Meet the AI tools you'll use
Listen to this lesson
Nigerian voice narration
Fictional training case. Your unit head keeps saying 'just use AI' but four or five tools sit on your phone and you don't know which one opens for which job. This lesson maps each free tool — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, Perplexity, NotebookLM, Meta AI — to the office tasks it actually fits best. Work through the example, identify the evidence needed and practise the method with cleared or synthetic inputs. Any additional figures in the explanation are separate practice examples, not claimed rows in a downloadable file.
Worked example
Fatima, a desk officer at a fictional parastatal, gets three tasks before lunch: summarise a circular, check an Excel total, and confirm a statistic for a brief. She opens ChatGPT for the circular because it reads and condenses text well. For the Excel check she switches to Copilot, which can suggest formulas for manual testing. For the statistic, she uses Perplexity because it shows clickable sources she can verify against the original publication, instead of trusting an unsourced chat answer that might be wrong or outdated.
The method
Use Claude for formal writing, Gemini chat for drafting or formula guidance, Copilot chat for spreadsheet explanations, Perplexity for source-oriented search, NotebookLM for cleared document study and Meta AI for short messages where available. These are course recommendations, not a universal ranking. Free chat is distinct from licensed integrations inside Office or Google applications.
Worked practice and common mistakes
A tool recommendation is a starting point, not a guarantee that one provider is always best. A cited answer may misread the page, and a grounded answer may omit a paragraph. Check the actual passage. Free Copilot chat can explain formulas but does not automatically grant licensed features inside Word or Excel. Start with a harmless test and decide which verification step the task needs.
Review before using the result
Choose the assistant and the verification step together. A summary needs comparison with the source, a formula needs local tests and a statistic needs a supporting publication. Tool availability and free limits vary. A source-grounded answer may still misread or omit evidence.
Your workplace practice
Use the recommended free assistant with this lesson's fictional example. Ask for the output described in the worked example. Keep a copy of the input and draft. Compare the result with the verification steps above, record any correction, and retain placeholders where evidence is missing. The expected result is a checked draft for human review, not an automatically approved decision. Course examples and practice responses are fictional; amounts, dates, rules and thresholds are not official guidance or supplier quotations.
All-round drafting, rewriting tone, brainstorming and step-by-step explanations.
Free: Free chat for drafting and explanations; message, upload and feature limits vary. Read the displayed notice when a limit is reached.
Paid: Paid plans generally raise allowances or add tools; current availability and pricing are on the official plan page.
Sign up: Go to chatgpt.com → Sign up → Continue with Google (or email) → verify your phone number if asked.
Free chat for drafts, explanations and source-checking. Direct integrations inside Google applications may require a different plan.
Free: Free chat with an eligible Google account. Uploads, search and other features depend on current limits and account availability.
Paid: Paid Google AI plans may add features and allowances; check the current plan, account eligibility and application requirements.
Sign up: Open gemini.google.com → sign in with your Gmail account → accept the terms. No new account needed.
Long documents, careful formal writing, policies and reports where tone and nuance matter.
Free: Free text assistance and supported uploads with changing limits. Follow the displayed usage notice; no fixed reset time is promised.
Paid: Paid plans generally offer higher allowances and additional capabilities; check the current official comparison.
Sign up: Go to claude.ai → Continue with Google or email → confirm the link sent to your inbox.
Excel formulas, Word and Outlook-style writing, and staff whose office already runs on Microsoft 365.
Free: Free chat where available; sign-in, uploads and feature allowances depend on current account and service requirements.
Paid: Embedded Office features have separate application, account and licensing requirements; check the current plan comparison.
Sign up: Visit copilot.microsoft.com → Sign in with an Outlook/Hotmail account (or create one free).
Source-oriented search for research and fact-checking; open the cited passages and verify the actual claim.
Free: Free search with changing limits on advanced features. Sources still require independent verification.
Paid: Paid plans generally raise allowances and add research features; current options and limits can change.
Sign up: Open perplexity.ai → Sign up with Google or email. You can also search without an account.
Studying cleared documents through source-grounded answers and references; check the response against the original passages.
Free: Free access with an eligible Google account; notebook, source and audio feature limits can change.
Paid: Paid options may raise notebook, source and feature limits; check the current official comparison and eligibility.
Sign up: Go to notebooklm.google.com → sign in with Gmail → Create new notebook → upload a PDF or paste text.
Quick help inside WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram — great for short replies and broadcast drafts on the go.
Free: Free text assistance where available in Meta apps or on the official website. Account and regional availability vary.
Paid: No paid AI upgrade is required for this course exercise. Check the official service for current plans and features.
Sign up: In WhatsApp tap the blue-ring Meta AI icon on the Chats screen, or open meta.ai and log in with Facebook/Instagram.
Free limits and prices change often — check each tool's website for the latest.