Introduction──Why are AI tools indispensable for business efficiency now?
Since the advent of ChatGPT, AI tools, especially generative AI, have become widely used not only in specific specialized tasks but also in everyday business situations. Nowadays, AI is entering into all kinds of business operations such as document creation, automatic recording of meetings, sales support, translation, design, data analysis, and so on.
The use of AI tools dramatically reduces human “thinking time” and “hands-on time,” allowing resources to be allocated to more creative tasks. This is not only important for large companies, but also for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises to strengthen their competitiveness.
In this article, we have carefully selected 10 “versatile AI tools” that can be used widely without depending on specific industries, and introduce their features, fees, and usage scenarios. We hope you will find this information useful for improving your business and introducing AI tools.
Selection Criteria──How to select a “usable AI tool
Among the many AI tools available, several perspectives are necessary to select the one that is highly practical in the business environment and can be expected to be effective in its implementation.
The selection was based on the following five criteria
- Business versatility: Can it be used regardless of industry or job type?
- UI/UX: Is it intuitive for non-engineers to use?
- Cost performance: Is there an appropriate balance between price and functionality?
- Security and ease of implementation: Can it withstand corporate use?
- Continuity and support: Are updates and support ongoing?
We have picked up a wide range of tools that satisfy these requirements, from standard tools to emerging tools that are attracting attention.
30 AI Tools – Thorough Comparison of Functions, Features, and Prices
Document generation and writing support
Notion AI
Notion’s integrated AI capabilities are useful in all aspects of document creation and task management. It can be used to summarize meeting minutes, create simple progress reports from to-do lists, and other tasks that are closely related to daily work. As an example, the process of taking notes at a regular meeting, having the AI extract and summarize the main points, and then distributing them to the team as shared documents can be shortened at a stroke. In addition, output can be automatically generated with natural language instructions such as “Write a draft proposal in 10 lines. The service is available from $8/month.
Jasper
Jasper is a generative AI tool specialized for the marketing and advertising fields. The usage flow is that the user fills in simple input items such as product name, service overview, and target audience, and the AI generates SNS ad text, blog posts, LP copy, etc., based on these items. A distinctive feature is the ability to set the “brand tone,” allowing users to control the nuances of expression, such as soft, firm, or humorous. A wide variety of templates are also available, making it ideal for quickly generating output that marketers use on a daily basis. Plans start at $39/month.
Grammarly
Grammarly is widely used globally as an English writing support tool. Users simply add the extension to their web browser, Office software, Gmail, or other environment and receive real-time spelling checks, grammar corrections, vocabulary suggestions, tone advice, and more. For example, while composing an email to an overseas client, if the user instructs the AI to be “polite and concise,” the AI will suggest adjustments to the wording, making it extremely reliable for businesspeople whose native language is not English. Basic features are available for free, with premium starting at $12/month.
(2) Automated meetings and minutes
Tactiq
Tactiq is a tool that transcribes Google Meet and Zoom meetings in real time and automatically generates minutes. Simply launch the Chrome extension while the meeting is in session, and it will save the text of each participant’s remarks verbatim. In addition, it categorizes statements by speaker and automatically extracts important words and action items. After the meeting, the generated minutes can be exported directly to Notion or Google Docs for sharing. For busy team leaders and managers, this will greatly contribute to labor-saving recording tasks.
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is an AI assistant that works with major meeting tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to record, transcribe, and summarize audio in one go. For example, Fireflies can record a sales meeting conversation and summarize “next actions” or “concerns” based on keywords and conversation flow. Fireflies also has strengths in sales support, such as integration with CRM tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.) to automatically reflect the content of minutes in case memos. Basic recording functions are available even with the free plan.
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI tool that converts audio into text in real time, accurately recording and organizing the content of meetings, with a particularly powerful Zoom integration function that can also automatically join and start recording based on a schedule. Recorded text is categorized by topic using a summary function and provided in an easy-to-understand visual format. The system is also highly regarded for its timestamping of each utterance, which allows immediate access to the relevant part of the discussion. Extended features such as cloud storage and simultaneous editing by multiple users are available with the premium plan starting at $16.99/month.
(3) Image and design generation
Runway ML
Runway ML is an AI tool specialized for generating and editing videos and images, and is highly supported by video creators and SNS operators. For example, it can generate a draft of an image video by entering simple text, or automatically remove unnecessary backgrounds. As an example of the usage flow, you can upload your shooting material, perform AI correction and style conversion on Runway, and post it directly to SNS and YouTube in one step. In particular, the “Gen-2” function, which generates video from text, is so innovative that it has overturned the conventional wisdom of video production, and is being used by professionals in the prototype stage.
Midjourney
Midjourney is an AI tool that generates high-quality illustrations and visuals from text prompts. It is very unique in its use: you enter commands on the Discord server and interact with the bot to generate images.” a futuristic cityscape in watercolor style,” and multiple variations of the image are instantly output. In the creative industry, it is used to create initial drafts of visual concepts and design proposals for clients. In addition, with a paid plan (from $10/month) that comes with a commercial license, the results can be used as-is in advertisements and materials.
Canva Magic Studio
Magic Studio, integrated into Canva, is a set of generative AI functions that can be easily used by non-designers. For example, when creating a banner, simply enter the “product name, target, and purpose,” and it will automatically suggest a composition, catch copy, and images. Also, common creative tasks such as setting the tone of an existing design or removing and replacing the background of an image can be completed with a single click. This can greatly reduce the time required to produce presentation materials and SNS images. The Magic Design function is also useful in situations where you need to improve the appearance of internal documents.
4) Chatbot and customer support
Intercom Fin
Intercom Fin is an AI chatbot from Intercom, an advanced tool that incorporates generative AI into customer response operations. Once implemented, the AI can automatically respond to customer inquiries by importing the company’s internal knowledge base and FAQs. For example, a question such as “How do I return a product?” can be answered immediately with relevant information from the knowledge base. Fin is also available in multiple languages, making it a good fit for companies with a global presence.
ChatBot.com
ChatBot.com is a no-code chatbot building platform that allows users to design conversation flows by drag-and-drop. For example, it can automatically guide website visitors through the flow of “product information,” “request for brochure,” “support,” etc., according to their objectives, and by accumulating customer behavior data, it is possible to make continuous improvements. It can also be integrated with Zendesk, LiveChat, Slack, Messenger, etc., making it strong in multi-channel support. The appeal of this system is that it is easy to implement and operate, even for small and medium-sized enterprises without engineers.
Drift AI
Drift AI is a chat-type tool that supports sales and marketing collaboration, especially for BtoB lead acquisition; it can automatically analyze a user’s company information when he/she visits a website, present an optimal talk script, and connect to a business meeting appointment in real time. For example, while a potential customer is browsing the materials page, an AI chat can suggest, “Would you like to talk about this product in more detail?” and make a proposal, thereby preventing lost opportunities. It is highly valued as a tool to maximize the performance of sales teams.
5) Automatic translation and multilingual support
DeepL Write
DeepL Write is a sentence improvement tool that takes advantage of DeepL translation’s highly accurate natural language processing technology. It is not just a translation, but features automatic adjustment of the tone of style and naturalness of expression. For example, if you want to write a “casual but polite sales email” in English, simply enter the sentence and several natural rewrite candidates will be presented. The conversion from Japanese to English is also very smooth, and the “unnatural direct translation” that is often seen in translations is not easily seen, which is a favorable feature for business use. The flow of use is as simple as pasting an email or blog draft, having the text rewritten in a style appropriate for the purpose, and sending or publishing it as is after confirmation.
Google Translate with Gemini
Google Translate with Gemini (formerly Bard) is an evolution in the form of a combination of Google Translate and Gemini. In addition to conventional translation accuracy, it enables context-sensitive translation and tone control, resulting in more human-like translation. For example, when translating legal documents and daily conversation, it automatically switches expressions and selects appropriate terminology. Furthermore, with Chrome extensions and Google Docs integration, it is easy to integrate into the overall workflow, and is used for a wide range of content translation, including websites, social networking services, and internal documents.
Weglot
Weglot is an AI translation solution for making your website multilingual. No code is required, just add a few lines of script to your existing site (WordPress, Shopify, Custom HTML, etc.) to automatically generate translated pages. For example, when expanding a Japanese site into English, Chinese, or French, Weglot will automatically translate the site and fine-tune the translation from the administration screen, which is effective for SEO purposes. This is a very practical tool for companies seeking to expand globally.
6) Task management and workflow optimization
ClickUp AI
ClickUp AI is an AI assistant integrated into the task management tool ClickUp. It can automatically create summaries based on the content of the team’s tasks and suggest next actions based on progress. For example, when a to-do shared at a sales meeting is entered into ClickUp, the AI highlights “high-priority tasks” and “items at risk of delay. In addition, weekly reports and meeting minutes can be generated semi-automatically. For project managers, this is an excellent support tool that simultaneously reduces administrative burden and visualizes the entire team.
Notion AI (Task Management)
Notion AI also shows its strength in task management. In describing the overall picture of a project, the ability to extract “to-dos” and create a checklist is extremely useful. For example, AI converts the to-dos included in a sentence written as a “plan for launching a new service” into bullet points. Subsequent progress report sentences and summary reports for supervisors are also converted by AI into natural sentences based on its understanding of the context. The system provides consistent support for the process from minutes to taking action.
Asana + AI Assistant
Asana is a globally used platform for project management, and the introduction of AI assistants has been in full swing since 2024. A distinctive feature is that the AI suggests “next steps” and “potential clients” based on the task content. For example, for a task listed as “creating the first draft of an article,” the AI will ask, “Who do you want to submit the review request to? When should I complete the task? and “When should it be completed by? In addition, the system contributes to the advancement of project management by referencing past history and similar tasks and suggesting ways to proceed with similar projects.
(vii) Sales and marketing support
Jasper
Jasper is an AI tool that can quickly generate any marketing document, including advertisements, social networking posts, blog posts, landing pages, and more. Users simply enter the project objectives, target demographics, and keywords they wish to use into a template, and the system outputs the optimal sentence plan in seconds. For example, if the user indicates “Instagram announcement text (casual tone) for a new product,” multiple patterns will be generated and can be used as AB test material. In addition, there is a “custom brand voice” function to keep the brand tone consistent, allowing for scalable communication while maintaining the unique writing style of each company.
Copy.ai
Copy.ai is a document generation tool that marketers and businesses can use intuitively to automatically create advertising text, email text, product descriptions, etc., utilizing over 30 templates. The usage flow is simply to generate text in response to a prompt, “save” if you like the content, and choose “regenerate” or “change tone” if adjustments are necessary. For example, if you want to create a large number of product introductions for an e-commerce site, you can automatically generate multiple drafts at once by entering the product name and features together. Even small businesses and in-house marketers can easily obtain professional-level copy.
Seventh Sense
Seventh Sense is an AI tool that specializes in optimizing the timing of email marketing campaigns, and works with marketing automation (MA) tools such as HubSpot and Marketo to automatically calculate the optimal delivery time for each customer based on past email open data and click history. It automatically calculates the optimal delivery time for each customer based on past open data and click history. The usage flow is very simple. Just by importing an existing distribution list, AI generates an individually optimized sending schedule for each recipient. As a result, you can expect improvements in email open rates, click rates, and CVR (conversion rate).
8) Data analysis and report generation
ThoughtSpot Sage
ThoughtSpot Sage is an advanced platform among BI (Business Intelligence) tools that supports query input in natural language. Instead of analysis tasks that previously required SQL or special scripts, anyone can input a query such as “Which products increased sales by more than 10% from the previous month?” and visualize it as a graph or table. Usage scenarios include creating reports for sales meetings and management meetings, monitoring KPI, and so on, making it possible to quickly link internal data to decision-making.
ChatGPT Code Interpreter（Advanced Data Analysis）
ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter (or Advanced Data Analysis) function is a powerful tool that allows you to upload CSV or Excel files and perform statistical analysis and data visualization in an interactive format. For example, CPA (cost per acquisition) for each marketing initiative, seasonal trends in sales data, etc. can be calculated and graphed with simple questions. Since no programming knowledge is required, the tool is easy for non-engineers to use and greatly lowers the barriers to data utilization in the company.
MonkeyLearn
MonkeyLearn is a no-code machine learning tool specialized for text data, allowing users to perform natural language processing (NLP) such as sentiment analysis, topic classification, and keyword extraction on a GUI. For example, it can be used to analyze customer support inquiries and extract trends in common complaints and positive feedback, and it can be integrated with external tools such as Google Sheets, making AI analysis a natural part of daily business operations.
(ix) Coding support and no-code tools
GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is a code generation assistant based on OpenAI’s Codex model that integrates with major IDEs such as VS Code and greatly streamlines everyday development tasks by suggesting code continuation and function syntax completion. For example, simply comment, “Write a function that reads a CSV file and calculates averages grouped by specific columns,” and the corresponding Python code is immediately presented. Users can use the suggested code as is or modify it in their own way. The system is also used to assist new engineers and reduce the time and effort required to research specifications, directly improving productivity in team development.
Replit Ghostwriter
Replit Ghostwriter is a code assistance AI built into the Replit online IDE. It suggests, modifies, and analyzes errors in code in real time, while reflecting instructions given by users in natural language directly in the code. For example, simply typing in “build a simple to-do application in Python” will generate a skeleton of an application with a basic structure.Replit is browser-based, so there is no need to build a local environment, making it easy to use for programming novices and students.
Bubble AI
Bubble is known as a platform that allows users to build web applications with no code, but by using AI-assisted functions, UI design and logic construction can be made even more intuitive. For example, when a user enters requirements in natural language, such as “I want to build a real estate property search site,” AI automatically suggests the necessary page structure, database design, filter functions, etc. Specific function additions (e.g., favorite registration, login authentication) can also be configured interactively, allowing for prototype development without relying on engineers.
⑩ Integrated AI Assistant
ChatGPT（OpenAI）
ChatGPT is a typical comprehensive AI assistant that can be used across the entire business spectrum. It supports a wide range of applications, including document creation, summarization, spreadsheets, document organization, and programming assistance, and can provide flexible instructions in an interactive format. For example, it can instantly respond to abstract requests such as “create a weekly report from this Excel data” or “think of three patterns for a proposal for a customer. By making full use of the plug-in, code interpreter, file upload function, and other features, all internal business processes can be covered in a centralized manner.
Claude（Anthropic）
Claude is an LLM developed by Anthropic, a fast-growing company that is the next hot property after OpenAI. It features a safety and ethical design, and is especially good at long-text processing, summarization, and document reading. For example, it can respond to advanced instructions such as “Read this 20-page PDF and summarize the main points in 300 words” in natural language. It is highly valued in occupations that require high-speed reading and decomposition of large amounts of information (consulting, legal, research, etc.).
Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is a next-generation research assistant that combines search and generative AI. Its key feature is that it not only answers questions directly, but also summarizes key points from multiple perspectives while clearly indicating the source of the information. For example, if you type in “Tell me about the latest SEO trends,” AI will provide a summary while citing key articles, thereby reducing research man-hours while maintaining credibility. This is useful in business areas where the accuracy of information is a critical issue, and is an effective tool for assisting in research and proposal preparation.
Tips for introduction – points to make the best use of the system in the field
AI tools are not always effective as soon as they are introduced. The following points should be kept in mind when introducing AI tools in order to ensure retention and successful results.
- Start small (small start)
- Try it from one department or one business unit
- Picking up the voice of the field
- Hearings with members who actually use the system are reflected in the selection and operation of the system.
- Rule development and security measures
- Be careful with external data. It is important to establish internal guidelines.
- Review on an ongoing basis
- Due to rapid technological evolution, it is also useful to regularly try out new tools
Summary──AI is not a “replacement” but an “enhancement
AI tools do not “take away people’s jobs” but rather “expand people’s capabilities. In particular, AI tools will become indispensable to business in the future in that they compress the time spent on thinking, expressing, and communicating, allowing people to focus on more strategic decisions and creative work.
Metaphor provides a wide range of support for business improvement and web production using various AI tools, and we are happy to consult with you on AI utilization strategies, tool selection, and implementation flow. Please feel free to contact us.
