Cost
A larger or slower model is not automatically worth it for a short task. If money matters, read the provider's current price.
Home · Start here · 05 · Choosing a tool
Lesson 5 of 7. Next: A repeatable workflow.
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Choosing a tool for the job
The right tool is the one that fits the job and the rule you have to follow. There is no standing winner.
1 What it is
A short rewrite, a long document, code, and a question that must stay inside company data are different jobs. Products and models differ, and which one is stronger changes. This card does not rank them and does not list a price.
OpenAI's model selection guide and Anthropic's guide to choosing a model both frame the choice as matching a model to a task. If your workplace names an approved tool, start there.
Example · no product is recommended
A paragraph you will proofread: try it in the chatbot you already open.
A question about a private policy: use a tool that is allowed to hold that policy, or do not paste it.
A number you will publish: a chat can draft the sentence. You check the number against the spreadsheet.
2 Why it matters
Quality
A model that is useful for code is not automatically the one to use for a careful summary of a policy.
Risk
An unapproved tool can break a workplace rule even when the draft looks better.
3 How to apply · try today
Write the job in one sentence. If a rule names a tool, use that. If not, run the job once in the tool you already use and note what you had to correct.
Common mistake
Switching tools because a ranking said one is best, without trying the task you actually have.
Self-check
Your workplace says customer text stays in the approved tool. Another chatbot writes a smoother sentence. What do you use?
Write today's job in one line. If a workplace rule names a tool, stop there and use it. If no rule applies, run the job once in the chatbot you already have and write down the one correction you had to make.
The guides above discuss matching a model to a task for people calling an API. They name current models. This card does not. The Model selection card is that builder choice: which model handles a request, and when different requests go different ways.
Go further
The Model selection card is how a product picks a model, and when it sends different requests different ways.
Questions
- Which model should I use?
- This site does not rank models. Use the tool your workplace approves, or the one you already have, and check the result.
- Do I need a different product for every job?
- No. Start with the tool you already use, unless a rule says otherwise.