The business of AI

Which AI model should you actually use?

How to choose an assistant for your business without reading a single benchmark chart.

6 min readPlain English

Read it in

In one sentence

For everyday work the big assistants are all capable, so pick by fit (your existing tools, your data settings, your budget) and let a test on your own tasks decide.

Think of it like…

Choosing an assistant is like choosing a van for the business. Any of the main makes will get you there; what decides it is what fits your loads, what your mechanic already knows and what it costs to run, not the top speed in the brochure.

How it works

Skip the leaderboards. Work through these five steps in order, and let your own tasks settle it.

1What you haveCheck what your email and office software already includes. An assistant built into tools you pay for may cover most everyday needs.
2Your tasksList your three most common jobs (emails, summaries, spreadsheets, reading photos or PDFs) and check each option handles them.
3Your dataChoose a plan whose settings fit what you’ll paste: control over training, retention you can set and an admin for the team.
4Your costsA monthly fee per person is predictable; per-use pricing suits automations that run in the background. Know which one you’re signing up for.
5Your testGive two options the same five real tasks and keep the one whose drafts you change least.

Recheck once or twice a year. The differences between the big assistants shift with each release, and your needs change too.

Good at

Everyday writing, summarizing and rewording
Working with documents, spreadsheets and images you give them
Explaining, brainstorming and planning

Bad at

Knowing your business unless you tell them
Exact facts from memory, especially recent ones
Staying the same: behavior shifts when models update

Where you’ll see it at work

An office already on one suite. An accounting practice checks what its current office plan includes before buying anything, then tests the built-in assistant on a week of real tasks.
Product copy at an online shop. The marketer gives two assistants the same five products and keeps the one whose drafts need fewer edits.
A booking automation that runs all day. A plumbing firm uses a small, cheaper model on per-use pricing, because it only sorts short, simple messages.

Myth vs reality

Myth: “The model at the top of the leaderboard is the best one for us.”

Reality: Leaderboards test puzzles and exams, not your emails and quotes. The best choice is the one that does your tasks well, fits your data rules and budget, and your team will actually use.