BusinessLesson 2 of 59 min read
Your first tools, on a shoestring budget
A course from the Academy: AI at work: the small business guide
Go to the quiz ↓Good news: to get started, the budget required is zero euros. Here's what to install, when to pay, and above all when not to pay.
The starting point: a general-purpose assistant
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or France's Le Chat (Mistral): all offer a free version that's more than enough to get a feel for things. Pick just one, use it for two weeks on real tasks, and you'll know what matters to you.
When a subscription (around €20/month) becomes worth it
- You use it every day and keep hitting the limits of the free version.
- You deal with long documents (tenders, contracts): paid versions can handle more of them.
- You want the latest models, which are more reliable on complex tasks.
Simple rule: if the tool saves you even an hour a month, the subscription pays for itself. But only pay after you've seen real usage, never before.
Avoid the kitchen-sink setup
Beware of "all-in-one for SMEs" platforms at €200/month that are often just a wrapper around the same models. Before buying any specialised "AI" tool, ask three questions: exactly how much time does it save me? Can I do the same with my €20 assistant? What happens to my work if this tool disappears?
Key takeaways
- Start free with a single general-purpose assistant, two weeks, on real tasks.
- Pay around €20/month only when daily use justifies it.
- Be very cautious with expensive specialised platforms: often the same engine, at a higher price.
Key concepts
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