Your questions, answered.

It has read a huge amount of text and learned the patterns of language. When you ask something, it predicts the most useful words to come next. Think of it as a very well-read assistant who has never met your business until you tell it about it.

Not the way we do. It's very good with language and working through problems, but it has no real-world experience. Your judgement and knowledge of your business still matter most.

Because it predicts what sounds right, it can occasionally state something confidently that isn't true. This is most likely with facts, figures, names and dates. Check before anything goes out, as you would with a new member of staff.

Only what you tell it. The more context you give it, the better the results.

There's no single best. The main assistants are all very capable and leapfrog each other every few months. Pick one and learn it properly; the skills carry across.

All are general assistants. Copilot is built into Microsoft 365 and Gemini into Google Workspace, so they suit businesses already on those systems. Try a couple on the same job and see which you prefer.

No. A phone or an ordinary laptop with an internet connection is enough.

To the provider's servers, often outside the UK. Each provider's privacy terms say how long it's kept and what it's used for. Read them for the tool you choose.

It depends on the tool and plan. Many let you switch this off in settings, and business plans generally don't train on your data by default.

Treat it like email. Don't paste passwords, bank details or sensitive personal data you don't need to; use first names or initials. You're still responsible for customer data under GDPR.

Tell everyone at the start that you're recording, why, and what happens to it. Get their agreement and don't keep it longer than you need. The ICO has guidance.

Yes, even a single page: what staff can use, what they must never put in, and that a person checks everything before it goes out.

Who you are, who it's for and what good looks like. "I run a roofing firm; write a friendly reminder to a customer who owes £800" beats "write a reminder".

Paste in a letter, quote or post you like and ask for the same style.

End with "ask me any questions you need first". It fills the gaps before it starts.

The first answer is a draft. Say "shorter", "warmer", "as a table" or "for a customer, not an accountant".

Trust it like a capable new assistant: great first drafts and fast analysis, but you check before anything goes out. Take most care with figures, dates, names and anything legal or financial.

You are, just as you are for anything your staff send out.

The main providers' terms generally give you the rights to what it produces. The law is still settling, so take advice on anything high-value such as a brand. Never pass off other people's material as your own.

Not if you edit it into your own voice. What matters is that what you send is accurate and sounds like you.

It takes over tasks, not people: write-ups, first drafts, chasing numbers. The time it frees goes back into customers and growth.

Involve them early. Ask each person which job they'd most like to hand over, try it together and celebrate the first win.

The opposite. Small businesses gain most, because AI gives a one- or two-person business some of the support of an admin or marketing team.

Yes. Give it a past quote as the template, the photos or plan and a spoken brief. It drafts in your format; you check the figures.

Often. It's good at reading invoices, delivery notes and order forms and putting the information into a spreadsheet. How far it goes depends on your systems.

Stop using it as a search box. Give it context about your business, connect it to your email and diary, and use it for whole jobs, not single questions.

Use a business plan with training switched off, follow your professional body's guidance and keep names out where you can.

Yes: job adverts, draft contracts, staff letters, posts, captions and images in your own style. Anything contentious still goes to an adviser.

Useful results on day one; real confidence after a few weeks of daily use.

Ask the AI itself: "explain this more simply" or "what should I ask you?" works surprisingly well.