The author advocates for a diverse toolkit of AI applications rather than relying on a single dominant model. This approach mirrors their background in print design, where specific tasks required distinct software. The key skill is understanding which AI tool best suits a particular job, acknowledging that each tool is designed for specific intents and user profiles. The author shares their personal AI stack, driven by a preference for user-friendly interfaces over command-line tools.For reading and summarizing, NotebookLM is favored for its ability to ground answers in provided documents, creating a constrained language model focused solely on the input data. For writing and editing, Claude is the preferred tool, especially when provided with reusable prompts that define the author's voice and structure, allowing for efficient repurposing across platforms. Claude Code is used to create reusable "skills" in a structured format (CARE) to standardize recurring tasks.When preparing build instructions, Claude is used to consolidate and clarify specifications across multiple documents, ensuring coherence before development begins. For building applications, Claude Code and Cursor are used interchangeably, with a focus on describing system rules rather than creating traditional mockups. Claude Design is utilized for creating presentations, prioritizing the underlying argument and structure over manual layout. Finally, Gemini Nano Banana is used for image generation, with prompts treated as art director briefs to ensure accurate and legible results, emphasizing thinking in one tool and executing in another.