Category guide · AI Agents
AI Assistants for Work: General-Purpose Help Across Tasks
Conversational AI assistants that write, analyse, research, code and act across your apps, for individuals and whole organisations.
Also called Personal Productivity Agents
What is AI Assistants?
AI assistants are general-purpose conversational AI tools that help with a wide range of tasks: writing and editing, analysis, research, brainstorming, coding and working with documents and data. Workplace assistants connect to company apps and knowledge, and increasingly act as personal productivity agents that complete tasks.
AI Assistants, explained.
Problems it solves
People switch between many tools and spend time on drafting, summarising and searching that an assistant can speed up.
Why businesses need it
A capable assistant raises productivity across roles and gives employees safe, approved access to AI rather than unmanaged tools.
How it works
Users chat with the assistant, upload files or connect apps; it uses models and tools to answer, create, analyse and take actions, within admin policies.
Who should use it
Knowledge workers in every function, teams adopting AI, and IT teams providing approved AI.
Where it fits in your stack
Assistants connect to productivity suites, messaging, document storage and business apps.
Key features and capabilities of AI Assistants.
The capabilities that define the category. Not every product offers all of them, and depth varies a lot between entry-level and enterprise tools.
Writing and editing
Drafts and rewrites.
File and data analysis
Documents, spreadsheets and charts.
Web research
Search and summarise.
App connectors
Act in business tools.
Custom assistants
Reusable instructions and knowledge.
Coding help
Write and explain code.
Team workspaces
Shared projects.
Admin controls
SSO, policies and data controls.
How businesses use AI Assistants.
- 01
Drafting documents
Reports and proposals.
- 02
Analysing data
Quick insights.
- 03
Summarising
Long documents and threads.
- 04
Brainstorming
Ideas and plans.
- 05
Answering questions
From company knowledge.
- 06
Automating routines
Recurring tasks.
Who AI Assistants is for.
Knowledge workers
Everyday help.
Teams
Shared assistants.
IT leaders
Provide approved AI.
Small businesses
Do more with less.
Students and researchers
Learn and analyse.
What AI Assistants changes in practice.
Practical outcomes teams report when the category is implemented well. Results depend on adoption, data quality and process, so we do not quote percentages.
Time saved
Faster drafting and analysis.
Better quality
Editing help.
Wider capability
Help across tasks.
Safe adoption
Approved tools.
Shared knowledge
Team assistants.
Learning
Explanations on demand.
How to choose AI Assistants.
Use these criteria to build a shortlist, then test the finalists with your own data and workflows.
Essential features
Compare model quality on your tasks, connectors and admin controls.
Pricing models
Per-user subscriptions with business and enterprise tiers.
Integrations
Check productivity suite, storage and app connectors.
Scalability
Consider user numbers and usage limits. Ask what changes, and what it costs, at twice your current volume.
Security and compliance
Review data retention, training policies, SSO and compliance.
Implementation
Provide guidelines and training. Plan who owns AI assistants day to day after go-live.
Support
Check enterprise support. For AI assistants, ask how quickly the vendor responds when something breaks and whether onboarding help is included.
Customisation
Look for custom assistants and APIs. The more AI assistants must fit your own processes, the more this matters.
Questions to ask before you buy
- Is our data used for training?
- Which apps can it connect to?
- What admin and security controls exist?
- What usage limits apply?
- Can we build custom assistants?
- How is pricing tiered?
AI Assistants on Stack18.
Solutions for every stage of your growth.
We are researching AI assistants products now. Each listing will show sourced pricing, capabilities, integrations and limits, with dates, and no paid placement.
Until listings are published, use the buying guide above to shape your shortlist, or explore related categories that already have sourced profiles.
Already on Stack18 in other categories:
AI Assistants questions and answers
What is an AI assistant?
A conversational AI tool that helps with writing, analysis, research and tasks.
AI assistant or AI agent?
Assistants respond in conversation; agents plan and act across tools more autonomously. Many assistants now include agent features.
Is it safe to use AI assistants at work?
Use business plans with data protections and follow company policies.
Can assistants access company data?
Through connectors, within permissions you grant.
Do AI assistants make mistakes?
Yes; verify important facts and outputs.
Which AI assistant is best?
It depends on your tasks, ecosystem and requirements; test with real work.
Build a smarter technology stack.
Explore software and AI agents across every category, read sourced profiles and side-by-side comparisons, or talk to Stack18 about what to buy, build and connect.