT Monk

MIT-level AI insights made approachable. Thoughtful, well-researched content that bridges the gap between academic AI research and real-world understanding.

Academic ยท AccessibleWatch โ†’
๐Ÿค– AI Explained

Clear, thorough breakdowns of what the latest AI developments actually mean โ€” without assuming any technical background. A perfect companion to staying current.

Beginner Friendly Watch โ†’
๐Ÿ› ๏ธ

AI Tools

Start with one. Use it every day for a week. Then add another. That's the whole strategy.

๐Ÿ’ฌ ChatGPT

The one that started the revolution. Ask it anything, draft anything, brainstorm anything. The free tier is genuinely powerful. Start here if you haven't yet.

Free tier available Try it โ†’
โœจ Claude

Anthropic's AI assistant. Exceptionally good at reading long documents, nuanced writing, and thoughtful analysis. Many professionals prefer Claude for complex work tasks.

โญ Tom's Daily Driver Try it โ†’
๐ŸŽจ Midjourney

Create stunning, professional-quality images from simple text descriptions. Marketers, designers, and content creators have made this a daily staple.

Image Generation Try it โ†’
๐Ÿ“ Notion AI

If you already use Notion, its AI is a game-changer for summarizing notes, drafting documents, and organizing your work. AI that lives inside your existing workflow.

Productivity Try it โ†’
โœ๏ธ Grammarly

AI-powered writing assistant that lives in your browser. Catches errors, suggests improvements, and now includes a full AI writing partner. The gentlest on-ramp into AI tools.

Best for Beginners Try it โ†’
๐ŸชŸ Microsoft Copilot

If your company uses Microsoft 365, Copilot is already in your Word, Excel, and Outlook. The lowest-friction way to experience AI in your existing tools at work.

Enterprise Ready Try it โ†’
๐ŸฆพOpenClaw

A personal AI assistant that lives on your own server and connects to your apps โ€” email, calendar, messaging and more. For professionals who want AI that truly works for them, not for a tech company.

Personal AI AgentTry it โ†’
๐Ÿ“š

Essential Books

If you read one book on this list, you'll understand more about AI than most people in your office.