Whether you’re a solopreneur or run a business with dozens of employees, it never hurts to have extra help. Productivity tools can help you get more of your to-do list done, handling routine tasks and automating busywork so you can recapture valuable time.
Modern advances in generative AI technology have created a new category in productivity boosters: AI tools. AI tools can learn from data patterns and recognize text and speech, allowing them to help with a wide range of business tasks like scheduling, data analysis, content creation—the list goes on.
AI assistants are a subcategory of those tools, using natural language generation to interact with users in a conversational format. They let you directly ask a program for help, whether that’s a search inquiry, rewriting a pesky email, or filling out a tedious spreadsheet. See how an AI digital assistant can help your business, with top picks for you to consider.
What are AI assistants?
AI assistants are programs that use artificial intelligence (AI) to respond in text or voice to inquiries with a natural human style. They use machine learning and natural language processing to understand requests so you can use a conversational tone when asking for help. If you use a smartphone, chances are it’s already equipped with an AI assistant: Siri or Google Assistant. AI assistants also power many apps and smart home devices.
In business, AI assistants are powerful timesavers, automating routine tasks and responding to layered questions. They’re equally capable of fielding both simple and complex requests, from “Help me write this email introduction” to “Analyze every email I’ve sent in the last three months and provide bulleted feedback on my communication style.”
Ways AI assistants can help your business
AI assistants handle the time-consuming busywork for you, allowing you to focus your energy on growing your business. Generative AI improves a foundational metric for any successful business: productivity. Here are five ways AI assistants can boost your productivity:
Answer questions
Think of an AI assistant as the next evolution of the search engine. Where a search engine provides you with a list of results, AI assistants directly answer your daily questions. Use it to answer complex math equations, research competitors, or improve a presentation. Modern AI assistants can remember your conversations and build context around your use case to answer more complex inquiries.
Take notes
Repetitive tasks, like summarizing meetings and presentations, can take up valuable time and energy. Use your AI assistant to easily create executive summaries of meetings, articles, and email correspondence. These tools often use speaker recognition features to provide detailed breakdowns of audio conversations and allow integrations into your preferred note-taking app.
Manage your calendar
Get a rundown of your day, schedule meetings and appointments, and send invitations and reminders—all by talking to an AI assistant. For example, if you’re deep in a budget spreadsheet when a colleague asks to adjust your scheduled meeting, you can use your AI assistant to move the meeting to the following day—without even looking up.
Assist in content creation
An AI writing assistant can be a big help with content marketing. Ask it for 20 examples of a snappy tagline for a new product, or use it to draft the script for your next TikTok. Treat the output as a brainstorming tool; consider it a rough first draft and edit from there to tailor it to your brand’s voice and tone.
Analyze business data
An AI assistant can digest all the data relevant to your business and help you understand it. Use them to look for opportunities in your budget spreadsheet, analyze customer acquisition costs, and identify patterns or flaws in your sales and marketing funnels.
Top AI assistants for businesses
- Shopify Magic
- ChatGPT
- Google Assistant
- Siri
- Microsoft Copilot
- Alexa
- Otter.ai
- Clockwise
- Motion
- Bardeen
- Jasper
Choosing the right AI assistant depends on your needs. These top picks can help you decide which type of assistant is the best fit for your business:
Shopify Magic
Shopify Magic comes as a built-in feature for Shopify store owners. You can use it to remove or generate product image backgrounds for a uniform aesthetic. It also writes captivating product descriptions and FAQ sections, and improves emails.
Use its Sidekick AI assistant feature to answer your own questions about using Shopify's platform. Based on data from your store, Sidekick can provide tailored advice to guide you as you grow your business.
Pricing: Free for Shopify store owners.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT uses OpenAI’s natural language processing to do a variety of AI-assisted tasks. Use it to write cold outreach emails, suggest video ideas, and organize your thoughts. Ask it to translate emails, learn the basics of a language, and understand slang and jargon. You can even use it to write basic code for your website.
Pricing: ChatGPT offers a limited free tier and a Plus plan for $20 per user, per month that comes with priority access and more capabilities.
Google Assistant
Google Assistant is embedded into Android smartphones and Google smart home devices—all of which allow for a wide range of voice commands, like scheduling meetings, keeping a to-do list, or answering questions. Gemini, Google’s generative AI, now powers Google Assistant to improve your conversations.
Pricing: Free with any compatible Google device.
Siri
Siri is an AI tool built into Apple’s phones, wearables, computers, and smart home devices. It’s now powered by a generative AI called Apple Intelligence that adds additional capabilities. In addition to common requests, it can respond to commands across different apps and is aware of your on-screen applications.
For example, if you get an email about the new logo you’re working on, you can ask Siri to send a screenshot of your progress without leaving your editing app.
Pricing: Free with any compatible Apple device.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot works best if you also use the Microsoft 365 suit. Even without that integration, it can help you draft copy, generate images, and analyze business data to find patterns in budget documents and customer behavior.
Pricing: The basic tier is free. Copilot Pro costs $20 per user per month for priority access and deeper Microsoft 365 integration.
Alexa
Alexa is a voice assistant embedded into Amazon smart home devices, such as speakers and displays. It can summarize calls, check warehouse inventory, or order office supplies. Amazon is also developing a new version of Alexa AI slated to be released in 2025. It is forecasted to be a more action-oriented assistant with a greater ability to handle tasks independently.
Pricing: Free with any compatible Amazon device.
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI assistant squarely focused on meetings. It provides transcripts, summaries, and action items and includes a chat feature that allows you to ask the assistant follow-up questions.
Pricing: Otter offers a free version, a Pro plan for small teams for $17 per month, and a Business plan for larger teams at $30 per month. It also has a custom-priced Enterprise plan with advanced security features.
Clockwise
Clockwise is built to intelligently manage your calendar. It works across teams to find open slots in your day, allowing you to conversationally adjust your schedule. It automatically optimizes your schedule to create the highest amount of uninterrupted focus time.
Pricing: Clockwise offers a free version, and annual plans, including a Team plan at $6.74 per user per month, a Business plan for $11.50 per user per month, and a custom Enterprise plan.
Motion
Motion sets your daily schedule, using your calendar and to-do list to optimize your day. It automatically prioritizes your most important tasks and meetings and reschedules unfinished work.
Pricing: Motion starts at $34 per month for one user. Its Business Standard tier supports up to 20 business users at $20 per user per month and has a custom Business Pro plan for more than 20 users.
Bardeen
Bardeen focuses on workflows, helping you automate repetitive tasks. Teach it to perform your most time-consuming busywork, from simple tasks like data entry and form-filling to more complex workflows like sales prospecting and market research.
Pricing: Bardeen offers a free version, a Pro tier for $60 per month, and custom-priced Business and Enterprise tiers.
Jasper
Jasper is a marketing-focused AI assistant for content creation, allowing you to generate and rewrite copy, edit images, and incorporate SEO into your content.
Pricing: Jasper’s Creator tier starts at $49 per user per month. Its Pro tier includes collaboration tools for $69 per user, per month, and its custom-priced Business tier includes features for larger companies.
AI assistant for business FAQ
What is the best AI assistant for business?
The best AI assistant for your business depends on your needs. Major device-embedded AI assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant can handle the widest variety of routine tasks, like search inquiries and content ideation. More specialized assistants—like Clockwise, Otter, and Bardeen—are a better fit for particular needs like scheduling, meeting summaries, and business automation.
How much does an AI assistant cost?
An AI assistant ranges in cost depending on your need and team size. Paid plans for specialized assistants like Motion cost up to $20 per user per month, while other assistants like Jasper start at $49 per user per month. For limited, personal use, many AI assistants offer free plans.
Is there a free AI assistant?
Free versions exist for several AI assistants, including ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Otter, and Bardeen. While their functionality is more limited when compared to their paid counterparts, they remain helpful tools.
