The AI Tools I Use Every Day as a Digital Marketing Consultant

My real AI stack in 2026: the 18 tools I use daily to create content, automate processes, manage clients, and build digital products. No theory — just what's actually open on my screen.

My students at UPB, EIA, and several professional programs ask me the same question every semester: “Carlos, what AI tools are you actually using?” Not what I recommend in theory — what I actually open every day.

This article is that answer. My real AI stack as of May 2026, with the specific purpose of each tool. This isn’t a generic “top 50 AI tools” list copied from another blog. It’s what’s running while I work.

My AI stack organized by function

I use over 18 AI tools regularly. I organized them by what they solve, not by product category, because many cross boundaries.

1. Claude (Anthropic) — My primary assistant

Link: claude.ai

Claude is my most-used tool. I use it for:

Strategy and analysis: reviewing campaign data, analyzing competition, writing business proposals.
Content writing: blog articles, emails, video scripts, ad copy.
Structured thinking: when I need to think through a complex problem — system architecture, funnel design, project planning — I work through it in conversation with Claude.

Why Claude over ChatGPT alone? Because Claude has deeper reasoning on long tasks, follows complex instructions better, and has a massive context window. For marketing consulting, where every client has different context and I need the AI to understand it completely, that makes the difference.

I wrote a complete guide on using Claude for marketing with 50 prompts I use regularly.

2. Claude Code — Development, SEO, advertising, and websites

Link: claude.ai/claude-code

This is the tool that has most changed how I work in 2026. Claude Code is an AI agent that operates directly in my terminal with access to my projects, files, and APIs.

I use it for:

Technical SEO: complete audits, schema markup fixes, Core Web Vitals optimization, sitemap generation.
Google Ads, Meta Ads, and TikTok Ads: account analysis, campaign restructuring, performance monitoring.
Website creation and modification: building landing pages, fixing bugs, implementing tracking.
Shopify: store optimization, integration development, custom apps.
Automations: WhatsApp bots, CRM integrations, dashboards, data pipelines.

It’s like having a team of senior developers available 24/7 who know all my projects. The WhatsApp agent I have in production was built and is maintained entirely with Claude Code.

3. ChatGPT (OpenAI) — Image generation and quick tasks

Link: chatgpt.com

ChatGPT remains useful for specific tasks:

Image generation with DALL-E / GPT-4o: when I need a quick visual for social media, a conceptual illustration, or a support image for content.
Quick queries: things I need to solve in 10 seconds without much context.
Creative brainstorming: I sometimes alternate between Claude and ChatGPT to get different perspectives on the same brief.

In the comparison between Claude vs ChatGPT for businesses I explain when each one works best.

4. Gemini (Google) — Research, video, and images

Link: gemini.google.com

Gemini powers several of my production systems, but I also use it directly:

Custom Gems: I have Gems configured for specific tasks — one for analyzing advertising reports, another for summarizing long documents, another for preparing classes.
Veo 3.1: text-to-video generation. I use it to create short clips for social media, product demos, and educational content.
Imagen 3 (Nanobanana): high-quality image generation, especially when I need styles that DALL-E can’t achieve.
Research with grounding: Gemini accesses current Google information, making it excellent for market research.

5. NotebookLM (Google) — My second brain for teaching

Link: notebooklm.google.com

NotebookLM is where I process dense information:

Preparing classes and talks: I upload papers, articles, and presentations. NotebookLM understands them and I can ask questions like “what are the 3 most controversial points in this document?”
Audio podcast generation: the Audio Overview feature turns documents into podcast conversations. I use it to create support material my students can listen to.
Research organization: for consulting projects where I need to absorb a lot of client information quickly.

6. ElevenLabs — Realistic voices and dubbing

Link: elevenlabs.io

ElevenLabs generates voices of impressive quality:

Voiceovers for videos: professional narrations without recording.
Dubbing: translating video content while maintaining natural speech.
Voice cloning: I can create audio content with my own voice without recording every piece.

I combine it with CapCut and Runway for complete video production.

7. Runway — AI video generation and editing

Link: runwayml.com

Runway is my primary tool for generative video:

Gen-3 Alpha: generating video clips from text or reference images.
Smart editing: removing backgrounds, extending clips, creating transitions.
Special effects: things that previously required After Effects and hours of work.

For social media content and teaching materials, Runway saves me a production team.

8. Kling — Image-to-video with realistic motion

Link: klingai.com

Kling complements Runway in video generation:

Image-to-video: I take a static image and convert it into a clip with natural movement.
Camera motion: generates tracking shots, zooms, and pans over still images.
Cinematic quality: for certain styles, Kling produces results superior to Runway.

I use it especially for social media content where I need an image to “come alive.”

9. HeyGen — Avatars and video translation

Link: heygen.com

HeyGen solves two specific problems:

Talking avatars: creating videos with a virtual presenter speaking a script. Useful for tutorials, product explanations, and content that doesn’t justify real video production.
Translation with lip-sync: taking a video in Spanish and generating an English version where lips move naturally with the new language.

For international client content and bilingual material, it’s invaluable.

10. Suno — Original AI music

Link: suno.com

Suno generates original music of professional quality:

Background music for videos: instead of using stock libraries with the same songs everyone uses, I generate unique tracks.
Jingles and audio branding: short pieces for client brands.
Social media content: thematic songs that work for reels and shorts.

Quality in 2026 is already indistinguishable from human-produced music in most genres.

11. CapCut — Video editing with AI features

Link: capcut.com

CapCut is where I assemble the final video product:

Auto subtitles: transcription and subtitling with custom styles.
Background and object removal: with one click.
Smart templates: that adapt to the content I import.
Fast editing: for reels, shorts, and social media content I need to produce at volume.

It’s the editor I use most because it combines speed with integrated AI features that save hours.

12. Opus Clip — Viral clips from long content

Link: opus.pro

Opus Clip takes a long video and extracts the best moments:

Talks and classes: I record a 60-minute talk and Opus gives me 8-12 potential clips for social media.
Podcasts and interviews: identifies the most impactful moments.
Virality score: rates each clip by its engagement potential.

For a speaker who regularly produces long-form content, it’s a brutal content multiplier.

13. Envato Elements — Smart stock and templates

Link: elements.envato.com

Envato Elements with its AI features:

AI images: stock image generation and editing.
Smart templates: presentations, videos, and graphics that adapt to the brand.
Semantic search: finds exactly what I need by describing the concept, not with exact keywords.

I use it as a complement when I need quick production assets.

14. Canva AI (Magic Studio) — Quick design

Link: canva.com

Canva with Magic Studio is my quick design tool:

Magic Eraser and Expand: editing images without Photoshop.
Design generation: creating social media posts in seconds with a prompt.
Quick presentations: when I need something visual in minutes, not hours.
Brand Kit with AI: maintains brand consistency automatically.

It doesn’t replace a designer for high-level work, but for 80% of daily visual content needs, it’s enough.

15. Gamma — AI presentations

Link: gamma.app

Gamma generates complete presentations from a prompt:

Proposal decks: I give it the project brief and it generates a first version with structure, visuals, and text.
Teaching materials: presentations for my courses at UPB and EIA.
Visual summaries: converting a long document into an executive presentation.

The result isn’t perfect, but as a starting point it saves 70% of creation time.

16. Beautiful.ai — Professional presentations for clients

Link: beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is where I polish presentations for clients:

Auto design: intelligently adjusts layout when adding content.
Business proposals: professional-looking without needing a designer.
Enterprise templates: I maintain brand templates that adapt to each project.

17. Google Slides + Gemini — For the Google ecosystem

Within Google Workspace, Gemini integrated into Slides is useful for:

Inline image generation: creating visuals directly within the presentation.
Content suggestions: expanding bullet points into full slides.
Collaboration: when working with client teams already in the Google ecosystem.

18. Clientify with AI — Smart CRM

Link: clientify.com

Clientify is the CRM where I manage leads with AI features:

Auto scoring: classifies leads based on behavior and interactions.
Follow-up suggestions: recommends when and how to contact each lead.
Integration with my bots: contacts arriving via WhatsApp are automatically registered with tags and context.

How I combine these tools in a real workflow

I don’t use each tool separately. I combine them in flows that multiply results:

Example: creating content for a client

Claude → strategy and main copy
Gemini (Imagen 3) or Canva AI → visuals
ElevenLabs → voiceover if it’s video
CapCut → final editing
Opus Clip → extract clips for social media

Example: launching an ad campaign

Claude Code → account analysis and restructuring
ChatGPT → copy variants and creatives
Canva AI → banner design
Claude Code → monitoring and optimization

Example: preparing a keynote

NotebookLM → research and organization
Gamma → first version of deck
Beautiful.ai → polished final version
Opus Clip → post-event clips for social media

What I’ve learned using AI every day

After more than two years using these tools intensively, here are my takeaways:

No single AI does everything. Each tool has a sweet spot. Trying to solve everything with ChatGPT or everything with Claude is like using a hammer for everything — it works, but not optimally.

Speed changed, not the quality of thinking. AI lets me execute 5x faster, but strategy, judgment, and client business knowledge remain human. AI amplifies what you already know.

The cost is ridiculous compared to the value. My entire stack costs less than a junior employee. It produces like a team of 5.

You have to update constantly. The tool that was best 3 months ago might not be today. Veo 3.1 didn’t exist 6 months ago and it already changed how I produce video.

Want to implement AI in your business?

If you’re looking to integrate these tools into your operation — not as experimentation but as real infrastructure — I can help as an AI consultant or bring this knowledge to your team as a keynote speaker on artificial intelligence.

You can also explore more about AI automation for businesses and how AI agents are transforming WhatsApp.