The AI Stack That Powers Modern Businesses

Stop chasing shiny objects. Start building leverage.

Seem's like a new AI tool's launching every week.

Another “game-changer.” Another “must-have.”

But here’s the thing: you don’t need them all

If you chase every shiny thing, you’ll burn time instead of buying it back.

So here’s my promise: by the end of this, you’ll know the 5–6 most commonly used AI tools in 2025—and how to actually use them to grow your business and reclaim your time.

The Core AI Tools to Know

1. ChatGPT (OpenAI)
Still the most versatile tool on the market.
Best for: writing, brainstorming, strategy.
2025 updates: multimodal (words + images + voice), memory that adapts to your style, and custom GPTs you can train for your business.

2. Claude (Anthropic)
The “deep thinker” of AI.
Best for: analyzing long documents, legal or business contexts.
Differentiator: can handle way more words at once than ChatGPT.

3. Perplexity
Your research sidekick.
Best for: fact-checking, summaries, and sources.
It complements ChatGPT/Claude by grounding insights in citations.

4. Google Gemini
AI stitched into Google’s ecosystem.
Best for: search, Docs, Gmail, creative prompts.
Differentiator: multimodal + already where you work.

5. Microsoft Copilot
If you live in Word, Excel, or Outlook—this one’s unavoidable.
Best for: automating repetitive tasks, drafting emails, cleaning spreadsheets.

6. Niche Tools (optional, problem-specific)

• Video & Design: Runway, MidJourney, Canva Magic Studio

• Voice & Meetings: Otter.ai, Fireflies, Rewind

• Productivity: Notion AI, ClickUp AI

You don’t need them all. Just the ones that solve your real bottlenecks.

How to Think About AI Tools

Stop asking: “What can I ask AI so I don't have to think?”
Start asking: “How do I use AI as a brainstorming partner so I can 'think' more deeply by asking better questions and following my curiosity”

Here’s the map:

• Ideation & writing → ChatGPT, Claude

• Research & fact-checking → Perplexity

• Task execution → Copilot, Gemini

• Creative content → MidJourney, Runway, Canva AI

The goal: 3–4 tools you master deeply. Not 50 apps gathering dust.

Practical Business Applications

• Small business productivity: proposals, client reports → Copilot + ChatGPT

• Marketing & content: repurpose posts, videos, scripts → ChatGPT + Canva AI

• Decision support: research competitors, trends → Perplexity + Claude

• Personal productivity: meeting notes, book/article summaries → Otter + Notion AI

Pitfalls & Guardrails

• Don’t become a collector ... become an archeologist.

• Remember: AI ≠ truth. It still hallucinates. Always sense check.

• Protect your privacy. Don’t paste sensitive data in there and assume everything you say there will be a permanent record.

The risk isn’t being replaced by AI, but by someone who knows how to use AI better.

Ciao for now,

Ash

PS. Pick one tool from this list you haven’t fully mastered yet—and commit to testing it inside your workflow this week. Not all of them. Just one.