Tools#

You can make tools available to the AI to help it handle your request. For example, it can browse the internet, use a calculator, or create charts.

Selecting tools#

In workflows and assistants, you can choose which tools the AI is allowed to use.

Only use the tools that are necessary for the current task. Too many tools increase token usage and can overwhelm the language model with too much information.

For example, if an uploaded PDF document contains a lot of internet links, the AI might decide to visit them. You can prevent this by disabling the “Browse websites” tool.

With the Automatically detect tools switch, you leave tool selection up to the AI. Here is how it works: a first language model looks at your prompt, decides which tools make sense, and activates them. Then your request is processed with the language model you selected.

If you turn off Automatically detect tools, you have full control over the tools. In that case, the AI will only use the tools you selected manually. It is important to make sure that the tools you want to use are actually enabled.

Tip

Have the AI explain all tools to you

Enable all tools and ask the AI to explain them to you:

“Create a table listing the tools you can use. Describe what each one can be used for.”

Browse websites#

../_images/cute_robot_watching_the_internet1.png

Use up-to-date information from the internet to solve tasks. Ask the AI to go online.

The language model has access to the web and can open websites. To do this, simply enter the website URL in the prompt. The model will visit the website and use the text it finds there. It cannot interpret images or videos.

Please note that the model can only visit public websites and cannot enter passwords or other private information. It is also possible that the model may not interpret every website correctly. In that case, you can try making the information in your prompt more specific or use a different website.

../_images/prompt_assistant_5_websites.jpg

Also note that large websites can consume a lot of tokens, which increases costs.

Searching the internet#

The AI-Tools are a powerful research tool, giving you several ways to find information on the internet. You can use the search tools individually or combine them for in-depth research.

The search tools include Google AI Search, Perplexity, GPT Search, and Anthropic Search, for example.

  • Google AI Search: Uses Google’s large search index. If you use one of the Gemini language models, this search is preferred.

    You can also explicitly request Google AI Search in the prompt and use it with other language models. To do this, write “Use Google AI Search to find information about …” or “Ask Google about …” in your prompt.

    Note: Google AI Search requires your own Google account. Alternatively, you can use token credit if your organization does not have its own account.

  • GPT Search: This is OpenAI’s search engine. You can use GPT Search with all language models in the AI-Tools.

  • Perplexity: A language model and search engine in one. Perplexity cannot use any tools other than search, but it delivers very good results. Perplexity is available in the AI-Tools as a standalone language model.

  • Anthropic Search: This is the search engine from Anthropic, the maker of Claude. You can use Anthropic Search with all Claude models in the AI-Tools.

Google Maps#

Your local research just got even easier. Whether you are researching potential advertising clients, looking for event venues, or trying to find experts for your feature, the AI searches Google Maps for you and delivers all relevant information at once:

  • Comprehensive location lists with all relevant businesses and venues

  • Direct links to Google Maps for every location found

  • Ratings and reviews for quick quality assessment

  • Opening hours - so you know when you can call

  • Contact information and additional details

  • Geographic filtering by radius or city area

Important to know: Route planning is not possible. The tool focuses on research and information gathering.

Start your prompt with:

“Ask Google Maps for …” or “Use Google Maps to find …”

The AI automatically recognizes that you want to use the Google Maps tool, performs the search, and prepares the results clearly for you. Try the prompts from the following real-world examples:

Sales#

Prospecting for industry campaigns

Ask Google Maps for all car dealerships within a 50 km radius of Kassel.
Create a list with names, ratings, and contact details.

Restaurant advertising

Use Google Maps to find all restaurants in downtown Hamburg with
at least 4 stars. I need an overview for our restaurant campaign.

Local retailers

Ask Google Maps for fashion stores in Münster. Show me ratings,
opening hours, and Google Maps links for prospecting.

Specialized service providers

Use Google Maps to find all gyms in the Stuttgart area. I need
a list with ratings for our fitness advertising campaign.

Editorial#

Expert research

Ask Google Maps for pediatricians in Freiburg with good ratings.
We are preparing a feature on pediatric medicine.

Location scouting for features

Use Google Maps to find unusual cafés and cultural venues in Leipzig-
Plagwitz for our neighborhood feature.

Event coverage

Ask Google Maps for event venues and event locations in Bremen.
We are planning a series on the local event scene.

Finding interview partners

Ask Google Maps for employment lawyers in Frankfurt.
We are looking for experts for an interview on labor law reform.

Marketing & Events#

Venue search

Use Google Maps to find suitable event venues for 500-1000 people
in the Hanover area. Show me ratings and contact details.

Catering research

Ask Google Maps for catering services in Nuremberg with at least
4.5 stars for our radio festival.

Hotel accommodation

Use Google Maps to find hotels near Munich Airport for our
international artists. Show ratings and price categories.

Technical service providers

Ask Google Maps for event technology companies and live sound
service providers in Dresden for our open-air event.

Infrastructure check

Use Google Maps to find large parking lots and parking garages within
2 km of [event venue] for our visitor planning.

Tips for the best results#

  • Be precise: The more accurately you specify your search radius and category, the more relevant the results will be.

  • Use filters: Ratings, opening hours, or specific attributes can be requested directly in the prompt.

  • Combine requests: You can combine several searches in one prompt, for example “Hotels AND restaurants near …”.

  • Further processing: Ask the AI to prepare the results directly as a table, list, or Excel file.

  • Geographic details: Use city names, postal codes, or radius-based details (for example, “within a 30 km radius of …”).

Advanced queries#

You can also have the results processed further right away:

Ask Google Maps for all bakeries in Heidelberg. Create an Excel
spreadsheet for me with name, address, rating, opening hours, and
Google Maps link, sorted by rating.

The AI will not only perform the search, but also create the Excel file you want - ready for your next steps.

Note: Google Maps requires your own Google account. Alternatively, you can use token credit if your organization does not have its own account.

DPA Archive#

With the DPA Archive tool, you get direct access to the extensive archive of Deutsche Presse-Agentur - one of the most reliable sources of verified news information in the German-speaking world. Perfect for quick research, fact-checking, and enriching your articles with verified information.

How it works#

Simply start your search with the command “Ask the DPA Archive about …” in your prompt. A specialized AI agent searches the DPA Archive for you and provides:

  • A concise summary of all results found

  • A list of links to the original DPA articles for reading and citing

You can process the results further right away, combine them, or use them as the basis for your own texts.

Real-world use cases#

Quick fact-checking

Need to verify a piece of information? Ask directly:

Ask the DPA Archive for the current population of Berlin
and when this figure was last updated.

Or:

Ask the DPA Archive for the exact date of the last
federal election and the official final result.

Background research for articles

Quickly gather background information for your article:

Ask the DPA Archive for the most important events related to
"Germany's energy transition" over the last 6 months. Create
a chronological summary for me including dates.

Finding quotes

Ask the DPA Archive for quotes by Chancellor Merz
on climate policy from the last 3 months. Create a
list with quote, date, and context.

Topic research for features

Ask the DPA Archive for reports on the shortage of skilled workers
in healthcare. Summarize the most important figures, facts, and
developments.

Creating a chronology

Especially useful for background pieces:

Ask the DPA Archive for all important developments in the case of
the Ahr Valley flood since 2021. Create a timeline with the
most important events and decisions.

Creating a Q&A article

Ask the DPA Archive for information on the EU AI Act.
Use it to create a Q&A article with 8 important questions and
answers for our readers.

Research on people and companies

For sales and event departments:

Ask the DPA Archive for current reports on the company
Siemens Energy from the last 12 months. Create a summary
of the most important developments and strategic decisions.

Comparative analyses

Ask the DPA Archive for coverage of electric mobility
in 2024 and 2025. How have the main topic areas changed?
Create a comparative analysis.

Regional research

Especially useful for local editorial teams:

Ask the DPA Archive for all reports about Hamburg from the
last 14 days. Filter them by politics, business, and culture.

Using it in AI workflows#

The DPA Archive can also be integrated into automated workflows. This allows you to build multi-step research and writing processes in which the AI first searches the DPA Archive, analyzes the results, and then creates a finished article - fully automated!

Tips for better results#

  • Be specific: The more precise your search query, the more relevant the results

  • Specify time periods: “in the last 3 months”, “since 2023”, “in the last week”

  • Combine with tasks: Have the information found summarized, structured,or converted into other formats right away

  • Source references: The links to the original DPA reports make it possible to cite correctly and verify the information

Note: Access to the DPA Archive requires an appropriate subscription with Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

RSS feed#

What is it?

Many websites also provide their latest updates in a machine-readable format known as an RSS feed or XML feed. The format is also common for podcasts, where it is used to inform podcast apps about the latest episodes.

Some fields in the feed are predefined. For example:

  • title: the title of the item

  • description: short summary

  • pubDate: publication date and time

Why is this useful?

When the AI retrieves a feed, it can have the feed filtered. For example: Retrieve the 10 most recent items from the last 10 hours. The feed reader in the AI-Tools then reads the entire feed with all items, but only passes on the items that match the criterion to the AI. This means the language model only receives relevant information.

What are the benefits?

Retrieving a feed is much faster than reading an entire webpage, and it uses significantly fewer tokens. Depending on the task, token usage and processing time are reduced by a factor of 2 to 3.

Tip

Try this prompt:

Retrieve the two latest items from the Tagesschau RSS feed. Display the items with images like in a newspaper, including the publication time.

The RSS feed function is part of the Browse websites tool.

Calculator#

Language models are not good at calculations. But they can use the calculator. The AI-Tools include a very powerful scientific calculator with the following functions:

Arccosine, hyperbolic arccosine, arcsine, hyperbolic arcsine, arctangent, two-argument arctangent, hyperbolic arctangent, rounding up, cosine, hyperbolic cosine, degrees, distance, Euler’s number, exponential function, rounding down, gamma function, hypotenuse, logarithm, base-10 logarithm, integer and fractional part, pi (π), power, product, radians,modulo, sine, hyperbolic sine, square root, sum, tangent, hyperbolic tangent, roots, rounding, absolute value, minimum, maximum.

Counting words and characters in a text and determining the estimated reading time based on a speaking speed in words per minute (WPM).

Thought memory#

This tool is a real performance booster. It gives the AI a kind of notebook where it can write down information, thoughts, and plans without including them in the output. This is especially helpful for more complex tasks such as retrieving data, analyzing it, creating charts, evaluating results, making recommendations, and turning everything into a report.

Here, we asked Claude 3.7 Sonnet to write into the thought memory what it would like to use the function for. You can view the contents of the thought memory by clicking the “Show thought memory” link.

Tip

Always enable thought memory.

This makes models with reasoning capabilities especially even more powerful, such as GPT-5.2 or Claude 4.6 Sonnet.

Generate images#

You can have the AI generate images with the FLUX, Gemini, and GPT Image image generators. If you do not specify otherwise, the image will be created with the FLUX generator.

You can also specify in the prompt that the image should be generated with GPT Image or Gemini. You can also say whether you want the image in portrait, landscape, or square format.

In prompts and assistants, you can use these image generators: Gemini (Nano Banana), GPT Image, FLUX, and FLUX Small.

Example: “Retrieve the weather report for Bavaria and summarize it in three sentences. Generate an image that matches the weather and Bavaria and display it above the weather report.”

Generate charts#

With the Generate charts tool, you enable the AI to create simple charts. The following chart types are currently available: line chart,**bar chart**, pie chart, and donut chart.

You can also use multiple tools. The language model calculated the percentages for the following donut chart using the calculator.

Tip

What you can do with it:

  • Analyze Excel spreadsheets and visualize KPIs.

  • Display statistics from a table in a chart.

  • Retrieve data from a website and display it as a chart.

  • Create reports and send them as PDFs.

Transcribe#

With this tool, the AI can convert audio files into text.

In most cases, you will transcribe audio files directly by opening them in the Transcription section and clicking the transcription button there.

If you drag and drop audio files into the browser or open them with the Select files button, they will not be transcribed. If the AI still needs the transcript, it can use the Transcribe tool.

Create files#

You can ask the language model to write the output directly into a file that you can download. The AI-Tools can create the following file types: Word (docx), PDF (pdf), Excel (xlsx), and CSV (csv).

In addition, it can create plain text files with these extensions: bat, c, conf, config, cpp, css, dockerfile, env, h, html, ini, java, js, json, log, md, php, pl, properties, ps1, py, rb, service, sh, sql, swift, toml, ts, txt, xml, yml.

Tip

Try this prompt:

Write an advertising spot for Autohaus Max, which is celebrating its summer festival this weekend. The spot should be 30 seconds long. Speaking speed: 130 words per minute. Write the finished text into a Word file.

Programming websites#

Websites are nothing more than text files with the .html extension. The AI-Tools can create websites for you by generating the HTML code.

Tip

Try this prompt:

You are a web developer known for your modern and colorful layouts. Create the webpage for a world clock. The page should display three clocks with analog dials: New York, Rio, Bad Vilbel. Write the complete code into the file “clock.html” for download.

Choose a powerful model for generation, such as GPT-4.1.

AI voices#

The AI-Tools can convert text into speech using various AI voices. You can use voices from Microsoft, ElevenLabs, and Google.

The AI voices can be used for a variety of tasks, such as podcasts, audio dramas, or reading out weather reports, news, and traffic updates.

You can also use the voices for advertising spots, jingles, or other audio content, and have the voices automatically mixed with music. And all of that works simply by prompt. You tell the AI what to do, and it generates the voices and mixes them with music.

Here is an example prompt:

Retrieve the weather for our area in Hesse and write it in about 40 words in a radio-presenter style. Produce the text with a male AI voice.

You can also ask for voice recommendations for a specific use case. Try this prompt:

I want to produce an advertising spot for a cheerful family festival and I am looking for one female and one male voice. Which ones sound especially young?

Then ask for a suitable music bed as well:

And which music beds would you recommend for that?

Here is another prompt idea for AI voices:

Tip

Have extensive information on a topic produced as a podcast

Visit the following website and turn the information into an informative dialogue with two AI voices in a relaxed podcast style: https://www.radio-creator.com/content.html

Voice Changer#

You can change any voice with the Voice Changer. Your voice controls the AI voice, giving you full control over timing, emphasis, and emotions.

You can find the Voice Changer in the AI voices module.

However, you can also use the Voice Changer as a standalone tool in prompts.

Tip

Try out the Voice Changer:

  • Use the voice recording function to record a text in your own voice. Speak loudly and clearly.

  • Ask the AI to change your voice. For example:

Change my voice so that it sounds like the voice of a news presenter.

Audio production#

With this toolbox, the AI can help you produce audio content.

You have already seen mixing speech and music in the AI voices section.

With Combine audio, you can merge multiple audio files into a single file. Upload the audio files and arrange them in the correct order using drag and drop.

You can insert pauses between the audio files. For audio processing, you have a compressor, a time-stretch function, and a normalizer available.

For example, you can create an ad break from several individual spots and adjust it to the desired length. You can also choose which file format (WAV or MP3) you want for the audio file.

After a short moment, the ad break is ready. It contains the three individual spots you uploaded in the order you specified.

Analyze audio files. The audio tools determine length, format, sample rate, channels, file size, peak amplitude, RMS level, dynamic range, loudness (LUFS), and crest factor. This allows you to assess audio quality.

Tip

Try these prompts:

  • Normalize the audio file to -10 dB and export it as WAV.

  • Combine the three audio files into a single file. Insert a 0.5-second pause between the individual files and compress the audio.

  • Stretch the audio file to a length of 30 seconds. Compress it and export it as MP3.

  • How long is the audio file and what does it contain?

  • Analyze the advertising spot technically and editorially. Write a comprehensive report.

  • Make the audio 5% faster.

  • Merge the two audio files and normalize them individually.

  • Combine the audio files and then normalize the entire audio to -9 dB.

Audio Enhancer#

Podcasts, interviews, surveys, features, or other voice recordings sometimes suffer from background noise or room reverb. Background music or street noise may have been unavoidable during the recording.

This is where the Audio Enhancer in the AI-Tools helps you. It can remove unwanted noise, improve speech intelligibility, and optimize the sound. The tool cannot work miracles, but it often delivers impressive results.

It is very easy to use:

  • Upload the audio file or drag and drop it into the browser.

  • Give the AI the command: Improve the voice recording.

Audio examples

  1. Typical interview at an event with a lot of background noise.

  2. Advertising spot with very loud music in the background.

Analyze websites with Matomo#

The AI can retrieve, analyze, and visualize your Matomo data. Instead of clicking through Matomo yourself and interpreting data, you can simply ask the AI questions such as: “Which articles performed best last week?” or “Show me how our homepage developed over the last month.”

The AI understands your questions, retrieves the appropriate data, and presents it clearly with charts and summaries.

The analysis options are so extensive that we have dedicated a separate chapter to them: Analyzing website data with Matomo.

Website & web radio report#

The AI-Tools can access website analytics data (OnLineTools) and web radio sessions (onRtools). This allows you to retrieve performance data quickly and create reports.

Enable these tools for that:

  • Calculator

  • Thought memory

  • Generate charts

  • Website report

  • Web radio report

Example requests:

  • Present FFH’s most successful push notifications from the past week in a table.

  • Show the FFH Simulcast session trend from last Sunday in a bar chart from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

../_images/sessions_barchart.png

The AI can retrieve the following information:

Website report#

  • KPI: visitors, visits, total page views, article page views, push notification page views, video starts.

  • Views by site section, comparison with the previous period and the previous year.

  • Articles, push notifications, videos.

  • Time series (day, week, month, quarter): visits, pages, pages via search engines, articles, push notifications sent, push notifications opened.

Web radio report#

  • Analyses for individual channels or combined across multiple channels.

  • KPI: sessions, listening hours, average listening duration, share of logged-in listeners.

  • Tables: sources, platforms, gender, age groups, regions.

  • Time series (hour, day, week, month, quarter): sessions, listening hours, average listening duration.

Public holidays#

For some tasks, it is important to know the public holidays. For example,when planning campaigns or events, creating editorial schedules, or putting statistics into context during analysis. The AI can look up public holidays for all German federal states.

Usage statistics#

Retrieve your token usage, your current balance, and your image generator usage. Or create usage statistics for your organization.

Only you can see your own usage - no one else can. Organization-wide usage is visible to everyone.

Tip

Try this prompt:

What has my AI-Tools usage been like this year? Show my token usage and image generator usage in charts. Also show which models I have used.

Weather#

The AI can retrieve the current weather report for today and the next few days, including weather warnings. The report is available for many German federal states and regions. The source is the German Weather Service (DWD).

In addition to the weather, you can also get the pollen forecast for today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow.

Tip

Try these prompts:

  • What will the weather be like in Berlin?

  • List all regions in Germany for which I can retrieve the weather report.

  • What is the pollen forecast for Hesse?

  • What weather features are available?

Upgrade: Have weather reports created for any region. Regional Weather is an add-on feature that can be booked in addition to the AI-Tools.

Horoscopes#

The AI can provide daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly horoscopes for different zodiac signs. You can specify the date for which you want the horoscope. For the wording, you can choose between informal singular, formal singular, or informal plural address. Specify the German federal state for which the horoscope should be created so regional public holidays can be taken into account.

Example: “What does the horoscope say for the zodiac sign Leo this week?”

Create assistants#

With this tool, the AI has access to assistants. It can use it to create new assistants, edit existing ones, or use assistants from the marketplace as templates.

In the marketplace, you can find the Assistant Creator assistant, which uses this tool.

Take a look at what you can do with it: Assistant Creator.