Choosing an AI tool for your SME: five criteria

The CNIL (France’s data protection authority) and the CPME (a French federation of small businesses) advise starting from a concrete need before choosing among the many tools available. Here are five criteria, in order.

1. The task

Write in one sentence what the tool must do. For example: “write customer reminders from our overdue invoices”. The more precise the task, the simpler the choice.

For many writing tasks, a general assistant is enough: Vibe (Mistral AI), ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot. For others, a specialised tool may be better suited, for example to transcribe a meeting. Our task pages will guide you:

• Write and answer emails
• Write meeting notes
• Summarise and analyse a document
• Create visuals
• Analyse data and spreadsheets
• Answer customers

2. The data

List what you will give the tool. Generic texts? Customer names? Confidential figures? The more sensitive the data, the more safeguards you need: hosting, no training on your data, a data processing agreement.

Free consumer plans may use conversations to improve the models. Professional plans often rule this out in the contract. Check each tool with our six GDPR questions.

3. The price per user

Many tools are paid for per user per month. Work out the real cost: price per user, multiplied by the number of people, over twelve months. Also check:

• the commitment, monthly or annual;
• any minimum number of licences;
• usage limits and extra credits;
• features reserved for the higher plan, such as administration or the data processing agreement.

The Index shows the price found on the official page, in the provider’s currency, with the date it was checked. You can start with a few licences, for the people who need them most.

4. Language and integration

Test the tool in the language you work in, on your own texts. Look at the interface, the quality of the answers and whether it keeps the right level of formality. Then check whether it connects to your tools: email, calendar, spreadsheet, management software. A tool that makes you copy and paste all day will soon be abandoned.

5. The test on three real cases

Do not decide on a demo. Choose three real tasks from your week. Test the tool on each one, with non-sensitive or anonymised data. Note the results in a simple grid.

Compare two tools on the same cases. Have the test done by the person who will do the task every day. Check every figure and every name: an AI assistant can produce answers that are wrong but convincing.

After choosing

Add the tool to your usage policy and train its users, for example with the Learn path. This also moves you forward on Article 4 of the AI Act, which asks you to support your teams’ AI literacy.