You Don’t Need to Pick the Winning AI Tool. You Just Need to Pick One.
The AFR ran a piece this week telling Australian investors to stop worrying about which AI company wins. The argument: whether OpenAI, Google or Anthropic comes out on top, Australia’s position improves either way — so stop paralysing your portfolio trying to pick the winner.
That was written for share portfolios. But the logic applies directly to the question I get asked more than any other: which AI tool should I be using?
The most common version is: “What if I pick the wrong one and have to switch in 12 months?” Most people overestimate that risk.
If you pick ChatGPT and Copilot turns out to be better for your use case — you switch. It takes an afternoon. Your prompts aren’t locked in anywhere. There’s no data migration. None of these tools hold your business information hostage.
ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini all do the same core things. The differences matter at the margins — specific integrations, context window size, how well each handles Australian compliance language. They don’t matter enough to justify not starting.
Waiting for the winner is the more expensive mistake
Australia doesn’t need to produce the winning AI model to benefit from AI — it needs to adopt fast. The AFR piece makes that case for investors. For small business owners, it’s the same dynamic at a smaller scale.
Your competitive advantage isn’t the best tool. It’s being six months ahead of your local competitors on knowing how to use one. That gap closes the longer you wait.
A Gold Coast startup called Sophiie AI just raised A$5 million to build an AI operating system for trades businesses — scheduling, quoting, invoicing, customer comms. Their customers aren’t waiting for the perfect AI. They signed up, learned the tool, and the company says business owners using the platform spend up to 16 fewer hours a week on admin. Which specific AI runs underneath isn’t the conversation anyone’s having.
Which tool to pick
Which one fits how you already work?
Already on Microsoft 365? Start with Copilot — it’s inside Word and Excel, no new login. On Google Workspace? Gemini is already there. Want maximum flexibility and the broadest general capability? ChatGPT Team at around AU$30/month per user has the most training resources, prompts and community help of any tool available right now.
Pick one. Use it for 90 days. You’ll have real opinions after that instead of anxious ones.
Make a choice, learn the tool, and move forward. Speed matters more than perfect selection.
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If this interests you
- Big Companies Aren’t Ready for AI Agents Either ā Here’s What That Means for Small Business
- Australiaās First AI Royal Commission Has No Mandate for Small Business
- The RBA Says AI Is Making Things Worse. They’re Not Talking About You.
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