Embrace AI For Growth
Nearly 89% of organisations believe AI will help them drive revenue, streamline operations, and enhance customer experiences, according to Frost & Sullivan’s “Global State of AI, 2024” report. Businesses report benefits when implementing AI tools that align with their goals and resources. AI makes it easier to see measurable results by automating repetitive tasks, uncovering hidden patterns in data, or personalising customer interactions.
Researchers at the University of San Diego project the global AI market will expand from roughly €574.68 billion in 2024 to an eye-opening €2.53 trillion by 2032 (University of San Diego).
With so much potential, AI is no longer reserved for tech giants. From marketing to finance, and from customer support to internal operations, businesses find practical solutions that automate tasks and free teams up for strategic thinking. In fact, a 2025 Microsoft survey revealed that three out of four B2B sellers who used AI exceeded their quotas, highlighting how AI can give businesses a competitive advantage (Microsoft).
Below, is a list of leading AI tools. Each entry explains what the tool does, how businesses use it, and potential applications. For an even broader view of how AI weaves into daily operations, take a look at AI in business.
Top AI Tools
1. ChatGPT: Brainstorm With Speed
For businesses needing a virtual assistant that can ideate, summarise research, or even write first drafts, ChatGPT is a popular choice. It excels in tasks like coding suggestions, foreign-language translation, and quick data analysis. The current version, known informally as “4o,” introduces faster performance and multimodal capabilities, so you can feed it text and, in some cases, images for context.
- Offers personalised, conversational responses , making it feel like a true collaborator.
- Simplifies research-heavy tasks by extracting key information from lengthy documents.
- Ideal for collecting new ideas on marketing campaigns or generating test scripts for software QA.
ChatGPT effortlessly takes on multiple roles, from AI chatbots that answer customer queries to drafting marketing materials. Human oversight remains important for final outputs, particularly for nuanced topics. Still, this tool can slash the hours spent on repetitive tasks and free up time to focus on creative or strategic decisions.
2. Claude: Refine Your Code
Claude uses the Sonnet 3.5 model and aims to be a coding ally. It comes with a friendly text interface, making it easy to ask for help examining bugs, refining code style, or verifying that code functions run smoothly. Businesses that need a steady flow of quick-scan code reviews say this tool helps reduce errors and speeds up new feature rollouts.
- Its warmth in conversation is notable: Claude asks clarifying questions if it spots ambiguities.
- It handles a variety of programming tasks, from debugging data structures to offering best practices for concurrency.
- Particularly good at pointing out subtle mistakes, helping businesses develop robust, maintainable code.
Teams working with frequent code merges or seeking an AI personal assistant for developers, Claude might be valuable. Teams dealing with frequent code merges or seeking AI assistance for developers often find Claude suitable for their needs.
3. Gemini: Quick Idea Generation
Created by Google, Gemini blends seamlessly with Gmail, Google Docs, and other core Google services. It excels with creative prompts or quick overviews: summarise an article, draft an email, brainstorm logos, you name it. Gemini’s image capabilities stand out. It can offer design suggestions or quick tweaks.
- Perfect for short and medium-length writing tasks, like internal memos or concept outlines.
- Syncs smoothly with Google workspace, so you can input data from Drive or Sheets in one place.
- Comes with an intuitive interface that encourages rapid brainstorming sessions.
Gemini struggles with advanced technical tasks, and it might lose context in very lengthy conversations. Teams operating in Google-based ecosystems often report time savings on everyday tasks and enhanced creative inspiration.
4. DeepSeek: Search With Depth
DeepSeek is an emerging AI tool that specialises in searching across large, fragmented datasets. Its new R1 model has carved a reputation for sticking with the prompts given until all the information has been given to the user.
- Particularly adept at connecting the dots between data sources, e.g. bridging a CRM tool and a marketing analytics suite.
- Free versions of V3 and the R1 model are available on the official site, lowering the barrier to entry.
- Effective at summarising complex findings, making search results scannable.
Businesses with heavy research requirements or data unification needs across multiple departments often find DeepSeek suitable For more advanced ways to mine data for business decisions, consider exploring AI in business analytics.
5. Synthesia: High-Quality Videos
Synthesia is a leader in AI-generated video content. Users provide text, scripts, or even basic storyboards, and the software turns them into professional-grade videos. There’s no need to film footage or record audio, so it lowers the cost and the complexity of producing training modules, product demos, and marketing content.
- Effortlessly creates polished training videos for onboarding staff.
- Generates presentation assets for product launches or corporate announcements.
- Matches branding via custom avatars or backgrounds, depending on the subscription.
Companies that aim to scale their video outreach without a dedicated audiovisual team can see immediate returns in saved production effort. Synthesia can handle creating product demos to prospective clients or compliance briefings for remote staff, Synthesia handles the heavy-lifting. However, thorough review of final outputs remains important to ensure brand alignment.
6. ThoughtSpot: Ask Data Directly
ThoughtSpot is an AI-powered analytics platform that encourages users to ask questions in plain English. Rather than navigating complicated dashboards, it accepts queries like “What are my top-performing products by region this month?” The platform retrieves insights in real time, and its AI Analyst, Spotter, can highlight interesting patterns.
- Uses AI to sift through massive data sets, giving answers in seconds.
- Connects to major cloud platforms, CRMs, and other business apps.
- Offers AI-assisted data prep, to clean and structure datasets easily.
Organisations seeking advanced analytics with user-friendly interfaces often considerThoughtSpot. For extra tips on harnessing AI-based dashboards, see AI in business intelligence.
7. Tableau: Turn Data Into Insights
Now owned by Salesforce, Tableau focuses on data exploration through dynamic dashboards and advanced visualisations. While it lacks natural-language queries out-of-the-box, it compensates with an active community that shares templates and best practices for custom data analysis.
- Build interactive dashboards for a deeper look at key metrics.
- Integrates well with a wide variety of databases, from MySQL to cloud data warehouses.
- Supports real-time data updates, to allow users to monitor fluctuations as they happen.
Tableau suits mid-sized to large enterprises with a dedicated team of analysts. For a full marketing overview using AI, explore AI marketing tools as well.
8. Jasper: Generate Written Content
Jasper is an AI writing assistant that focuses on generating branded content, ad copy, and blog posts. It can handle many writing styles, from formal press releases to conversational social media captions. For marketing teams or entrepreneurs juggling multiple hats, Jasper helps businesses launch campaigns faster.
- Offers SEO-oriented templates to assist in ranking specific keywords.
- Upload branding guidelines, so the AI writes in a consistent tone.
- Can produce anything from product descriptions to short e-books.
Despite its capabilities, Jasper still requires human oversight for factual checks and style adjustments. Regardless, it can help businesses save time creating copy.
9. Alibaba Cloud AI: Large-Scale Intelligence
Alibaba is well known for ecommerce, but it also invests heavily in AI, from natural language processing to computer vision. Alibaba Cloud AI suits organisations that might need large-scale computing power or want to combine advanced analytics with commerce-oriented solutions. Its features range from predictive customer behaviour to real-time traffic management, as showcased by the City Brain project in China (Bernard Marr).
- Offers advanced machine learning frameworks for everything from retail forecasting to logistics planning.
- Integrates with Alibaba’s broader ecosystem, ideal for businesses that sell or source goods through its platforms.
- Scales easily as businesses expand, handling everything from pilot projects to enterprise-level rollouts.
For business models that involve online marketplaces or handle large cross-border logistics flows, this platform can meet those demands. For more general ways AI is reshaping supply chains, see AI in supply chain.
Recap And Next Steps
Artificial intelligence has moved beyond the experimental stage. From quick idea generation in Gemini to advanced analytics in ThoughtSpot, AI supplies practical options for businesses to optimise daily workflows. From small startups sampling AI tools for small businesses to a well-established company investing in enterprise-grade platforms, each tool in this curated list offers distinct advantages.
Many organisations start with small pilot projects, verify data quality, and monitor key metrics to track performance gains. For businesses interested in customising these tools or integrating them into a broader strategy, consider generative AI for business to explore advanced use cases and automation workflows.
