AI Tools Digest — Week of August 3, 2026

Here’s what changed this week in AI tools: pricing shifts, new features, and platform updates worth knowing about if you use AI in your marketing or content workflow.

OpenAI: GPT-5.6 API Prices Cut Up to 80%

OpenAI slashed API pricing on July 30, with the lightweight GPT-5.6 Luna model dropping 80% to $0.20 per million input tokens and the balanced Terra model falling 20%. If you run content generation, chatbots, or bulk copy through the API, your per-project costs just dropped significantly.

Source: Releasebot

HeyGen: Avatar Videos Now Built Directly Into Canva

The new HeyGen and Canva integration lets you add an AI avatar, type a script, and generate a talking video without leaving your Canva design. If you build social or ad creative in Canva, you can now produce spokesperson videos in the same workflow instead of exporting between tools.

Source: HeyGen

ElevenLabs: Realtime Keyterms and Filler-Word Removal for Scribe

ElevenLabs added a keyterms parameter that biases realtime transcription toward specific words, plus a verbatim mode that strips filler words and false starts. If you rely on ElevenLabs to caption videos or transcribe interviews, brand names and jargon now come through cleaner with less manual editing.

Source: Releasebot

Canva: Code 2.0 Brings AI Website Building to Free Accounts

Canva launched Code 2.0, letting anyone build websites and interactive apps from a text prompt, and it is available even on free plans. If you need a quick landing page or interactive asset for a campaign, you can now prototype one inside Canva without a developer.

Source: VentureBeat

Runway: Negative Prompts Added to Veo Video Generation

Runway now supports negative prompts on its Veo3 and Veo3.1 text-to-video and image-to-video models, so you can specify what should not appear in a clip. If you generate video ads or B-roll, this gives you tighter control over output and fewer wasted regenerations.

Source: Releasebot

Surfer SEO: Looker Studio Export and AI Humanizer Now Standard

Surfer added a Looker Studio export for AI visibility reporting and an AI Humanizer that rewrites machine-sounding drafts. If you report SEO results to clients or want content that reads naturally, both tools are now built into your existing plan.

Source: Surfer SEO

Google: AI Plus Price Cut to $4.99 With Double the Storage

Google dropped its AI Plus plan from $7.99 to $4.99 per month and doubled included storage to 400GB. If you use Gemini for research, drafting, or image work, the entry tier is now a cheaper way to get expanded AI access and storage in one bundle.

Source: Toolchase

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