Choosing the right ai model for work: a practical guide to mixing tools for better results
ChatGPT has become the standard for AI models. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best one to use, but its accessibility has made it the most popular model. It’s become a household name, an association with AI as a whole rather than one of the many tools that are under the umbrella of AI. Although simply referring to ChatGPT may be helpful, business owners and marketers shouldn’t rely on a single AI model to help them complete their tasks.
AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, NotebookLM, and Perplexity, each have their own strengths and weaknesses that should be tailored to the specific tasks you want to complete. Doing so will help you establish more effective workflows and encourage experimentation across all AI platforms.
one ai model isn’t enough
Choosing one AI model to complete all of your tasks is like working with one hand tied behind your back. Each platform excels at something the others don’t. ChatGPT is great for general-purpose use cases, Claude for deep reading, data analysis, summarization, and creative writing, NotebookLM for project synthesis, Gemini for deep research plus Google Workspace productivity, and Perplexity for fast factual lookup and research assistance. It’s important to remember that if one AI model isn’t providing you with the desired outcome, you can take your prompt elsewhere and see what another model gives you.
framework for choosing ai models
There are a few key factors to consider when choosing your AI model: 1. The type of task you want to complete; 2. data format and size; 3. the desired tone. A good way to pin down which model to use is to prompt test them. Use the same prompt you have for any given task and put it in the AI models, then carefully look at the differences in their responses. Let’s say you prompt ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude to map out a presentation structure for an upcoming marketing campaign. The three models give you a thorough and helpful blueprint for your presentation, but Claude’s output uses a more friendly tone that you want to strike with your target audience. You should, of course, lean on Claude when working on similar tasks, and refer to the other LLMs when faced with tasks you’ve discovered they’re best suited for.
use cases
It’s easy to talk about AI models in broad strokes, but when it comes to actually using them, it can be difficult to judge where to start. Three common use cases are: 1. large-scale data analysis, 2. audience research, 3. deep research. Each offers unique ways to combine AI tools to create the best outcome.
USE CASE 1: LARGE-SCALE DATA ANALYSIS
Because of its native integration with the Google Cloud Ecosystem, Gemini is the best at handling large inputs. Claude, being particularly good at language and data analysis, can be used to interpret, for example, a PDF, while Gemini can be used to transform its summaries on the PDF into actionable insights.
USE CASE 2: AUDIENCE RESEARCH
Gemini, being part of the Google ecosystem, can be used to pull from a multitude of sources when conducting audience research. Gemini can be used for summarization in this specific instance, while Claude can be used to define strategic implications, using its exceptional language and understanding, low hallucination rate, and strong multi-step reasoning. Before doing so, Perplexity and/or ChatGPT can be used for preliminary gathering.
USE CASE 3: DEEP RESEARCH
Going back to Perplexity, the model does particularly well with quick factual lookups, whereas NotebookLM does a better job with reference-based deep dives, and offering unique ways of presenting information, like creating a full podcast episode in just a few minutes. ChatGPT is great for brainstorms and creating rough drafts, and Gemini should be used for source gathering. All of these models combined will create an incredibly detailed analysis on whatever it is you’re researching.
What we’re trying to emphasize here are the benefits of interoperability and iterative testing when deciding which models to use.
Investing in these AI tools requires time to test them, and, to get the most out of each model, you need the paid versions. If you already pay for Google Workspace, you have the paid Gemini version. As for other models, we pay for ChatGP and Claude—both are incredible. Try them, learn their strengths, experiment, and remind yourself of the importance of tool variety. There are so many resources at your disposal, make the most of them. For your next project, try using at least two AI models and compare the results.
