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AI Tools Landscape
A clear view of the AI tool stack and how to choose what fits.
Author
Joe Draper
Founder, Arkwright
Last updated: January 30, 2026
Navigating the AI tool stack can be overwhelming. This guide maps the current "best-in-class" tools across key categories, helping your organization make informed decisions based on capability, cost, and compliance.
1. The Engines (Frontier Models)
These are the raw intelligence layers that power many of the applications below. You will often choose which "engine" to use within other tools.
| Model | Best For | Business Case |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini 3 Pro | Multimodal Tasks | The current champion for tasks involving video, complex codebases, and large document sets. Native multimodal means it "sees" and "hears" as well as it reads. |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | Complex Reasoning | The "Deep Thinker." Unrivalled for pair programming, nuanced writing, and complex architectural coding decisions. |
| GPT 5.2 (X-High) | Agentic Planning | The specialist for logic puzzles, math, and acting as the "brain" for autonomous agents. |
2. Research Assistants
Tools that search the web with sources, synthesize data, and help you learn faster.
Perplexity
- ➢ What it is: A search engine replacement that answers questions with cited sources.
- ➢ Best For: Daily knowledge work, market research, and fact-checking.
- ➢ Pricing: Freemium; $20/month/user for Pro (access to Gemini/GPT-5). Enterprise plans available for centralized billing.
- ➢ Data Policy: Enterprise Pro offers zero-retention (your searches are not saved or trained on). Standard consumers opt-in to training.
- ➢ Integrations: Slack, Discord, and a robust API for internal tools.
NotebookLM (Google)
- ➢ Best For: Legal review, analyzing earnings calls, and synthesizing internal wikis.
- ➢ Pricing: Free for personal use; included in Google Workspace commercial plans.
- ➢ Data Policy: High Security. Data stays within your Google Workspace tenant and is never used to train public models.
- ➢ Integrations: Native integration with Google Drive, Docs, and Slides.
3. Coding Assistants
From "autocomplete on steroids" to fully autonomous software engineers.
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