How to Pick the Right AI Tool
Last updated
Last updated
With new AI tools being introduced regularly, it can be overwhelming to figure out which one fits your workflow.
If your work involves precisions writing, research, and secure document processing, you need tools that will increase your productivity while maintaining your productivity.
This guide gives an overview of four leading AI tools, highlighting their strengths and key differences.
You want to pick the right AI tool for the job, but with so many options available, it’s tough to decide. This guide will help you compare four major AI tools— ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity , and Microsoft Copilot—so you can make an informed choice based on your specific needs, whether it’s legal research, document drafting, or task automation.
If you are looking for tools to help with research and writing, your best bet is to start out with the "Big Four":
| Task | You should use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
ChatGPT -- the one that everyone has heard of, available at chatgpt.com
Claude -- a rival to ChatGPT that has some strengths that ChatGPT lacks and vice versa, aavilable at claude.ai
Perplexity -- an AI tool focused on research, available at perplexity.ai
Copilot -- a tool built my Microsoft to integrate with Microsoft Office tools like Word and Outlook -- for many this may be your only option since some employers have decided to block the other tools
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ChatGPT ChatGPT, offered by OpenAI, is a powerful general-purpose AI assistant available in both free and paid versions. The free version uses the GPT-3.5 model, while the paid version (ChatGPT Plus) leverages GPT-4 for enhanced performance. ChatGPT excels in drafting, brainstorming, and reviewing legal documents, but the paid version offers faster response times and the ability to handle more complex queries with plugins and custom GPT features.
Claude Claude, developed by Anthropic, focuses on more "human-sounding" interactions and provides strong coding and content generation capabilities. It also features a larger context window in its paid version, making it useful for working on complex legal matters where longer documents or multiple references are involved.
Perplexity AI Perplexity is designed as a research assistant, combining search engine-like functionality with conversational AI. It specializes in providing quick, citation-backed answers, making it particularly useful for legal professionals conducting case law research or fact-checking, especially with its focus modes for academic or specific media-related queries.
Microsoft Copilot Integrated into Microsoft 365, Copilot enhances productivity by automating and streamlining tasks in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. Legal professionals benefit from Copilot’s ability to draft documents, analyze data, and provide meeting summaries, all within familiar Microsoft environments. This makes it a good option for firms already using Microsoft 365 for their daily workflows.
Combining Tools: In many cases, combining these tools will offer the best solution. Use ChatGPT for drafting and review, then turn to Perplexity for quick, citation-based research. Copilot can help integrate this work into your productivity suite, while Claude may handle more nuanced, client-facing communications.
Custom GPT Models: With ChatGPT Plus, you can create custom models tailored to specific tasks, such as legal research or contract review, further enhancing its usefulness.
Privacy Considerations: Always check each platform’s privacy policies, especially when handling sensitive legal data. Some tools retain inputs for training purposes, so avoid entering confidential information unless you're confident in the platform's security.
Data Accuracy: Even the best AI tools are prone to errors, omissions, or biased results. Always verify AI-generated outputs, especially for legal documents, research, or anything client-facing.
Cost vs. Benefit: Free versions of these tools may be adequate for smaller tasks, but for larger volumes of work or more complex needs, upgrading to paid tiers or integrating multiple tools may be necessary.
By weighing the strengths and weaknesses of these tools, you can choose the one (or the combination) that best fits your legal writing, research, and productivity needs.
If you'd like more personalized guidance, our one-on-one and customized group training sessions can help you master these tools even faster.
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Feature
ChatGPT (Free)
ChatGPT (Paid - GPT-4)
Claude (Free)
Claude (Paid)
Perplexity AI
Microsoft Copilot
Cost
Free
$20/ month
Free
$20/ month
Free and Paid versions ($20/ month)
Included with MS 365 licenses
Best For
Basic drafting, brainstorming
Complex drafting, plugins
Conversational writing, coding
Handling very large documents, advanced coding tasks
Legal research, fact-checking
Productivity, document automation
Text Processing Power
Limited (~4k tokens/ 3000 words)
High (~8k tokens or more/ 6000 words)
High (~21k tokens/ 16,000 words
Very High (~100k tokens/ 75,000 words)
High (~32k tokens/ 24,000 words)
N/A: based on documents
Citations/Sourcing
No
No
No
No
Yes -- provides links to sources
No
Integration
Standalone
Standalone
Standalone
Standalone
Standalone
Integrated with MS 365
Security/Privacy
Moderate (review terms)
Moderate (review terms)
High (privacy-focused)
High (privacy-focused)
Moderate
High (enterprise-grade)
For writing, planning, creating documents
Both are great and its best to learn both
For research
Perplexity is focused on fact checking and is far less likely to "hallucinate" than ChatGPT or Claude
For working with Microsoft Office tools
Many organizations have decided to ban the use of ChatGPT and Claude and to only allow Copilot
ChatGPT and Claude
Perplexity
Microsoft Copilot
