Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral, Perplexity: which tool for which industrial use
I get the question in meetings all the time: “Stéphane, what’s the best AI?” My answer always disappoints a little, because it isn’t a name. There is no best AI in the abstract, there is the right AI for the right use, in your context. A plant manager who wants to clear his inbox doesn’t have the same need as a quality team writing up reports. Here is how I find my way on the ground, with no stake in any of the solutions I mention.
What’s already in your house: Copilot
If your teams live inside Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint), Copilot is often the simplest starting point. It’s already in the building, it knows your emails, your meetings, your shared documents. Summarizing a thread that’s been dragging for a week, finding the info buried in a SharePoint, drafting a reply: all of that happens without switching tools or reopening a debate about buying a license. It isn’t the brightest AI on heavy tasks, but it’s the one that asks the least adoption effort, and adoption is half the battle.
Writing, analyzing, reasoning: ChatGPT and Claude
For structured writing, analyzing a document, or reasoning through a tangled problem, I turn to ChatGPT or Claude. Both are solid. Personally, I often prefer Claude when it comes to development, reviewing code, or holding a long line of reasoning without going off the rails. ChatGPT remains a very good generalist, very comfortable for kicking ideas around. The real criterion isn’t the brand: it’s giving them a clear frame and sources, otherwise they answer wide of the mark with full confidence.
Finding sourced facts: Perplexity
When I need an answer backed by sources I can click and verify, I go through Perplexity. Regulatory watch, a check on a standard, competitive research: it cites its sources, and that’s exactly what you want when the answer is going to end up in a decision. I don’t trust it blindly for all that. I reread the sources, because an AI that cites isn’t an AI that’s right. Where it has no business being is deciding a vague question on its own: that stays human.
Sovereign, standard, innovative: three angles to set
Before choosing, I set three angles with my clients. The sovereign angle first: if your data is sensitive, Mistral is the serious French and European option, with hosting and a framework that speak to an industrial player mindful of GDPR and the AI Act. The standard angle next: the very mature American tools, perfect when the subject isn’t sensitive and you want to move fast. The innovative angle last, to test a new use on a controlled scope. The choice is made on these criteria, not on the hype of the moment. Hosting, data handling, compliance: it’s those questions, not this month’s ranking, that decide for real.
For the full picture, read the guide AI in industry. See also: Where AI has no business being. Wondering where to start? Gauge your AI maturity in 2 minutes, or let’s talk for 20 minutes.