Why Try AI

Why Try AI is a Substack publication authored by Daniel Nest, designed to deliver hype-free, hands-on guidance about artificial intelligence for a non-technical audience. The newsletter aims to bridge the gap between complex AI developments and everyday users who want practical, actionable insights without marketing fluff or exaggerated claims. Each edition focuses on real-world testing, comparison, and step-by-step tutorials that enable readers to evaluate and adopt AI tools with confidence. The publication covers a broad spectrum of AI applications, with a strong emphasis on generative AI, image and video creation, voice cloning, coding assistance, and productivity tools. For example, one recent article tested and ranked 20 free AI image-to-video tools, rating them based on output quality, ease of use, speed, and feature set. Another tested 10 free AI voice cloning services, providing a detailed breakdown of which tool replicated the author’s voice most accurately and under what conditions. These articles are accompanied by transparent scoring rubrics, side-by-side comparisons, and honest assessments of each tool’s strengths and limitations. Why Try AI also offers curated collections, such as “My Go-To AI Tools,” where Daniel Nest shares his personal selection of reliable software for tasks like writing, design, research, and automation. For readers interested in coding, there are tutorials like “Claude Code for the Rest of Us,” which walks beginners through installing and using Claude Code for basic programming tasks, with clear commands and examples. The publication also includes a dedicated section for Midjourney prompts—specific text commands that generate high-quality AI images—along with tips for customizing styles, aspects, and lighting. Beyond written articles