Which AI tools are there? Find out which AI to use when
By now you know that AI can help you write an email or a text for your website. Handy, but the real gains for you as an entrepreneur often lie in the applications you don't immediately think of. The solutions to those small, daily frustrations that quietly swallow hours of your time.
So forget the complicated software and the technical terms. We're not going through a boring list of brand names here. Instead, we look at 3 recognisable work situations and show you which surprisingly simple type of AI can help you save time right away and work smarter.
Situation 1: “What did we agree again?”
You've just had an important video meeting with a new customer or you're coming out of a long meeting. Your head is full and you've quickly scribbled a few keywords on a scrap of paper. You know important things were said, but you're afraid you'll forget key details or concrete agreements.
When do you use AI?
Straight after an important conversation, a sales call or a brainstorming session.
Which type of AI?
There are simple AI tools (such as Gemini). The tool not only turns the whole conversation into a written transcript, it then does something super handy: it creates a crystal-clear summary for you, complete with a clear list of all the agreements and action points. That way you never have to listen back to a whole conversation to know what you need to do.
Situation 2: “I have an idea, how do I turn it into a picture?”
You have a brilliant idea for a new flyer, a banner for your website or an eye-catching social media post. The problem is: it's in your head. Explaining it to a designer is often difficult and starting a whole design process is a big step. You just want to quickly see whether your idea works at all.
When do you use AI?
When you want to quickly and simply turn a visual idea into a first concept.
Which type of AI?
Nowadays you can describe to AI in plain, clear language what kind of image you want to see. For example, you type: “Make a cheerful image of a dog wearing a safety helmet on a scaffold, for an advert for our contracting company”. Within seconds the AI ‘draws’ a number of visual examples for you. This is perfect for testing your own ideas or for showing a professional designer exactly what you mean.
Situation 3: “I have a whole list of numbers, what am I actually looking at here?”
You're looking at an Excel sheet with last quarter's sales figures. Or you have a list of 200 answers from a customer survey. You know there's valuable information in there, but you don't have the time, inclination or technical knowledge to spend hours filtering, sorting and making charts to make sense of it.
When do you use AI?
When you want to gain insight from a list of data quickly and without technical knowledge.
Which type of AI?
Modern AI can help directly in programs like Excel or via other simple tools. Imagine being able to ask your spreadsheet: “Which 3 products sold the most in May?” or “Summarise the main complaints from this list in 5 points”, and getting a clear, understandable answer straight away. That way you make better decisions based on your own data, without having to be a data analyst yourself.
AI can do much more than write text
As you can see, AI is much more than a smart typewriter. It's your personal note-taker who remembers agreements, your creative sparring partner who brings your ideas to life and your data helper that helps you understand your own business better. The trick is not to know the names of all the tools, but to recognise your problem and know that there is probably a smart, simple AI solution for it. Curious which of these (or other) simple AI applications could save the most time and stress in your working day? Have a free BE Digital Scan carried out. We think along with you and give practical advice, without complicated fuss.