AI Simplified for all

  Google's AI assistant, designed to work alongside the Google tools many of us already use. Gemini is Google's AI assistant. It is available as its own app, but its main strength for organisations is its connection to Google Workspace, the suite that includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet. What it is Gemini can be used on its own, through a website or mobile app, in the same way as other AI assistants. For organisations on Google Workspace, it can also appear inside the tools people already use, so they do not need to switch to a separate app. What it is commonly used for •          Email: summarising long threads and drafting replies in Gmail. •          Documents: drafting, rewriting and summarising content in Google Docs. •          Spreadsheets: helping organise and understand data in Google Sheets. •      ...

 We have looked at how to ask AI, where it helps, its limits, and how the main AI assistants compare. Over the next few posts, we will focus on one of them in depth: Microsoft Copilot. For organisations that run on Microsoft 365, it is often the most practical place to begin. What Copilot is Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant built for work. It sits inside the tools many of us use all day: Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Instead of learning a new system, we ask for what we need in plain language, and Copilot does the work inside the app. A useful way to think about it: the browser made the internet usable for everyone, and the smartphone did the same for apps. Copilot aims to be the everyday interface for AI at work. Our existing systems stay the same; what changes is how we interact with them. What it can do •          Summarise: long email threads, documents, chats and meetings. •      ...

  Anthropic's AI assistant, often used for long documents, writing and analysis. Claude is an AI assistant made by Anthropic, an AI company founded in 2021 with a strong focus on AI safety. Like ChatGPT, it is mainly used as a standalone assistant through a website, desktop app or mobile app. What it is Claude works in the same way as other AI assistants. We give it a request in plain language, often along with documents or data, and it responds. It is available as a free version, paid personal plans and business versions for organisations. What it is commonly used for •          Long documents: reading and summarising lengthy reports, contracts or policies, and answering questions about them. •          Writing: drafting and refining documents where tone and clarity matter. •          Analysis: working through complex information and laying out o...

  Microsoft's AI assistant, built into the Office tools most organisations use every day. For many organisations, Microsoft 365 is where the work happens: Outlook for email, Teams for meetings, and Word, Excel and PowerPoint for documents. Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant, designed to work inside those tools. One name, more than one product The Copilot name covers more than one product, which can be confusing. The two most relevant are: •          Copilot for personal use: a free, general AI assistant available on the web and in Windows. •          Microsoft 365 Copilot: a business version built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, set up and licensed by our organisation. At work, it matters which one we are using. What it is commonly used for •          Outlook: summarising email threads and drafting replies. •   ...

Getting average answers from AI? The problem is usually not the tool. It is how we ask. Most people tell me they have tried AI, but the answers they got were not that useful. In many cases, the issue is not the tool or the technology. It is how we ask the question. The good news is that a few small changes can make a big difference to the quality of the answers we get. We are used to search engines For years, search engines have trained us to work in a certain way. We type a few keywords, the search engine returns a long list of results, and we pick the most useful one ourselves. That works well for search, so it is natural to use AI the same way. But AI works differently. AI gives one answer, so it needs context Instead of a list of links, AI gives us a single, direct answer. To get that answer right, it needs to understand exactly what we are asking for. If we give it a keyword or a short, incomplete phrase, it has to guess. Who is this for? What matters most? How long should it be? ...

  Using AI well starts with knowing where it helps and where it does not. In my last post, I wrote about how we ask AI questions. The next step is knowing which tasks to give it in the first place. AI is very capable in some areas and unreliable in others. Knowing the difference saves time and avoids mistakes. Where AI is strong AI is good at working with language and information we give it. In practice, that means: •          Drafting: first versions of emails, reports, proposals and presentations. •          Summarising: turning long documents or meeting notes into key points. •          Restructuring: reorganising rough notes into a clear format, such as actions, risks or decisions. •          Explaining: making a complex topic easier to understand, at the level we need. These tasks share something in ...