AI Tools & Applications for Small Business

Essential AI Productivity Tools

ChatGPT Plus ($20/month): Content creation, customer service, data analysis

Google Gemini (Free/Pro): Research, writing assistance, productivity enhancement

Microsoft Copilot: Integrated with Office 365 for business productivity

Zapier AI: Workflow automation across 7,000+ apps

Perplexity AI: Research and fact-checking with source citations

Industry-Specific AI Applications

Canadian AI Resources

AI Assist Program: $100 million federal program for generative AI adoption

Regional AI Initiative (RAII): $200 million for SME AI adoption

Google AI Training: Free courses on AI fundamentals and implementation

AWS AI/ML Tools: Amazon SageMaker for building and deploying AI models

Customer Service: AI chatbots for 24/7 support and lead qualification

Marketing: Automated email campaigns, social media management, content creation

Finance: Invoice processing, expense categorization, financial reporting

Operations: Inventory management, supply chain optimization, predictive maintenance

Sales: CRM automation, lead scoring, sales forecasting

Google Training Programs (Free)

Grow with Google Canada: Free digital skills training

Google Career Certificates: IT Support, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, UX Design

Google Skillshop: Google Ads, Analytics, and Marketing Platform training

Applied Digital Skills: Business planning and market research tools

Other Free Training Platforms

Connected Canadians: Digital literacy for all ages

MediaSmarts: Digital media literacy resources

Digital Literacy Exchange Program: $50,000-$2M for organizations serving underrepresented groups

LinkedIn Learning: Business and technology skills (paid, but often free through libraries)