87: The AI Tool Stack Every Executive Needs

In this solo episode of Using AI at Work, Chris Daigle breaks from the interview format to share the AI tool stack he recommends to executives, leaders, and knowledge workers who want real value without chasing every new release. Chris introduces the concept of “thinking in AI” and explains how leaders move from using AI for isolated tasks to developing an instinctive, organization-wide mindset where AI supports daily work, decisions, and workflows. He also addresses common fears around AI replacing jobs, clarifying the difference between task-level automation, project-level assistance, and full job replacement. The episode walks through a curated set of AI tools that Chris believes are best-in-class, easy to use, and likely to stick around, helping leaders save time, reduce confusion, and build real context inside their organizations. This is a practical starting point for anyone looking to use AI at work with confidence and clarity in 2026. 🔎 Learn More About Chris Daigle and Chief AI Officer Chris Daigle on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisdaigle Chief AI Officer https://chiefaiofficer.com 🛠 AI Tools and Resources Mentioned Fathom https://chiefaiofficer.com/fathom Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai Comet Browser by Perplexity NotebookLM https://notebooklm.google Gamma https://chiefaiofficer.com/gamma Nano Banana image generation inside Google Gemini ChatGPT https://openai.com/chatgpt 📌 Chapters 00:00 Why this episode is different 01:14 The problem with AI tool overload 02:10 What “thinking in AI” really means 03:22 From discrete AI use to an AI reflex 04:28 Sharing AI wins to build culture 05:35 AI governance and cultural readiness 06:18 Will AI replace jobs 07:15 Tasks, projects, and job-level work 08:42 What AI can realistically automate today 10:02 Economic impact of AI on knowledge work 11:48 Why meeting transcription builds business context 12:57 Using Fathom as an AI meeting assistant 13:45 Replacing Google with Perplexity 14:58 Agentic browsing with the Comet browser 15:42 NotebookLM as a learning environment 16:36 Creating executive decks with Gamma 17:18 Image generation with Nano Banana 18:02 Why community matters for AI adoption 19:22 Final advice for leaders getting started