Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic
Arthur C. Clarke
Artificial intelligence (AI) has shifted from a futuristic concept showcasing a world ruled by robots to an everyday tool that’s rapidly reshaping the world of business.
Once met with scepticism, AI business tools are now driving efficiencies and unlocking new possibilities across industries, from customer service to software development.
With companies like OpenAI leading the charge, businesses are now embracing AI, not just for automating routine tasks, but for making smarter decisions, lowering costs, and innovating in ways previously unimaginable.
Generative AI For Business Explained
Generative AI, like OpenAI’s GPT models, represents more than just efficiency—it’s a tool for creativity and innovation. Unlike earlier AI models, generative AI doesn’t just automate tasks; it generates new, original content, whether that’s text, images, or even code.
What’s more is that the human-like dialogue capabilities means that business users can for the first time undertake specialist tasks that would have previously required technical knowledge or expertise in a particular field. This has significant implications for industries such as marketing, design, and software development.
For businesses, generative AI opens up new avenues for creating content and services. Need an image, product description, or ad copy tailored for a specific audience? Generative AI can handle it. Want to develop a prototype app or web feature? AI tools can help write the foundational code, assist with testing, and debug errors that arise.
Mid-sized companies to large enterprises are using this technology to accelerate product development, streamline operational processes, and enhance customer experiences with minimal manual intervention.
ChatGPT Forever Changed the Business World
One of the most influential forces in AI’s rise is OpenAI and its release of ChatGPT in 2020, whose suite of offerings is redefining how businesses not just approach AI, but approach business as a whole.
AI Business Tools: What OpenAI Offers
From API integrations to platform-based solutions for like ChatGPT Teams and ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI provides businesses with AI tools that support everything from customer engagement to coding.
It makes this possible through a wide range of tools:
- ChatGPT (Free, Plus, Teams & Enterprise)
- ChatGPT Business (upcoming)
- OpernAI Platform, Playground & API Integration (GPT-3.5, GPT-4, GPT-4o, o1-preview, o1-mini)
- Advanced Data Analysis (formerly Code Interpreter)
- Custom GPTs (formerly ChatGPT plugins)
- DALL·E (Generative AI for images)
- Whisper (Speech-to-text)
- Codex (AI for code generation)
- OpenAI Assistants (Custom AI assistants tailored using business knowledge)
The ChatGPT Enterprise and Teams platforms, for example, give organisations tailored AI tools that can assist employees with real-time problem solving, content generation, or even in complex data interpretation—while maintaining enterprise-level privacy and security controls.
ChatGPT For Business: Use Cases
With tools like ChatGPT becoming more accessible, businesses are leveraging generative AI for more than just routine tasks. The technology is being integrated into every aspect of operations, providing business leaders and teams with:
Content creation: From writing emails and generating reports to creating marketing content, ChatGPT helps to speed up the production of written material without compromising quality.
Customer service automation: AI is taking over first-line customer service duties by providing quick, accurate responses to customer inquiries via chatbots that operate around the clock, enhancing customer experience without increasing headcount.
Data analysis and visualisation: One of ChatGPT’s standout capabilities is advanced data analysis, which allows teams to process complex datasets, identify patterns, and generate insights in a fraction of the time it would traditionally take.
- Need more ideas? Here are a few more capabilities that businesses can expect when using ChatGPT:
- Code writing and debugging
- Speech recognition and transcription (Whisper)
- Custom app development with API integration
- Automating repetitive tasks (agents)
- Internal team collaboration
- Financial reporting and analysis
- Legal document drafting
- Summarisation of vast data sets
- Vision capabilities to analyse image content (image-to-text)
API For AI-Driven Apps
OpenAI’s API allows companies to integrate the powerful capabilities of models like GPT-4 and even their very latest o1 model into their own applications.
This can be used for automating customer interactions, developing conversational agents, or enhancing data analysis capabilities.
Customer Engagement
Traditionally, customer engagement has relied on human agents or rule-based chatbots that struggled to meet the growing demands for instant, personalised interactions.
AI is turning this model upside down. AI-driven chat solutions are not only handling more enquiries than ever but are doing so with increasing sophistication and accuracy.
For example, OpenAI’s APIs can seamlessly integrate into customer service platforms, helping businesses offer 24/7 support with responses that feel human and tailored. What’s more, AI tools can be trained on a company’s specific products or services, making them even more accurate and useful in responding to customer needs.
ChatGPT Teams goes a step further by allowing internal teams to collaborate on responses, giving customer-facing staff more intelligent, automated help in solving complex customer problems.
Generative AI in Software Development
Another transformative use of AI in business is in software development. OpenAI’s Codex—the model behind GitHub Copilot—helps developers write code faster by offering real-time suggestions and auto-completing code based on context.
It can debug, optimise, and write entire blocks of code from scratch, reducing the time and effort developers spend on routine coding tasks.
For businesses, this means faster time-to-market for products and services. AI-enhanced software development allows companies to be more agile, reduce bottlenecks in production, and ensure that their technical teams are focusing on high-value, innovative tasks instead of repetitive coding.
MidJourney (Image Generation)
Other AI Tools For Business
MidJourney is a generative AI tool focused on creating high-quality, photo-realistic images from text prompts.
Business Impact: MidJourney can be particularly valuable in marketing and design. Whether you need custom illustrations for advertising campaigns, social media content, or even product visualisations, this tool saves both time and money. For small businesses that don’t have the budget for professional photographers or designers, MidJourney helps create stunning visuals in minutes.
Real Example: A fashion brand could use MidJourney to generate multiple outfit images or campaign visuals without conducting an expensive photoshoot, or a real estate company could use it to create high-quality interior design images for listings.
Adobe Firefly (Image Generation)
Similar to MidJourney, Adobe Firefly uses generative AI for creating visual content but is more focused on marketing materials like product shots, promotional banners, and artistic visuals.
Business Impact: Businesses can use Adobe Firefly to quickly generate compelling visuals for ads, social media, and other customer-facing content. Take this post, for example, Firefly is our image generation tool of choice.
Real Example: A startup could use Adobe Firefly to design all the visuals for a product launch campaign—from Instagram ads to email banners—without needing to hire multiple designers.
Krock.io (Storyboarding)
Krock.io offers AI-assisted storyboarding for video production. This is a huge time-saver for marketing teams or any business involved in video production.
Business Impact: For companies looking to create video content—whether for internal training, marketing campaigns, or social media—Krock.io provides automatic storyboarding based on your text or script. This makes it easier for teams to visualise how a video will look and plan the production process more efficiently.
Real Example: A marketing team could use Krock.io to visualise and streamline the production of a new product explainer video, speeding up the approval process and reducing back-and-forth between creative and executive teams.
GitHub Copilot (Code Assistance)
OpenAI Codex, which powers GitHub Copilot assists developers by auto-suggesting lines of code, debugging, and even writing entire code snippets.
Business Impact: This tool can significantly speed up software development, especially for companies building custom apps or internal tools. It also helps non-expert developers make progress on coding projects without needing constant support from senior engineers.
Real Example: A small SaaS company could use GitHub Copilot to reduce development time for new features, allowing them to launch updates faster and more cost-effectively.
TalentGuard WorkforceGPT (HR)
TalentGuard uses OpenAI’s GPT models to power WorkforceGPT, a platform that helps with HR operations like skill development, performance reviews, and candidate assessments.
Business Impact: For HR departments, AI like WorkforceGPT automates and personalises the employee experience. It can craft personalised career development plans, conduct skill assessments, and assist in onboarding.
Real Example: An HR team at a large corporation could use WorkforceGPT to automatically generate development plans for employees, reducing the time spent manually reviewing performance data and aligning training programs.
DoNotPay (AI for Legal Assistance)
DoNotPay is an AI-powered “robo-lawyer” that can assist with legal tasks like fighting parking tickets, managing subscription cancellations, or negotiating contracts.
Business Impact: Small businesses, in particular, can leverage DoNotPay to handle minor legal issues without having to hire a lawyer, significantly cutting costs on legal services. It’s especially useful for tasks like drafting simple contracts or resolving consumer disputes.
Real Example: A small retail business might use DoNotPay to negotiate lower lease renewal terms with their landlord or resolve a dispute over a vendor contract.
Descript (Voice and Video Editing)
Descript is a unique AI tool that enables users to edit podcasts, voiceovers, or video content simply by editing text transcripts. It can even replicate a person’s voice for edits without needing them to re-record.
Business Impact: Descript is a game-changer for companies in content creation or marketing that rely on video or podcast production. It allows for faster editing and makes producing high-quality audio-visual content easier and more affordable.
Real Example: A marketing team producing a podcast can use Descript to edit episodes by adjusting text, rather than cutting up audio files manually, saving hours of work.
Loom (Video Communication for Teams)
Loom is a video messaging tool that allows users to record quick videos of their screen, webcam, or both and share them instantly with others. It’s particularly useful for asynchronous communication, which enables team members to communicate without needing to be in the same meeting or time zone. It’s AI capabilities include video editing, summary and transcription.
Business Impact: Loom enhances productivity by reducing the need for meetings and allowing teams to explain complex ideas visually and verbally in just a few minutes. It’s great for product demos, design reviews, team updates, or even onboarding materials.
Real Example: A product manager can use Loom to walk through the latest app update, narrating while showing the screen, and send it to the development team for feedback. This reduces the need for back-and-forth emails or scheduling live meetings.
Asana (Project Management and Collaboration Tool)
Asana is a project management platform that helps teams organise, track, and manage work. Asana uses AI to streamline project management by providing task automation, intelligent suggestions, and workflow optimisation. Additionally, Asana’s AI assists in predicting project completion timelines and suggests optimisations for improving overall workflow efficiency.
Business Impact: Asana’s AI reduces manual overhead in project management by automating repetitive tasks, flagging potential bottlenecks, and ensuring that resources are used efficiently. Teams can focus on strategic work, while AI handles task delegation and workflow improvements.
Real Example: A marketing team launching a campaign might get AI-driven suggestions from Asana on reallocating tasks to underutilised team members or identifying tasks at risk of delay, improving project delivery times and team collaboration.
ElevenLabs (AI-Driven Voice Synthesis)
ElevenLabs uses advanced AI voice cloning and text-to-speech (TTS) technology to create hyper-realistic voiceovers. With its AI engine, ElevenLabs can clone any voice using just a few minutes of audio input, making it capable of generating high-quality voice content in various languages, accents, and emotional tones. Its AI also adapts the speech style based on the context, offering emotionally dynamic speech synthesis.
Business Impact: ElevenLabs enables businesses to create voiceovers and spoken content at scale without needing human voice actors. This allows rapid turnaround for everything from customer service virtual agents to audiobooks, podcasts, and marketing content. The AI-driven emotional tone adjustments ensure that voiceovers are not monotonous, providing a more engaging experience for listeners.
Real Example: A content creator for an e-learning platform can use ElevenLabs to generate diverse voiceovers with different accents and emotional tones for various courses, all with minimal setup time. The AI ensures that the voice sounds natural and aligned with the educational content’s tone, whether it’s calm for relaxation or energetic for motivating learners.
Alternatives to ChatGPT
Google Gemini (AI Language Model by Google)
Google Gemini is Google’s latest entry into the generative AI space, competing directly with ChatGPT. Built on the strengths of Google’s vast data resources and previous AI models like Bard, Gemini focuses on conversational AI, content generation, and advanced problem-solving.
Gemini provides enterprise-level solutions for businesses looking to integrate AI into customer service, content generation, and internal tools. With its powerful natural language understanding, it excels in understanding complex queries and generating accurate, context-aware responses.
Unique Features:
Multimodal capabilities – Unlike many text-based AI models, Gemini processes both text and images, offering businesses a wider range of functionality.
Google ecosystem integration – Gemini is closely integrated with Google’s suite of tools, making it ideal for businesses already using Google Workspace or Google Cloud.
Claude (Anthropic's AI Model)
Claude, developed by Anthropic, is a language model designed with a focus on safety, ethical use, and interpretability. Claude is positioned as an alternative to traditional models like ChatGPT, with an emphasis on being more controllable and less prone to problematic outputs.
Claude is particularly suited for companies that need AI solutions with strict compliance or ethical guidelines, such as healthcare, finance, or legal sectors. It emphasises producing outputs that are safe and aligned with user expectations, reducing the risks of bias or inappropriate content.
Unique Features:
Safety-first approach – Claude is built with extensive guardrails to minimise harmful or biased outputs, making it a top choice for industries with regulatory and ethical concerns.
Interpretability – Claude is designed to allow users more insight into why it provides certain responses, helping businesses make better, more informed decisions based on AI outputs.
Perplexity (AI-Powered Search and Answer Engine)
Perplexity AI is a next-generation search engine that merges conversational AI with search functionality, allowing users to ask complex questions and receive in-depth, contextual answers.
Unlike traditional search engines that provide a list of links, Perplexity delivers direct answers with citations from authoritative sources.
For research-intensive industries, Perplexity speeds up information retrieval by providing direct, evidence-backed answers. It’s ideal for use cases like market research, competitive analysis, and internal knowledge management.
Unique Features:
Citation-based answers – Unlike ChatGPT, which provides responses without showing sources, Perplexity includes references, ensuring transparency and credibility.
Advanced search – Perplexity is designed as both an AI chatbot and a search engine, making it more adept at answering factual and research-based questions.
Business AI Adoption: Key Considerations
Despite AI’s massive potential, companies must approach its adoption strategically.
Here are a few important considerations for businesses integrating AI:
Understand the impact on your industry: AI isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about finding areas where it can introduce entirely new ways of working or creating products. Analyse where AI can offer a competitive advantage in your industry, whether it’s automating tasks, improving customer interaction, or accelerating innovation.
Prioritise data security: As AI systems become more embedded into day-to-day operations, ensuring that data security and privacy are upheld is critical. OpenAI’s enterprise solutions ensure that customer data is protected and not used to train models, offering peace of mind for businesses concerned about data leakage or compliance.
Invest in training: AI tools, while powerful, require human oversight. Companies should invest in training their teams to effectively use these tools. Whether it’s sales teams using AI to engage with clients or technical teams utilising AI in coding, understanding how to leverage AI effectively can significantly amplify its value.
Create a balanced AI-human workflow: While AI can take over many tasks, human judgment is still necessary for decision-making, particularly in high-stakes areas like customer interactions or content creation in regulated industries (e.g., finance or healthcare). AI should complement, not replace, human expertise.
The Future of AI in Business
As artificial intelligence in business continues to grow, the lines between automation and innovation are blurring. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are leading the charge in helping businesses of all sizes harness the power of AI not only to streamline their processes but also to unlock new creative potential.
There’s no shortage of other AI tools available to help businesses across industries automate routine tasks, improve customer engagement, and even foster creativity. AI tools like MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, Descript, and DoNotPay are among these tools helping to enhance your operational, marketing, and creative workflows.
The future points to a world where AI is integral to day-to-day operations, fostering greater efficiency, creativity, and innovation. The question isn’t whether AI will transform business—it’s how fast you can integrate it to stay ahead of the competition.
