Your 2026 AI Tool Radar: What firms are actually using
My recommendation for the main AI tool you should use in your business has changed.
Not because of a new shiny feature.
Because two quiet things happened at the same time:
One: Copilot got smarter.
Two: Copilot became easier to roll out.
And when those two line up, the decision becomes simple.
The shift: Copilot is now “good enough”
For most of 2024 and 2025, Copilot wasn’t good enough.
It was slow, frustrating, and not very clever.
That wasn’t just an opinion. It was a model gap.
Copilot was using older models than what people experienced in tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
Then in August 2025, Microsoft introduced GPT-5 into Copilot.
That was the turning point.
It meant Copilot became almost as smart as the others.
Still not the most feature-rich.
But the ‘intelligence gap’ closed up.
And “smart enough” matters a lot when you’re managing such a core tool across a firm.
The second shift: it’s already included
The other thing that happened is Microsoft included Copilot inside Microsoft Office apps into standard business subscriptions.
Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and more.
So we no longer need to buy an extra licence.
It’s already there. That makes it a no brainer.
One practical thing to check
Make sure people are logged in with a business account, not a personal account.
They should see the green shield up the top right.
Click it. Read what it says.
You’ll likely land on this:
You’re as safe as the rest of your Microsoft platform.
You’re sharing your data with Microsoft.
Not third parties (unless your admin enables Claude. Different story. Your admin will know).
They won’t train their models on your data.
This is why Copilot becomes the default option for the mainstream.
But what about ChatGPT and Claude?
ChatGPT was my favourite in 2025.
It was smart, easy, and feature rich.
And it was perfect for what many firms actually needed last year: literacy.
Prompting skill.
Verification skill.
Comfort with using AI in day-to-day work.
ChatGPT helped people use AI a lot, quickly and develop their literacy.
But now, Claude becoming is the interesting wildcard for business.
Claude used to be a distant third. It’s not anymore.
Claude is positioning itself more towards business users, and Claude Cowork is part of that, a desktop companion with strong capabilities in handling local files.
Some of the other desktop capabilities are still emerging.
But it is worth being familiar with.
Not necessarily to roll out.
To understand what’s coming.
There’s a sense out there that Claude is focusing on business whereas ChatGPT is investing a lot in consumers. We’re not sure where this is going, but Claude is looking very good right now.
If you’re on Google
If you’re on Google, you’ve got Gemini.
Gemini is awesome. It always has been.
Easy to use. Great models. Very clever.
Lucky you. Stay where you are.
What I’m seeing on the ground (AU + NZ)
In accounting and law firms in Australia and New Zealand:
When I run AI Kickstarter programs, almost everyone starts with Copilot now. I have negligible bookings for ChatGPT anymore. This was the opposite in 2024 and 2025.
When I run AI Power Up Intensives, they are often around moving from ChatGPT to Copilot.
And my AI Agents Workshops are almost exclusively Copilot.
It makes sense to automate using the tools that are already in your environment. Even if it means having to wait a bit with the latest capabilties.
What should you do?
If you haven’t decided yet, and you’re unsure, and you still have concerns:
Go Copilot (assuming you’re a Microsoft business).
It’s the easy option.
And give at least some of your team the extra licence for Copilot 365. It gets you so many more options like deep research, agents, and access to newer models too.
I think it’s worth it.
If you’re a ChatGPT business, ask yourself:
Are you staying because it’s really better for your workflows, or because you’re used to it?
And if you insist on staying outside the Microsoft world, have a look at Claude.
Be familiar with it so you’re making an informed choice.
If you are on Google. Gemini is your friend. Stay.
One extra recommendation
Whatever you are rolling out, it is always good to have small group of experimenters, your AI champions, with access to other tools.
If you are on ChatGPT, get a few Copilot licences, so that you know what’s there.
If you are on Copilot, get a few Claude users to play with what’s coming.
Keep it contained, deliberate, and safe.
Not because you want chaos.
Because you want early signal.
What should we do together next?
If you want to dive deeper with me, there are a few options coming up:
Adelaide intensive in person (in three weeks, you want to book now!)
Getting started with Copilot (online)
AI Agents in Accounting (online)
All the details are here: inbal.com.au/events
—
Inbal Rodnay
Guiding Firms in AI Adoption and Automation
Keynote speaker | AI Workshops | Executive briefings | The Tech Savvy Firm
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