Which AI tool for which task?

New AI tools appear every month. Choosing doesn't have to be complicated, though. For most small businesses, it comes down to five kinds of tool. Start with the task, not the tool.

1. General-purpose assistants

ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are all-rounders. They write, summarise, translate, help you think and read documents. For most office work, one of them is enough. The differences lie in writing style, how they handle long documents and their extra features. These change quickly, so test them on your own work rather than relying on rankings.

2. AI inside your office software

If you work in Microsoft 365, Copilot is built into Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams. If you use Google Workspace, Gemini sits in Gmail, Docs and Sheets. The upside: the AI works where your documents already are. The downside: what you can do depends on your plan and licences.

3. Search with sources

For current matters such as regulations, grants or market information, use a tool that searches the web and shows its sources. Most general-purpose assistants can now do this. Always open the sources yourself and check that they apply to Belgium.

4. Voice and meetings

Transcription tools and the recording features in Teams, Google Meet or Zoom produce meeting notes. Always ask participants for permission and check where recordings and notes are stored.

5. Images and design

For social media visuals or presentations, there are image generators and design tools with AI built in. Watch out for trademarks, other people's logos and recognisable individuals.

Three questions before you choose

1. Where are your documents and emails today? Microsoft, Google or somewhere else. That often points to the obvious built-in option.
2. Will you be working with business data? Then you'll usually need a business plan, so your conversations aren't used to train models and you control the accounts.
3. Does the tool work well in your customers' languages? Test it in Dutch and in French, with a real customer email.

Start with one

A common mistake is trying five tools at once. Choose one general-purpose assistant for the whole team, agree how it will be used and build up experience. After a few months you'll know far better which additional tool genuinely adds value and which is just another subscription.

Pause and reflect

Prompt to copy