These AI resources help you go further than any single tool: free and paid tools worth using, browser extensions and mobile apps, APIs and datasets for builders, and the newsletters, podcasts, channels, books, and communities that keep you learning. Each list is short on purpose; we would rather recommend a few good resources than many mediocre ones.
Last updated September 2026.
Tools by Access and Platform
| Resource | What You Will Find |
|---|---|
| Free AI tools | Tools with genuinely useful free plans |
| Paid AI tools | When paying is worth it, and for what |
| AI Chrome extensions | AI inside your browser |
| AI mobile apps | The AI apps worth installing |
For Builders
| Resource | What You Will Find |
|---|---|
| AI APIs | Model and speech APIs for building products |
| AI datasets | Where to find data for training and evaluation |
Keep Learning
| Resource | What You Will Find |
|---|---|
| AI newsletters | Daily and weekly AI news without the noise |
| AI podcasts | News, interviews, and engineering deep dives |
| AI YouTube channels | Research explainers and practical tutorials |
| AI books | Practical, critical, and technical reads |
| AI communities | Places to ask questions and learn from others |
A Simple Learning Diet
- One daily newsletter for news, such as The Rundown AI or TLDR AI.
- One weekly deep dive, such as The Batch or Import AI.
- One podcast for your commute.
- One book per quarter, starting with Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick.
- Daily practice on real tasks, which beats any amount of reading. See the AI Learning Hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I keep up with AI without being overwhelmed?
Pick one daily and one weekly source, and ignore the rest. Most news does not change what you should do this week.
What are the best free AI resources?
Free plans of the major assistants, NotebookLM, Elements of AI, Anthropic Academy, and the newsletters and podcasts listed here.
How often are these lists updated?
We review them regularly and remove resources that stop publishing or shut down.