How to pick the right AI tools for tasks

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January 20, 2026
by
Jeff Su
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How to pick the right AI tools for tasks

TL;DR

Chachib is best for tasks with many steps due to its strict obedience, Gemini excels with large media and context, Claude delivers strong first drafts and code, and Perplexity shines at fast, accurate fetching. Use them by task type and balance features to optimize your workflow across everyday, specialist AI and beyond.

Transcript

I use around 10 AI tools for 90% of my work, and each one excels in one specific area. But figuring out which tool works best for what task usually takes months of trial and error. So, I'll share the one thing each tool does better than alternatives, so you walk away with a clear mental model for when to use what. I've grouped these tools into four... Read More

Key Insights

  • Chachib is the most obedient model, reliably following every instruction in complex checklists.
  • Gemini handles multiple media types and has a large context window, enabling synthesis of video, audio, and slides.
  • Claude provides high quality first drafts and strong coding ability, reducing revision work.
  • Perplexity is optimized for fast, accurate fetching of information, acting as a search-focused tool.
  • Specialist AI tools are not interchangeable with general purpose chatbots, each serving distinct roles.
  • An effective workflow can involve chaining tools where one handles ideation and drafting and another refines the output.
  • NotebooksLM answers from published sources, reducing hallucinations by limiting sources to cited material.
  • A single guide helps decide when to use each tool, but practical testing and real use cases drive the best mix for a given workflow.

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Questions & Answers

Q: What makes Chachib the go-to model for complex checklists and multi-step tasks?

Chachib is designed to be highly obedient, meaning it follows every instruction in a prompt without skipping steps. In practice, this results in more detailed, complete outputs when a task has many moving parts. It avoids the common issue of models “helping” by skipping steps or deviating from the specified requirements.

Q: How does Gemini differ from other models in terms of data handling?

Gemini stands out for its multi-modality, being able to process video, audio, images, and text natively. It also offers a vast context window, enabling it to ingest and synthesize large, complex inputs such as hour-long recordings and full slide decks in a single pass, which other models struggle to manage.

Q: What is Claude particularly strong at, according to the video?

Claude excels in producing high quality first drafts and has strong coding capabilities. It tends to generate working code on the first attempt and can also tighten argument and match a specific voice, making it especially useful for style-sensitive writing and initial code generation.

Q: When is Perplexity the preferred tool over a general purpose chatbot?

Perplexity is optimized for fast, accurate information fetching and search, making it the preferred tool when you need a specific fact quickly. It is not meant to replace reasoning tasks but to provide reliable, up to date information rapidly as a supplement to broader AI reasoning tools.

Q: Can you combine these tools effectively in a workflow?

Yes, a common approach is to use one tool for ideation and outlining, another for drafting, and a third for polishing. For example, Chachib or Gemini can draft, Claude can refine the tone and finalize, and Perplexity can verify facts or fetch supporting data, creating a robust, low-hallucination pipeline.

Q: What is the role of specialist AI tools in the workflow described?

Specialist AI tools are presented as complements to general purpose models, each excelling in a specific domain such as search or factual retrieval. They should be used to address gaps in the general AI stack, ensuring information accuracy and task-specific performance without overloading a single model with every function.

Q: What does the video suggest about tool selection beyond just features?

The presenter emphasizes that the best workflow comes from choosing tools based on actual usefulness for your tasks, not just hype. If you can afford multiple tools, combine them to exploit each model’s strengths, and continuously test prompts to ensure you get the expected behavior in real-world use.

Q: What resource is recommended for building an AI productivity stack?

The video promotes a free guide called the AI productivity stack provided by HubSpot. It categorizes tools by use case, discusses key features and pricing, and includes a step-by-step workflow to help you understand when to use different tools, supporting a structured, evidence-based selection process.

Summary & Key Takeaways

  • This video shows how to map AI tools to tasks by their unique strengths, helping viewers choose the right tool for each job. It emphasizes obedience, multimodal capability, code quality, and fast information retrieval, then connects these traits to practical workflows. A two part series frames the guidance.

  • The presenter demonstrates concrete comparisons between Chachib, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, including examples of prompts, web search behavior, and how the tools are best combined. The hub for this guidance is a mental model of task fit rather than tool hype.

  • The guide ends by reinforcing a disciplined approach to tool selection, stressing usefulness over novelty and inviting viewers to test prompts and consult a free HubSpot guide for broader tool stacks and use cases.


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