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I'm often asked what tools power our work. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the ones that keep PCDN moving every day. While we're always testing new options, these tools bring a lot of joy to our workflow, helping us streamline tasks and freeing up time to focus on creating real change.

Using the affiliate links (marked with *) supports PCDN's work while leveling up your own.

🤖 Perplexity: Our go-to AI tool for research, analysis, and synthesis. Whether I'm diving deep into impact trends, analyzing policy documents, or synthesizing complex information, Perplexity consistently delivers. We also use ChatGPT for various tasks and are intrigued by emerging capabilities in the AI space.

🧠 Gemini: Google's AI assistant with growing potential. While earlier versions had limitations, Gemini 3.0 is showing promise for creative and analytical tasks.

🎨 Gamma*: Helps you save tons of time while creating stunning presentations, documents, and websites.

📬 beehiiv*: The world's best platform for newsletters, designed for both creators and subscribers. Makes it easy to build and engage your audience, with robust analytics and powerful growth tools—and they're building at an amazing speed.

✍️ Lex*: The word processor we all want for the 21st century. Lex helps you write with flow and consistency, making your content sharper and more impactful. It is mind-blowing!

CastMagic*: Turn 1 Media File Into 100 Content Assets. Automate all the tedious work that comes with editing & copywriting. We use it for our podcast, videos, and so much more. It is amazing!

🎥 Minvo*: The AI-powered video marketing platform for producing high-quality video & text content for social media and SEO. We use this for our podcasts and other video content.

📹 Wave.video*: A comprehensive platform for creating, editing, and live-streaming video content. It's a must-have for producing professional video work. We use it for our podcast livestreams and much more.

🔍 Afforai*: For researchers, analysts, and policymakers, Afforai makes managing research, citations, and document analysis simple and efficient.

💻 AppSumo*: A great place to find software deals for impact-focused work. Many of the tools we use were discovered here, and they offer great prices and lifetime deals.

🔎 Product Hunt: Stay on top of the latest product launches and emerging tools. Product Hunt is where we discover tomorrow's game-changers before they hit mainstream adoption.

🚀 Future Tools: A curated directory of AI and productivity tools. Future Tools is an incredible resource for staying ahead of the curve and finding niche solutions tailored to specific workflows.

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 1,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

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😄 Joke of the Day
Why did the AI startup founder bring a parachute to the investor meeting?
They heard the hype was falling! 🪂

📰 News

404 Media Exposes Phone Farm Flooding TikTok with AI-Generated Influencers
A hack revealed Doublespeed, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup, operates a 1,100-phone farm managing hundreds of AI-generated social media accounts promoting products on TikTok, often without required advertisement disclosures—highlighting growing concerns about AI-generated content and platform authenticity as users increasingly struggle to distinguish human from automated content.

Trump Signs Executive Order Blocking States from Regulating AI
President Trump signed an executive order on December 11 creating a federal "AI Litigation Task Force" whose sole responsibility is challenging state AI laws, targeting regulations like California's safety disclosure requirements and Colorado's algorithmic bias protections—drawing criticism from state officials and civil rights organizations who argue it concentrates power in Silicon Valley firms.

MIT Technology Review: The Great AI Hype Correction of 2025
An MIT study found 95% of businesses attempting formal AI pilots reported finding no value after months of experimentation, while a separate Upwork study revealed AI agents from leading companies struggled with straightforward workplace tasks independently—suggesting AI requires more time to learn meaningful applications and performs best alongside knowledgeable individuals rather than replacing expert workers.

Wired: AWS CEO Says Replacing Coders with AI Is "A Nonstarter"
Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman told Wired on December 16 that substituting programmers with AI is "a nonstarter for anyone aiming to establish a sustainable company," emphasizing AWS's vision of AI integrated into every business operation through tools like Nova Forge that incorporate enterprise data into frontier model training, rather than standalone AI replacement.

💼 Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Climatebase - The leading climate tech job board connecting talented professionals with organizations tackling the climate crisis, featuring opportunities across renewable energy, carbon removal, sustainable agriculture, climate fintech, and environmental justice initiatives at startups, scaleups, and mission-driven enterprises worldwide.

👤 LinkedIn Profile to Follow

Alberto Cerda Silva - Impact entrepreneur and social innovator sharing insights on scaling social enterprises, building sustainable business models for social good, and navigating the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and systemic change across Latin America and beyond.

🎧 Today's Podcast Pick

What Now? with Trevor Noah - "Why AI Won't Destroy Us with Microsoft's Brad Smith"
Trevor Noah sits down with Microsoft President Brad Smith to discuss the promises and perils of artificial intelligence, why he believes AI won't destroy humanity, how Microsoft is approaching responsible AI development, and what guardrails are necessary as AI becomes more powerful—offering a tech leader's perspective on building AI that serves society rather than threatens it.

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