Choosing the Right AI Model for the Job

Note: The AI landscape evolves rapidly. Model capabilities and availability can change. This guide reflects the state of available models as of late November 2025.

The AI landscape changes faster than most people can follow. Blink, and a new model is out — GPT-5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5, Gemini 3 — each promising to be smarter, faster, and more capable than the last.

If you're not deep in the world of machine learning, those names can sound like alphabet soup.The truth is, not every AI model is built for the same purpose. Just as you wouldn't hire a designer to fix your plumbing, you shouldn't expect one AI to do everything well.

The Everyday Powerhouses

These models handle the majority of everyday tasks — writing, analysis, planning, and reasoning. Think of them as your dependable digital teammates.

Company	Persona	Best For	Model	Why It's Great
OpenAI	The Smart Generalist	Everyday assistance, chat, reasoning, and planning	GPT-5.1	The latest iteration builds on GPT-5's “thinking mode” with improved speed and consistency. Pauses to plan before responding, making it both smarter and more reliable.
Anthropic	The Thoughtful Writer	Drafting, editing, long-form writing, and tone-sensitive communication	Claude Sonnet 4.5	Known for its human-like writing and instruction following. Ideal for content, emails, and anything that requires empathy or nuance. Currently the smartest model in the Claude family.
Anthropic	The Deep Thinker	Complex analysis, research, and sophisticated reasoning tasks	Claude Opus 4.1	The most powerful model for complex work requiring extended reasoning. Better for challenging tasks that need maximum capability.
Google	The Deep Researcher	Reading and analyzing long documents, reports, and recordings	Gemini 3	Can process extremely long files — full books or transcripts — and pull out relevant insights with a massive context window.

The Specialists

Not every task needs deep reasoning. Sometimes you just need precision, speed, or automation. These tools handle structured, repetitive, or data-heavy work efficiently.

Task	Model / Tool	Company	Why It Wins
Analyzing spreadsheets or data	ChatGPT with GPT-5.1	OpenAI	Upload a CSV or Excel file and it runs its own analysis, writing code, visualizing trends, and summarizing results automatically.
Cleaning or visualizing data	Claude (Artifacts)	Anthropic	Artifacts open a separate, visual workspace where Claude can organize data into interactive tables or dashboards instantly.
Building slide decks	Gamma	Gamma App	Transforms a prompt or outline into polished, professional presentations — no PowerPoint skills required.
General-purpose multimodal tasks	Llama 4 Scout	Meta	Open-weight model with 17 billion active parameters. Efficient for various tasks including classification. Note: has licensing restrictions including EU domicile requirements and usage thresholds.
Heavy-duty reasoning and analysis	Llama 4 Maverick	Meta	Larger, more capable variant of Llama 4 for complex tasks requiring more computational power. Better for sophisticated analysis and generation.
Processing at scale	Gemini Flash	Google	Designed for high-volume, low-complexity jobs like categorizing emails or customer messages quickly and cheaply.

The Creatives

When your work calls for something visual, these models take over. They're redefining what's possible for design, content, and storytelling.

Model	Company	Category	What It Does Best
Midjourney	Midjourney	Image Generation	Produces breathtaking, artistic visuals. Slightly harder to master, but unmatched for creative direction and mood.
DALL-E 3	OpenAI	Image Generation	Integrated directly into ChatGPT. Simple to use — describe what you want and get consistent, accurate results.
Sora 2	OpenAI	Video Generation	Released in September 2025, creates realistic, high-definition video clips from text prompts. Results continue to improve with stunning quality.
Veo	Google	Video Generation	Built for short-form, cinematic videos and integrates easily with YouTube and creative workflows.

Workflow-Focused & Platform AI Tools

Beyond general-purpose and specialist models, a new class of AI tools is emerging — ones designed to live inside the software you already use. These “embedded” AIs automate workflows, generate insights, and remove friction across meetings, marketing, and productivity tools.

Tool / Platform	Best Use Case	What It Does (2025 Snapshot)
Microsoft Copilot	Productivity, collaboration, and knowledge work inside Microsoft 365 apps	Copilot brings AI into Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. It can draft, summarize, extract key insights, and automate everyday office tasks — all without leaving your workspace.
Salesforce Agentforce	CRM workflows, customer service, and sales automation	Agentforce introduces autonomous agents that can retrieve CRM data, automate multi-step processes, and manage tasks across sales, service, and marketing. It helps teams respond faster and make decisions directly within Salesforce.
Fathom	Meetings, video calls, and collaboration follow-up	Fathom records and transcribes meetings (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet), automatically creating shareable summaries, highlights, and action items. It syncs notes to CRMs, Slack, or project management tools to keep everyone aligned.
NinjaCat	Marketing data, ad campaigns, and client reporting	NinjaCat centralizes marketing data from multiple sources, applies AI analysis, and generates automated performance insights and reports. Ideal for agencies managing multiple clients or large marketing teams.

Why These Tools Matter

• They integrate directly into your workflow. Instead of switching apps, they add AI capabilities where you already work.

• They automate the busywork. From meeting notes to campaign reporting, these tools handle repetitive tasks and keep your team focused on strategy.

• They scale naturally. Whether you're running sales, operations, or marketing, these embedded AIs grow with your processes and data.

Choosing the Right Tool for Your Day

If you're wondering which one fits your workflow, start with your goal:

Task	Recommended Tool
Writing or editing client communication	Claude Sonnet 4.5
Complex research or analysis projects	Claude Opus 4.1 or GPT-5.1
Creating quick data visualizations	ChatGPT with GPT-5.1
Summarizing long meetings or reports	Gemini 3
Building presentations fast	Gamma App
Multimodal tasks with open-weight models	Llama 4 Scout or Maverick
High-volume processing at low cost	Gemini Flash
Meeting summaries or follow-ups	Fathom
Campaign reporting and marketing analytics	NinjaCat
Sales, CRM, and service automation	Salesforce Agentforce
Productivity and document creation	Microsoft Copilot

Each has a role — the trick is knowing when to switch tools instead of forcing one to do it all.

The Bottom Line

The best AI model isn't always the newest one; it's the one that fits your needs. GPT-5.1 handles logic and conversation, Claude writes with heart and sophistication, and Gemini shines with research and context. Together, they cover nearly every kind of workday challenge.

At Boreas, our goal is to help teams use AI practically — to simplify, accelerate, and improve the way you work, without getting lost in the technical details.

Curious which model fits your team best? Let’s talk.