How to build your own AI tools plan

April 2026

The previous post described my own two tool setup – Claude for thinking, Siri for hands-free control. But your situation may be different to mine, and what works for me may not be the right answer for you. This post is a practical guide to working out what your own setup should look like.

It follows four steps: think about what you need help with, take stock of what you already have, understand the main tools and their honest strengths and weaknesses, and then make a plan that builds on what you already own rather than starting from scratch.

Step 1 — Think about where you want help

Start with your life, not with technology. Ask yourself which of these takes up too much of your time or energy:

Writing — emails, letters, formal documents, complaints, forms. Managing information — appointments, medication, health records, finances. Making decisions — researching a purchase, comparing options, working through a difficult choice. Home control — lights, heating, doors, security, appliances. Communication — phone calls, messages, keeping in touch. Thinking and reflecting — organising thoughts, planning, processing difficult situations at your own pace.

Be honest. The areas where you struggle most are the ones where AI can make the biggest difference. There is no point building a smart home setup if what you actually need is help with correspondence.

Step 2 — Take stock of what you already have

Before spending anything, look at what you own. Most people are surprised.

If you have an iPhone, you already have Siri — a capable voice assistant that controls HomeKit devices, sets reminders, plays music, and answers questions hands-free. You may also have access to ChatGPT via Apple Intelligence already built in.

If you pay for Microsoft 365, you have Copilot included — an AI assistant integrated into Word and Outlook that can draft documents and summarise emails.

If you have an Amazon Echo, you have Alexa — voice control, smart home integration, shopping lists, timers.

If you have a Google Nest or Android phone, you have Google Assistant and potentially Gemini.

Write down what you have before buying anything new. The question is whether what you own is already enough, or whether the gaps justify a new subscription.

Step 3 — Know the main tools and their honest strengths and weaknesses

Claude (Anthropic) — around £20/month or free tier
Strengths: Deep thinking, long conversations, nuanced reasoning, drafting, research, medical tracking, cognitive partnership. Works like a colleague, not a search engine.
Weaknesses: No voice control, requires active engagement, not hands-free.

ChatGPT (OpenAI) — free tier or around £20/month; lighter tier around £8/month
Strengths: Capable general assistant, image generation on paid tier, wide range of tasks.
Weaknesses: Can be overconfident, tends to agree rather than push back, less suited to extended dialogue in my experience.

Siri (Apple) — free with iPhone
Strengths: Completely hands-free, deeply integrated with iPhone and HomeKit, reliable offline, no extra subscription needed.
Weaknesses: Limited reasoning ability on its own — better for quick commands than complex thinking. Improving significantly in 2026 with Gemini integration.

Alexa (Amazon) — free with Echo device
Strengths: Excellent smart home control, wide device compatibility, good routines and automations.
Weaknesses: Weaker general AI reasoning, more useful as a home hub than a thinking tool.

Google Gemini — free tier or around £20/month (Gemini Advanced)
Strengths: Strong reasoning, good integration with Google services (Gmail, Calendar, Docs), multimodal.
Weaknesses: If you are Apple-based, the integration is less seamless.

Microsoft Copilot — included in Microsoft 365
Strengths: Directly integrated into Word, Outlook, Teams. Can draft emails and summarise documents without leaving the app.
Weaknesses: Most useful if you are already in the Microsoft ecosystem. Less useful on iPhone or Mac.

Step 4 — Make your plan

With your needs mapped and your existing tools inventoried, the question is simple: what are the gaps, and what is the cheapest and simplest way to fill them?

Start with what you have. If Siri and the free tier of ChatGPT covers your needs, use that before paying for anything. Subscriptions add cognitive overhead as well as cost.

Choose depth over breadth. One tool you understand well is worth more than three you use occasionally. Pick the one that fits your biggest need and learn it properly.

Consider the ethics of who built it. If privacy matters to you — and if you are sharing health information, personal thoughts, or financial details it should — the company behind the tool matters. Apple and Anthropic both have genuine, documented commitments in this area that most competitors do not.

Don’t build what you won’t maintain. A complex smart home setup requires ongoing attention. If your energy is limited, simpler is always better.

Review it once, then stop looking. The AI landscape changes constantly. Pick your tools, commit to them, and resist the urge to keep evaluating alternatives. The cognitive load of constant comparison is exactly what you are trying to reduce.

The honest summary

Most people with health and cognitive challenges need two things: a thinking partner for the complex stuff, and voice control for the hands-free stuff. You can often cover both with tools you already own. If you need to add something, start with the free tier and only pay when you have confirmed it fills a genuine gap.

The goal is not the best possible setup. It is the simplest setup that works reliably.

Written in conversation with Claude. The assessment framework was developed from real experience, not from a tech review site.